Closed Session

Speaker profiles and Summary of remarks
Jeong, Byung Hoon, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy Department,
Gyeongsang National University
Creative Transmission of Cultural Assets in the AI Era: Developing Diversity and Creativity
As we enter the era of artificial intelligence, AI is expected to play a significant role in all aspects of our cultural activities. This raises important questions: How can we creatively transmit our cultural assets in the age of AI? How can we promote cultural diversity and nurture creative talent? Can AI help foster diversity and creativity, or are there areas that must remain independent from AI? What can we do to encourage diversity and creativity on our own?
In this presentation, I will explore these questions through the philosophical perspectives of Michael Polanyi and Paul Feyerabend. Drawing on Polanyi’s concept of tacit knowledge and Feyerabend’s advocacy for pluralism and methodological freedom, I will discuss the unique strengths and limitations of AI in cultural transmission. I will argue that while AI can support the preservation and dissemination of explicit cultural assets and enhance collective diversity, the transmission of tacit knowledge and the nurturing of true creativity require human involvement. By balancing the use of AI with independent human creativity and pluralistic approaches, we can both preserve our cultural heritage and foster a vibrant, diverse future.

Fumihiro Mitsui, Representative Director,

Archipelago, a specified non-profit organization

Inspired by the Reggio Emilia Approach Artist activities that began Starting in Takamatsu City in the fall of 2009, artists began working with children, sparking numerous chemical reactions. We will introduce the significance of the government’s efforts and the voices from the field.

Keizo Kakiuchi, Director of the Sasayama Children’s Museum

Professor Hyogo University of Education

Children’s Museum and “Monozukuri-means Crafts Festival”

Surrounded by the rich natural environment of the satoyama, the Sasayama Children’s Museum was established with the aim of nurturing children’s creativity and vitality. As a community-based museum, it aims to preserve local culture and raise children in the community. Meanwhile, in recent years, craft artists and food and beverage establishments attracted by the rich natural environment and traditional culture of Tamba Sasayama have been moving to the area. The “Monodzukuri Festival” held at the museum was an attempt to bring them together to share the joy of craftsmanship with children through workshops, while also striving to preserve the region’s traditional culture and its charm. This presentation will report on this event.

◇Overall Coordinator / Facilitator Profile
Masayuki Sasaki, Honorary Professor, Osaka City University;
Visiting Professor, Osaka University
Doctorate in Economics from Kyoto University. A leading expert on creative cities in Japan and Asia, he serves as an advisor to the Creative Cities Network Japan, supporting the UNESCO Creative Cities Network and creative city initiatives across Japan.
Served as president of the Japanese Society for Cultural Economics from 2008 to 2010 and currently serves as an advisor.
In 2010, launched the international academic journal City, Culture & Society with Elsevier and served as its first editor-in-chief for four years.
At Kanazawa University’s Faculty of Economics, he teaches regional economics and supports endogenous development in various parts of Ishikawa Prefecture. In particular, promoted the city’s membership in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network as an advisor to the mayor of Kanazawa City, served as vice-chairman of the Creative City Promotion Committee, successfully hosted Japan’s first UNESCO Creative Cities General Assembly in Kanazawa City in 2015, and received the Kanazawa City Culture Award in 2020.
Also supported the membership of cities such as Kobe, Nagoya, Sapporo, Hamamatsu, Tanba Sasayama, Yamagata, and Okayama in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, and in 2019, he received a letter of appreciation from the mayor of Yamagata City.
At Osaka City University, he participated in the establishment of the Graduate School of Creative Cities and the Urban Research Plaza, and from 2007 to 2012, he served as the leader of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s Global COE “Reconstruction of Cities for Cultural Creation and Social Inclusion.” At Doshisha University, he collaborated in the establishment of the Creative Economy Research Center through private university strategic research.
At the Agency for Cultural Affairs, he served as Director of the Cultural Arts Creative City Promotion Office at the Kyoto Branch Office and as Senior Research Officer at the Regional Culture Revitalization Headquarters, promoting the relocation of the Agency for Cultural Affairs to Kyoto and the National Museum of Modern Art to Kanazawa.
【Awards】1999 Kanazawa City Cultural Activity Award,2003 Japan Urban Studies Association Award (for “Challenge to the Creative City”),2020 Kanazawa City Cultural Award

Speaker profiles and Summary of remarks

Sachiko Kanno, AIR Lab Arts Planner/Researcher

“Artist-in-Residence Programs that Connect Towns, People, and Art” Since being introduced to Japan in the 1990s, artist-in-residence programs (hereinafter referred to as AIR) have been diversifying in various fields, including traditional crafts. For example, in regions like Shigaraki and Arita, which are known for their thriving ceramics industries, interesting initiatives have been carried out in collaboration with local industries and urban development. By examining these cases, we aim to discuss the potential of AIR in regional contexts moving forward.
A newly proposed program will link UNESCO Craft Cities highlighting the skills and knowledge of each, and providing a chance for sharing knowledge, skills and benefits. The program seeks to work with UNESCO Creative Cities throughout the Asia-Pacific regions promote cross-cultural learning through crafts and science, developing a student and faculty exchange and short-term courses with community-based research. We seek to link contemporary thinking with crafts and traditional practice, delivering more than simply economic rationality and tourism data.

New Ways of Working Between Nations

Creative cities throughout the world are challenged by the tensions of ensuring economic viability for practitioners, protecting traditional craft practitioners and clearly articulating the benefits of being a craft city. The City of Ballarat is looking to establish a new way of working which shares knowledge and skills between UNESCO Creative Cities of Crafts and Folk Art but also providing a structure to document and track the impact of collaboration – showing how culture is more than just an industry, it is a core and common good.
A newly proposed program will link UNESCO Craft Cities highlighting the skills and knowledge of each, and providing a chance for sharing knowledge, skills and benefits. The program seeks to work with UNESCO Creative Cities throughout the Asia-Pacific regions promote cross-cultural learning through crafts and science, developing a student and faculty exchange and short-term courses with community-based research. We seek to link contemporary thinking with crafts and traditional practice, delivering more than simply economic rationality and tourism data.

Komol Kongcharoen　Ceramist, Brand Owner of PaChaNa Studio,   Chiang Mai, Thailand Ceramic artist and founder of PaChaNa Studio, with over 20 years of experience in both contemporary and traditional ceramic design. Works have been exhibited nationally and internationally, with ongoing participation in international arts and craft events. Dedicated to the preservation of cultural heritage, knowledge-sharing, and mentoring emerging artisans.

Yoko Kawa, Craft Policy Promotion Division, Kanazawa City Economic Affairs Bureau,Focal Point

Connecting the world through handicrafts

Creative dialogues by KOGEI Based on previous examples, this presentation will introduce the goals, challenges, and discoveries of the Artist in Residence Program within the framework of the UNESCO Creative Cities Networ

Shinya Tabayashi, Representative Director, Satoyakuba General Incorporated Association