Supporting connections between people with disabilities and the local community: Special exhibition to be held in November

Students helping with color selection

On August 6th, as part of the "Regional Academic Co-Creation Project," a class aimed at solving local issues, students visited the Seikatsu Club Kaze no Murashige Shintosho Narita (Narita City, Chiba Prefecture), a day care facility for children and adults with severe physical and mental disabilities, to support the creation of artwork by residents who are working on "art brut" (French for raw art), an art of free expression uninfluenced by tradition, fashion, or education. The completed works will be exhibited at a special exhibition at Mizuta Museum of Art from November 8th to 14th (closed on the 10th).

The "Regional Academic Co-Creation Project" has been running since 2019 and is a student-centered class that tackles local issues. This year there are nine projects, and many students are studying them, regardless of their department or faculty.

The project, which began two years ago, sees students visit five facilities in the "Seikatsu Club Kaze no Mura" and, together with artist Tamao Komachida, who works for the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare's Support Project for the Promotion of Arts and Culture for People with Disabilities, helps people with disabilities create a variety of artworks. An exhibition is held as a culmination of the work, and the project aims to address the issue of people with disabilities having little connection with the local community.

On August 6th, six residents of the Seikatsu Club Kaze no Murashige Shinko Center Narita practiced "Art Brut." Tamao Komachida, one first-year student Department of Social Work Studies and one third-year student Department of Nursing supported the creation of the paintings, and they completed their works of art.
With support, the daycare center residents worked on creating artwork in their favorite colors. When they completed their work, the students shared in their joy, applauding and watching their reactions when they spoke to them, and it was clear that they were communicating with each individual in a way that suited them.

Support for production

Students rejoicing together at the completion of their work

In the future, the students will be carrying out public relations activities such as producing videos to be screened on the day of the exhibition and putting up posters in preparation for the exhibition in November.
We are also preparing for the results report meeting for the Regional Academic Co-Creation Project, which is held annually in February, and plan to present the results on that day.