Urban Culture Commons, Faculty of Regional Promotion, Nara Prefectural University

Urban Culture Commons, part of Nara Prefectural University’s Department of Regional Creation, considers the past, present and future of urban culture in a dynamic way. In this program, educational research is carried out from multifaceted sociological and historical perspectives based on three main subjects: the history of urban society, media and representation, and art and amusement. “Creative Practice (Art),” a required seminar for second-year students, provides actual experience in creating artwork, as well as instruction in methods of project planning and publicity, exhibition, and documentation, with the aim of considering approaches to urban social reality and communication through these activities. A new addition to the staff of full-time instructors is artist Yoshinari Nishio, who has thus far carried out art projects involving people with no previous connection to art, including local residents and children. Thus the program creates an environment for hands-on learning through art, together with non-art-university students.
http://www.narapu.ac.jp/