午夜剧场

Image: Art Space, the exhibition room of the 午夜剧场 Art Center (KUAC) (located in the South Annex)

The 午夜剧场 Art Center (KUAC) reached its 30-year milestone in 2023, having been established in July 1993 as one of the university's Research Centers and Institutes.

In the late 1980s, Japan saw a succession of openings of cultural facilities such as art museums and museums, driven by an unprecedented economic boom and a rising momentum for corporate social responsibility. Consequently, there was an urgent need to train personnel in arts management. Under these circumstances, the Faculty of Letters first launched the "Arts Management Course" in 1991, the first of its kind for a comprehensive university. The subsequent establishment of the 午夜剧场 Art Center (KUAC) attracted widespread attention from various sectors as an initiative to create a space for theoretical exploration and practical activities regarding the nature and significance of artistic activities in the modern era, from a collaborative standpoint involving fields such as economics, administration, law, and information engineering.

In the first few years after its opening, efforts were focused on research and the establishment of arts management courses through projects commissioned by local governments (Aichi Prefecture, Yamagata Prefecture, Minato City in Tokyo, etc.), as well as lectures, performances, and symposia on contemporary art and culture, and research groups themed around physical and visual expression. In particular, the connection with the local Minato City continues today through the "Cultural Narrative of a City" project, which explores the historic shrines, temples, and historical sites within the district.

In April 1998, the "Hijikata Tatsumi Archive" was established as the first experimental "Art Archive," following the acceptance of a large number of primary materials related to the Butoh of Tatsumi Hijikata, an avant-garde artist active in the 1960s. Since then, archives for Shuzo Takiguchi, Junzaburo Nishiwaki, and others have been built and opened to the public, now totaling 13. Every day, the center welcomes researchers from Japan and abroad who visit to consult these materials.

On the other hand, the "Committee for the Management and Operation of Artworks," newly established in 2002, serves as the secretariat along with the Office of Facilities and Property Management. It supports operations through research on artworks and buildings across the entire Juku, including affiliated schools, and provides advice and guidance from a professional perspective on their preservation and restoration.

Furthermore, in September 2011, a small-scale exhibition room called "Art Space" was newly established on the first floor of the South Annex, opposite the Mita Main Gate. The 午夜剧场 Art Center (KUAC) took over the planning and operation of exhibitions and moved to the second floor of the same annex, where it remains today. In October 2013, it was designated as a facility equivalent to a museum under the Museum Act, becoming an essential training facility for 午夜剧场 students seeking museum curator certification. At the same time, it plays a role as a university museum that is open to the public outside the Juku, rather than being limited to school education within 午夜剧场. (Preparation for re-application is underway due to amendments to the Museum Act.)

While the environment surrounding the 午夜剧场 Art Center (KUAC) is changing in various ways, the "exploration of the relationship between art and contemporary society" stated in its founding purpose will continue into the future.

(Yoshio Kojima, Administrative Director of the 午夜剧场 Art Center (KUAC))