Tenjinyama Art Studio News

Greetings from Director

April has begun.

Tenjinyama being an AIR facility of Sapporo City, we feel as if it's New Year's holidays at every beginning and end of the fiscal year (technically they're whole different things, though). GIA AIS Planning was appointed to manager/administrator of Sapporo Tenjinyama Art Studio for the next 3 years. With lessons learnt as we went through rough 2 years after the pandemic, that changed the landscape of our facility, we're planning to try out new projects and new ways. The axis as an AIR facility won't be changed so as our "punks" mindsets. On our socials, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube, there might be some sneak-peaks of the new stuff. As soon as entering the next month, I'm thinking to let you know of Tenjinyama's AIR Programmes 2022 and the introduction of the other projects here.

I have no idea what the sakura viewing picnics will look like this year. This April, more than ever, the homeostasis of seasons, running from the winter of the deadly snow to the spring, comes deeply to my heart. What's present to me is the headlines reporting the unimaginable violence ongoing in Ukraine and Russia, and my heart is being torn, thinking of those who are living out there. My wishes are sent for an immediate resolution so that their heart won't be crushed.

Revisiting Kids' Programme

On February 12th, 13th, and 26th, we held a kids' programme ‘Chidori-ishi Volcanic Ash Glass Club’. This year, we collected ashes in Sumikawa (the area around Tenjinyama Art Studio) and heat them in a handmade kiln to form glass.
Chidori-shi was the ring name of this amateur sumo wrestler from the Meiji period, who also did a business in glass production, for beer bottles, from the local ashes of Sumikawa. We have a stone monument of his at Soma Shrine, right next to the house for our residency. This project was made possible thanks to many experts, including a pottery artist, a glass artist, and a regional historian.
At the end of the project, we got to pick up pieces of glass following the successful results in stoking process which required beyond 1000 ℃ of heat generated inside. Numbers of indeterminacies we had to face in the process, I believe, was making the workshop thrilling.

If you’re interested, I’d love to suggest report articles describing in depth about the project: https://tenjinyamastudio.jp/kids_workshop_day1.html
The result exhibition is open at Tenjinyama’s gallery space (March 20th - April 10th, 2022): https://tenjinyamastudio.jp/kids_program_exhibition.html

-- Taiga Kobayashi, Tenjinyama Art Studio staff and Kids' Programme coordinator

-- We're all smiles, because, why not?

Meet the Tenjinyama Team 2022-25

The contract has been renewed between Sapporo City and AIS Planning over facility managements and program organization for Sapporo Tenjinyama Art Studio. AIS Planning is the facility's first and current administrator and has just been confirmed earlier this year to continue their work at Tenjinyama for the next 3 years.
Tenjinyama Team from AIS Planning is delivering this news with great gratitude and excitement, hoping to continue and improve our humble support for the creatives around the globe.

More Website Articles Available in EN & Visit our linktree

Web reports and blog articles on our website are the primary place for us to share our visions and works at Tenjinyama. Hoping to make them easily accessible to more readers, we have been adding English texts following the original texts in Japanese. You can explore the bilingual articles, including the latest reports of our budgeted programmes 2021-22, at https://tenjinyamastudio.jp/en.
Our social media, also, is where we share our daily thoughts and some contents unavailable on the website. Social links are all lined out below + we have a linktree. You are always welcomed to follow us at any platform!