Benjamin Volta creates intricate public murals and sculptures, working in the fields of education, restorative justice and urban planning. For almost two decades, Ben has developed a collaborative process with Pennsylvania public schools to create participatory art rooted in the belief that art can be a catalyst for change. Cho Kuwakado is an arts educator […]
Bashō’s road throughout Tohoku hope remains In the 17 syllables of this haiku, which appeared in Japan’s Asahi daily newspaper, LA contributor Stephen DeGuire captured his feelings in the initial aftermath of the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear explosion that devastated Fukushima, Japan on March 11, 2011 – known commonly now, as 3-11. He was referring […]
From the streets and clubs of New York City to the tea houses of Japan, the artistic journey of Hip Hop Performance Artist Akim “Funk Buddha” Ndlovu is as multifaceted as his craft. His talents range from classic hip hop rhymes, beat-boxing and Mongolian throat-singing to body-balancing, martial arts, gumboot dance and circus arts. The […]
August 7, 2019 Washington, DC—The Japan-United States Friendship Commission (JUSFC) and the National Endowment for the Arts are pleased to announce the selection of five artistic teams for the 2019-2020 US/Japan Creative Artists Fellowship Program. Each team of artists from the United States and Japan will work together on a project (for a total of […]
Iwate Prefecture in the Tohoku region of northeastern Japan is a place that experienced intense trauma in the aftermath of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. NAKA Dance Theater Co-Founders José Navarrete and Debby Kajiyama found community when their visit to support relief efforts that year led to their participation in Otsuchi’s annual two-day Kozuchi Shrine […]
Exciting new opportunities are beginning to grow on the campus of Moravian College as a result of its InFocus Initiative and Peace and Justice Studies Program. It all started four years ago when Moravian’s new provost found money for an exploratory trip to Japan to develop a study abroad opportunity for students to travel to […]
Calling all artists, and program alumni! Join us for a webinar on February 7, 2019 at 3:00 p.m. ET with the National Endowment for the Arts to discuss the U.S.-Japan Creative Artists Program. Applications are due March 1, 2019. Register for the webinar here.
Before the inception of Collaborative Cataloging Japan (CCJ), video in the national archives of Japan remained largely focused on feature films. “Experimental and avant-garde work and even home movies needed to be included in the archives,” explains CCJ Executive Director and JUSFC grantee Ann Adachi-Tasch. “Individual artists had been using their personal grant monies to […]
Rural authorities everywhere are enacting pioneering policies and working to improve their citizens’ lives, and this is particularly true in Japan. The Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission has partnered with Apolitical on a project to engage Japanese and American policy makers, public servants and other relevant experts around the topic on rural resilience. The goal of the […]
The Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission is delighted to announce that three outstanding scholars from the United States have been selected to participate in the 2019 Fellowship Program for Advanced Social Science Research on Japan. The Fellowship is a joint activity of the Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Awards support research on […]
