Kinosaki International Arts Center
Opened in 2014, Kinosaki International Arts Center (KIAC) is a cultural facility built from a renovated conference hall that wasn’t used anymore. Over the years, the town of Kinosaki has hosted and celebrated many writers and artists whose works have then been shared with the rest of the world. KIAC was opened in order to carry on this tradition into the future. Since 2014, many artists have stayed at KIAC to create pieces of work that have then been spread both throughout Japan and overseas. The missions of KIAC are to support creative and promising artists, to collaborate along with Japanese and international theaters and festivals in order to become a place where works intended to be shared both on a national and on an international scale are co-produced, and to create opportunities for artists, local residents and tourists to exchange and create together.
KIAC offers an Artist-In-Residence program for artists and companies selected once a year through an audition process. At KIAC, artists get to create in a nature-filled environment. Thanks to that, they can fully concentrate on their creative activities. The projects should mainly be focused on modern performing arts but in addition to artistic activities and research, it is possible for art-related personalities to hold events such as lectures and symposiums. The projects or activities must have the potential to be shared, they must be innovative and suggest new ideas that are expected to have an impact on artistic expression in the future and it is better if they involve multiple countries and languages.
- During their stay, artists must be involved in the Local Community Exchange Program(*) by organizing activities that will encourage creative exchange with the locals and tourists.
- When presenting a piece of work that has been created at KIAC, artists must credit Kinosaki International Arts Center (Toyooka City) by printing the facility name and its logo on all promotional material.
- Artists must agree to help promote Kinosaki International Arts Center by sharing photos, videos and information. (However, all rights related to the work created during their stay belong to the artists involved).
Artists are asked to introduce their work and its creative process to the locals and tourists through events such as presentations of the finished work, rehearsal performances, open studios, workshops, talk shows, etc. in order to create opportunities to exchange together.
Should artists put on a public performance of their finished work and charge an entrance fee, after consultation with the secretariat, a part of this fee will be given to Toyooka City.
Six studios are available for rehearsals, for drama, dance or music trial performances and for the production of fine art pieces. Sizes vary from 27 sq.m to 79 sq.m. Out of the six studios, one is soundproofed and one has a large mirror and a ballet bar. Except for one with carpet, they all have wooden flooring. It is possible to do showings in the largest studio that is equipped with sound and light facilities. Wi-fi and AC are available in all studios.
KIAC’s residence is composed of 4 Western-style and 3 Japanese-style rooms. Artists are required to be independent and capable of working and living on their own doing their laundry, cooking, cleaning, etc. There is a shared kitchen on the first floor and a kitchenette is available on floor 1 and 3 (out of 3 floors). There are also four showers and one bathtub in total, and laundry machines can be found on each floor.
Artists are free to use the entrance hall, the dining area and any other part of the facility as they wish. All of the facilities offered are available 24 hours daily. There is a shared printer and copy machine in the staff office, and light and sound technical staff are available if needed.
Kinosaki International Arts Center is located in Kinosaki Onsen, a hot spring town with a 1300-year history. Famous for its seven public hot spring bath houses, resident artists can relax in them for 100 yen each which is the same price as for the locals. Kinosaki is located in Toyooka City, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan, a city well-known for its rich natural environment (mountains, the Maruyama River and the nearby Sea of Japan) and for having successfully reintroduced the Oriental White Stork back into the wild.