Arts Initiative Tokyo [AIT]
COLLABORATIVE ART PROJECT BETWEEN JAPAN AND THE NETHERLANDS
REPORT 2024
About CAT 2024
Art Experiences for the Mind and Body:
A Journey Through the Senses and Collaborative Learning
In 2024, the "Inspiration Tour" program, which originally focused on art appreciation and creation (→ 1 | Inspiration Tour), will expand to include a more diverse group of participants, making it accessible to a wider audience. This year’s edition integrates a framework that promotes greater accessibility, inviting people from a variety of backgrounds—including children, adults, individuals who are visually impaired or hard of hearing.
Participants are encouraged to express their feelings and engage in a meaningful exchange of ideas and learning through art.
AIT will continue to explore new forms of learning and expression through art, alongside mental health, by fostering shared experiences of surprise and discovery.
Inspiration Tour
Art appreciation and creation program to expand our own expression
Part 1. Appreciation
Discovering and Sharing Different Sensibilities Through Art
Discovering and Sharing Different Sensibilities Through Art: The "Inspiration Tour" Program The "Inspiration Tour" is a program that takes diverse participants on visits to art museums, where they encounter various forms of artistic expression through surprise and dialogue. The goal is to inspire and ignite new forms of personal expression by learning from one another’s sensibilities. Participants have the opportunity to discover fresh perspectives, experience moments of wonder, and sometimes challenge or critique their previous ways of thinking. This experimental learning environment has been an ongoing initiative since 2022, inspired by similar programs in the Netherlands.
In 2024, as part of a new approach, we expanded the program to include members of the general public, alongside the participants from "atelier A." We invited individuals who might find it difficult to access museums, as well as those with neurodiverse characteristics, to come together and support one another. This year, participants visited the Artizon Museum to explore both the special exhibition "Jam Session: The Ishibashi Foundation Collection x Yuko Mohri — On the Concept of Physis" and the museum’s collection exhibition.
In groups led by facilitators, participants engaged in art appreciation, listening to sounds, and express their discoveries and joys, while sometimes experiencing emotional shifts and observing changes in their minds.This collaborative process became an enriching experience for reflection and connection.
Photo by Isamu Sakamoto
Reflection
An Atmosphere of Care Naturally Spreads Through the Surroundings: The Art and Heartfelt Inspiration Program
On January 25, 2025, the Collective Amazements Troupe [CAT] held its Inspiration Tour, part of this year’s program “Discovering New Ways of Experiencing Art and Mind.” Participants included members of atelier A—a citizens’ group where children with Down syndrome or autism create art—as well as blind, hard-of-hearing, and neurodiverse participants from ages 5 to 70. At the museum, small groups explored the exhibition freely with facilitators and supporters, then gathered in the lobby to share impressions together.
Keiko Kamijo
Art Writer
Freelance editor. She edits and writes for magazines and books. She has been a staff member of atelier A since around 2013.
Tetsu Akaogi
Director, atelier A
Since 2002, Tetsu Akaogi has been coaching ABLE FC, a football team for children with Down syndrome, and since 2003 he has started ‘atelier A’, a painting class mainly for children with Down syndrome and autism.
Part 2. Creation
From Experience to Creation: Exploring New Expressions Through Discovery and an Open Mind
Two weeks after their visit to the art museum, members of "atelier A" who participated in the "Inspiration Tour" gathered in their usual studio for a creative workshop. As part of a small initiative within the atelier A program, a variety of new materials—such as large drawing paper and acrylic paints—were introduced alongside the usual art supplies. Participants were encouraged to choose materials they liked and to express their personal creativity.
In the creative process, the experiences from the museum don’t always immediately translate into obvious expressions. Whether recalling the artworks, conversations, or emotions felt during the museum visit, or simply creating freely as usual, the workshop provides a space where participants can engage deeply with the materials—paints, paper, and other mediums—while embracing a relaxed and open-ended approach. This allows them to explore and express themselves in their own unique way.
We aim to expand the scope of creative activities for individuals with diverse characteristics and sensibilities, promoting both experiencing and creating.
Photo by Isamu Sakamoto
Reflection
Inspiration Tour Part II: Art and Mind Inspiration Program — Creative Session
As part of the Collective Amazements Troupe [CAT]’s Inspiration Tour: Discovering New Ways of Enjoying Art and Mindful Inspiration, a follow-up Creative Session was held. From atelier A, the members who had joined the museum tour—Ryu, Yui, Koki, Niki, Rei, and Toko—took part, channeling the inspiration they had gained at the museum into their own creative expressions.
Keiko Kamijo
Art Writer
Freelance editor. She edits and writes for magazines and books. She has been a staff member of atelier A since around 2013.
COLLECTIVE AMAZEMENTS TROUPE [CAT] 2024
Discovering New Ways to Experience Art: The Art and Heartfelt Inspiration Program
Inspiration Tour (Appreciation + Creation Program)
Inspiration Tour, January 25 / February 9, 2025
Organized by: Arts Initiative Tokyo[AIT]
Project Planning:：dear Me Project by AIT
In Cooperation with: atelier A, ABLE ART JAPAN (Museums for Everyone: The Museum Access Center Program)
Donation: Shiseido Camellia Fund
Project Planning Team: Rika Fujii, Naoko Horiuchi, Mafumi Wada (dear Me by AIT)
Facilitators: Tetsu Akaogi, Yoko Akaogi, Rie Okuma, Saori Toyoshima, Akiko Hida, Iori Fujiwara
Supporters: Meiko Akiyama, Fumiyo Kishibe, Megumi Kinugawa, Hiromi Shimizu, Shengfan Yang (Shiseido Company, Limited.)
Accessibility Advisors / Hearing Support: Moeko Kashima, Kazutoshi Kawamura, Miyuki Tanaka, Saki Hirasawa
Photography: Isamu Sakamoto
CAT 2024 website
Produced by: Arts Initiative Tokyo [AIT] (NPO)
Event Report: Tetsu Akaogi, Keiko Kamijo, Rika Fujii
Web Production: Yu Kinoshita
SPECIAL THANKS
Junya Utsumi, Fumiyo Kishibe, Yuko Mohri, Yutaka Kikutake Gallery and all participants
The accessibility support for this project is subsidized by Arts Council Tokyo as part of the
Tokyo Cultural Strategy 2030 ’ s "Creative Well-being Tokyo" initiative, aiming for the
realization of an inclusive society in which everyone has access to arts and culture.
atelier A
