Talk | Art Opening Outward: Initiatives in Beppu and Osaka

Date: May 31 (Sun) 16:00–17:30
Venue: Creative Center Osaka
Speaker: Yamaide Jun’ya (Yamaide Art Office Inc.), Deguchi Kiyofumi (JR West Shopping Center Development Co.,Ltd.)
Moderator: Kinoshita Chieko (Osaka University 21st Century Kaitokudo)
Capacity: Approx. 20 *Advance reservations are prioritized. A valid fair admission ticket is required.

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How does art connect with society and the city, and how does it change our perspectives on the world? Yamaide Jun’ya, who founded the NPO Beppu Project and has spent years developing projects that bring art and local communities together, including the contemporary art festival Mixed Bathing World, will be joined in conversation by Deguchi Kiyoshi, who produces collaborative projects for the JR West Group, including Nishi Nippon ARTrail, a project connecting art and design events across western Japan. The talk will be moderated by Kinoshita Chieko, a specialist in contemporary art and cultural policy who has been involved in numerous projects.

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■□ Speaker Profiles ■□

Yamaide Jun’ya
(Yamaide Art Office Inc.)

After a career as an artist both in Japan and abroad, including a stay in Paris from 2002 to 2004 through the Agency for Cultural Affairs Program of Overseas Study for Upcoming Artists, Yamaide founded Beppu Project in 2005. He went on to oversee more than 1,000 initiatives planned and carried out by Beppu Project, building it into one of Japan’s foremost art NPOs. In March 2022, he stepped down as head of Beppu Project and founded Yamaide Art Office Inc.

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Deguchi Kiyofumi
(JR West Shopping Center Development Co., Ltd.)

Deguchi has worked within the JR West Group on department store purchasing and management strategy for the group’s shopping center business. He was also involved in formulating the JR West Group’s corporate mission statement “Our Purpose,” and aims to achieve sustainable management through design-oriented thinking. He has produced a number of co-creative ventures, including Expo Sakaba, a community hub for visitors from around the world during Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, and Nishi Nippon ARTrail, a program that partners with art festivals in western Japan to rediscover the appeal of local regions through art.

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Facilitation:
Kinoshita Chieko
(Associate Professor, Kaitokudo for the 21st Century, The University of Osaka)

Born in 1971. Graduated from Kobe Design University Graduate School. Specialized in contemporary art, cultural policy, and project production. After working as an art producer at Kobe Art Village Center, she joined Osaka University in 2005. She is mainly engaged in the management of “Art Area B1,” a community space for businesses, NPOs, and universities, and the “Creative Island Nakanoshima,” a network project of over a dozen institutions including art museums, with the theme of “society-academia co-creation. In addition, she is an expert committee member and project director of cultural policy for government, corporations, and foundations.