Curriculum

Mandatory course of the first semester for M1 Student. This program incorporates studio  and field practice, art production in the common workshop as the main focus. Through experimental workshops in installation, video, sound, drawing, and other forms of art, the course aims to “generate original art practices” by reaffirming students’ own relationship with the world. Each student will create his/her own production environment and learn the basics of how to realize works based on concepts and how to set up an exhibition. The common workshop includes a metal/wood/paint/stone workshop, where practical instruction is provided to realize production through exposure to a variety of materials.

This seminar is designed to think about issues in contemporary society from multiple perspectives. Topics are based on the research and concerns of all theory based faculty members, not limited on the field of the Arts. Lectures, interactive workshops, site visits, and fieldwork are conducted, sometimes with invited guests, to cultivate the ability to ask questions about issues in contemporary society and to deepen these questions through dialogue, as well as the ability to think and listen from multiple perspectives, which is a pillar of GAP’s learning.

This course aims to develop the communication skills necessary for working as an art practitioner in environments where people from different countries, languages, and cultures come together. By creating an English portfolio, practicing self-introductions, and engaging in various forms of discussion, students will establish their own unique communication styles. The goal is for students to gain the confidence and ability to present their work compellingly in English and engage in respectful, equal dialogue within diverse contexts.

Mandatory course of the first semester for M1 Student. Students will learn GAP’s philosophy of “dialogue and collaboration with others” through practice. Specifically, students will participate in unit programs developed and implemented by GAP in collaboration with art universities and cultural institutions in Japan and abroad, and take part in actual field research, workshops, and dialogues. In addition, through participation in classes (presentations, critiques, etc.) and general meetings held throughout the year for the entire department, students will develop the ability to cultivate their own questions by listening to others and collaborating with them.

Unit programs were conducted with Beaux-Art de Paris and Central Saint Martins of the University of the Arts London from 2016-2022, and with the Städelschule and Offenbach University of Applied Arts in Germany in 2023. In 2024 the program was divided into three groups, in Thailand, Korea, and Hokkaido and explored the specific theme related to the land and its history. 
From 2016 to 2022 this program has been collaborated with Beaux-Art de Paris and Central Saint Martins, UAL, Hochschule für Bildende Künste–Städelschule and Offenbach Applied Art University in 2023. In 2024, the program has been divided into three groups and carried out lectures, research, workshops, production, and presentations on their respective themes in Thailand, South Korea, and Hokkaido.

Art Practice III and IV are the core courses for the second year students. At the start of the year, students select a supervisor who will lead what is known as the ‘laboratory’, where they will receive individual supervision and join themed group seminars. Students in their final year focus on the creation of artwork, by utilizing ideas and creative methods obtained during the first year while deepening individual research investigations. In the period before their graduation show, students are guided through the preparation process: first, an exhibition plan is proposed and refined, then an initial presentation of work is made and reviewed by faculty and guest critics at GAP’s home campus in Toride. Subsequently, a final artwork is presented in the MFA Graduation Show held at the university’s Ueno campus in Tokyo.

This course provides opportunities for students to deepen the thinking that forms the foundation of their own work by facing the issues in contemporary society and art with the practice of internationally active artists. Contemporary art now has multiple poles, having shifted from Europe and the United States. The Social Practice course mainly invites artists from Asia, where GAP is located. Lectures, workshops, and mentoring sessions are held in an intensive format over approximately one week. The following have been invited as guest mentor, Iswanto Hartono, Reza Afisina (ruangrupa), Ong Keng Sen, YoungHae Chang Heavy Industries, Song Dong, Yin Xiuzhen, Alfredo Jaar, Gim Hongsok, Shuddhabrata Sengupta, Marek Bartelik, Hou Hanru, Yongwoo Lee, and Wang Hui, Bianca Van der Schoot and Suzan Boogaerdt (BDVS), Lim Minouk, Ho Tzu Nyen, Monira Al Quadiri.

The Kobiken Research Trip to Kyoto and Nara, with their long histories, is a traditional part of the curriculum at our University. Students learn about ancient Japanese art such as architecture and statues of Buddha in preliminary lectures before the trip, and then architecture and garden tours are undertaken on-site. Students are allowed to view inner temples usually closed to the public. This is a research trip that provides a highdensity experience going beyond mere appreciation, including observations on precise details. The purpose of this trip is not to learn about Japan’s uniqueness, but to visually confirm and recognise that from ancient times, Japan has been a place where people with different cultures have come together. The things that have been created as a result of this have come to be called ‘cultural assets’ over the years, and have come to form the context of Japanese tradition. We aim to provide an opportunity to see these wonderful cultural assets directly and think about how tradition and history are formed.

Shared Campus

Initiated by seven art institutions and universities having art departments, Shared Campus is a comprehensive cooperation platform for sustainable educational formats, research networks and co-productions. Today, close cooperation between cultures and disciplines is essential for addressing issues of global significance. In particular the arts play an important role in this respect. Shared Campus establishes connections that create added value for students, academics and professionals and enable participants to share and pool knowledge and competencies. The platform is designed along internationally relevant themes and issues, with a focus on transcultural issues and interdisciplinary cooperation.

Tokyo University of the Arts has been a full-partner member since April 2022.

For more details, please refer to the website of Shared Campus.

Shared Campus – Creative Practices across Cultures (shared-campus.com)

ASAP （Art Study Abroad Program）

Arts Study Abroad Program (ASAP) is a hands-on educational program launched in 2015 with the aim of fostering outstanding artists who can thrive on the international stage. Under the guidance and support of experienced faculty members at Tokyo University of the Arts, participating students take the initiative in organizing and engaging in various activities abroad, such as exhibitions, concerts, film screenings, training programs, and visits to partner institutions.

Short Unit

 “Global Joint Curriculum Short Unit” (abbr.”Short Unit”) is a program organized by the Faculty of Fine Arts and the Graduate School of Fine Arts. It aims to cultivate outstanding artists capable of thriving on the international stage while promoting international exchange activities. In collaboration with overseas institutions, it implements hands-on joint education programs. Conducted across multiple disciplines involving faculty members from diverse fields, the program is open to students from all backgrounds and is offered in various formats, including workshops, symposia, exhibitions, and special lectures.

Archives, Inheritance, and Creation of the Arts ：Cross-disciplinary Platform

“Archives, Inheritance, and Creation of the Arts : Cross-disciplinary Platform” is made up of two parts: a presentation by a guest and a discussion. The lecturer will lead a three-way discussion with the guest on the topics of art creation, inheritance and archiving, and then there will be a discussion involving the students. In the discussion, we will be looking for active participation from the students based on their own areas of expertise, such as creation, performance, research and production.

This year, we will be holding cross-disciplinary classes on the theme of ‘life and death’ in art and culture, inviting experts from a wide range of fields such as restoration, philosophy, the body, traditional performing arts, architecture and community as guests.

We will be positioning art as one of the liberal arts, and we will be seeking to provide each student with a diverse and flexible platform for thought that connects to the ‘knowledge’ of society as a whole. This is a class that aims to train students to develop the ability to read and interpret the broad knowledge of society from which art is born by operating their thought processes across multiple disciplines. It will enable students to broaden the scope of their thinking, which will form the basis of the specialised curriculum to which each student belongs. The classes will be broadcast live online via ZOOM, with some classes including simultaneous interpretation in Japanese and English.