I would like to extend my greetings on the occasion of the opening of the “Shinbism 6” exhibition, where contemporary artists connected to Nagano Prefecture and selected by the Shinshu Museum Network exhibit their works.

“Shinbism” is an exhibition series organized by curators with various backgrounds, working at museums and galleries in Nagano Prefecture. They have materialized this series through exchanges across their affiliations, in order to introduce artists connected to Nagano. This exhibition series has been held since 2018 based on the idea of the late Mr. Motoe, Kunio, the Art Director of Nagano Prefecture. He believed that because Nagano Prefecture has the most museums in the nation, many of which have only one curator, the most effective way to foster networking among these museums was to cultivate impartial relationships among their curators. The exhibitions have gathered attention across the nation as unique activities, in which a total of 214 curators have participated and 76 artists in total connected to Nagano Prefecture have been introduced so far. We are celebrating the sixth exhibition.

The current exhibition is a two-part event featuring “Region and Art”; the first part is the Art Exhibition solely, and the second part is the School Partnership Program. The Art Exhibition showcases the works of art utilizing local resources, such as empty houses, relocated buildings and school art facilities, aiming for more open-to-community initiatives. In the School Partnership Program, the Collection Exhibition Project by Kids Curators and ‘Shinbists’ (Artists and Curators) involves children selecting artworks from the museum’s collection for exhibition. Our goal is to foster a sense of attachment and familiarity with local art. We hope this exhibition will provide opportunities for local people to meet the artists, their works and curators, to learn through culture and the arts, and, cultivate new environments of appreciation and inspiration.

Aiming for a more creative Nagano, the prefecture will continue to work in partnership and collaboration with various stakeholders to create numerous opportunities for engaging with cultural and artistic activities, thereby expanding access for everyone to participate in the arts and culture.

We sincerely appreciate your continued support and cooperation into the future.

Greetings on the occasion of the “Shinbism 6” exhibition
―　The artists leading us into fresh pasture ―

It is a pleasure to be holding the “Shinbism 6” exhibition. We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to all concerned, including the artists and curators at each museum, for their overall cooperation and support, which made this exhibition happen.

When we look at the world today, the international situation remains unstable as seen in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, additionally, the rise of great powers’ egotistic nationalism, the division caused by the Trump administrations, etc. Turning our attention to Japan, we can’t help but notice serious problems, such as population decline, rapid aging, impoverishment of regional cities, rapid increase in school-absenteeism and successive natural disasters.
In our uncertain times, when people have a vague sense of anxiety, what can the arts and culture do? ― That is the challenges for the Agency for Cultural Promotion to tackle. As a matter of fact, Shinshu Arts Council established three years ago, is truly working on the various regional issues from the aspects of the arts and culture.

Speaking of the arts council, it originated from the UK, and its origins are not unrelated to war. In the general election after the World War II, the Conservative Party of Winston Churchill, who had led the allied forces to victory, was defeated, and then, Labor government came to power. Around that time, reflecting upon the war caused by humans, a wealth of ideas was generated about the national health and welfare, education and culture, which led to the establishment of the Arts Council of Great Britain in 1946. In short, the Arts Council was born out of the reflection on the World War II and the recovery from it.

“・・・the work of the artist in all its aspects is, of its nature, individual and free,・・・The artist walks where the breath of the spirit blows him. He cannot be told his direction; he does not know it himself. But he leads the rest of us into fresh pastures・・・The task of an official body is not to teach or to censor, but to give courage, confidence and opportunity.・・・”　＊
　　
These are the words in the speech of John Maynard Keynes, economist, who was the first chairman of the Arts Council of Great Britain, which was broadcast on the BBC radio on the theme of “the Arts Council: Its Policy and Hopes.”

We are often moved by the works of art and the artistic expressions created by artists. At the same time, such experiences of art appreciation could give opportunities to discover something new, to reflect on ourselves and, sometimes, to turn your eyes on social issues. Actually, that might be what Keynes is referring to as “fresh pastures.”

I hope the visitors of the “Shinbism 6” exhibition will take something home from the venues through their experiences of viewing the works and activities by the artists, and also hope many children will have new learning opportunities through the “School Partnership Program”.

Excerpt from the text, “THE ARTS COUNCIL: ITS POLICY AND HOPES,” written by KEYNES, John M. featured in “The Arts Council of Great Britain 1stAnnual Report 1945-6.” The Baynard Press. (Reprinted from The Listener of July 12.1945.)

Nagano prefecture is known for having many art museums. The large prefecture is divided into four regions: Hokushin (Northern Shinshu Region), Toshin (Eastern Shinshu Region), Chushin (Central Shinshu Region) and Nanshin (Southern Shinshu Region.) Each region has its own unique temperament and culture, and there are many unique museums scattered around in each region. Geographically, the area is multi-polar and decentralized, which makes it difficult to build a network among art museums. However, this vast prefecture boasts its networking as comparable to other prefectures, or rather, overwhelming. “Shinbism” is playing a core roll in this networking.

“Shinbism” began in 2016 with the purpose of holding exhibitions of the artists associated with Nagano prefecture by the volunteer curators working across the whole prefecture. It was Mr. Kunio Motoe, the Art Director of Nagano Prefecture, who supervised this project. The basics of “Shinbism” are that “volunteer” curators develop their activities spontaneously. Instead of being sent to work by museums, curators voluntarily raise their hands and recommend the artists with confidence, and then through repeated discussions, they plan, organize and implement the exhibitions. Neither hierarchical relationship nor organizational logic has an effect here. An accumulation of small discussions builds up a well-established network among curators, which leads to closer networking among museums, as a result. All of four exhibitions of “Shinbism” originally planned were over in 2021. Additionally, in 2024, the 5th exhibition was realized by the enthusiasm and efforts of those concerned, including “shinbists.” Furthermore, this year, the 6th exhibition, “Shinbism 6 ―Artists selected by the Shinshu Museum Network” is going to be held. By the way, from the 1st to the 5th exhibitions, we have introduced 76 artists in 18 places. In 2022, “Shinbism – Our Story of the Artists Selected from the Shinshu Museum Network,” a book introducing activities of Shinbism 1 to 4, was published by the Shinano Mainichi Newspaper co. ltd. It is permeated with the spirit of “Shinbism” that places a high priority on the self-motivation of individuals concerned. For instance, this book not only conveys information about exhibitions, but also posts the real voices of the specialists who had kept an eye on this project, and the exhibition audience as well. Moreover, the self-evaluation lists by each curator also appear in it.

This 6th exhibition under the theme of “Region and Art” consists of two parts. One is an exhibition, the other is a school partnership program. In 2023, Reiwa 5, the teacher’s workshop aiming at the proliferation of art appreciation through dialogue was started. On the other hand, a facilitator(curator)-dispatch-project to model schools has been promoted as well. The exhibition introduces artists of different experiences and ages, including those from veterans who are active both domestically and internationally, to emerging artists who have just started their carrier. They are all wonderful artists promoted by the shinbists confidently from Shinshu. I wish “Shinbism” will not only provide a good opportunity for local people to view contemporary art in Nagano prefecture, but also strengthen the power of culture and ability to convey messages in Nagano prefecture as a whole, utilizing its network and, will help children, school children and students to engage with the art and enrich their creativity.