I am pleased to announce that every sprout has now been fostered in “Miraime Fostering Project,” an installation of 300 sprouts to raise money to support artist projects within areas impacted by the 2011 earthquake in Japan.

Thank you to everyone who purchased a sprout to join and support the program.

The project was launched from Maebashi City as a response to the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake. The project stems from the work “Minding My Own Business,” a work with 300 shoot sprouts cut from the Jomo newspaper and laid out on seven days of newspapers following the earthquake attack in Japan on March 11th, 2011. The new sprouts grow from the tragic stories.

A network of concerned citizens formed in Maebashi City in 2011 to consider how to support those affected by the earthquake through art. A group gathered and assembled ideas on how we could communally collect money to aid those impacted while also donating this work as a gift to the city’s first municipal museum. We decided on a fostering project, where each sprout in the newspaper installation could be individually fostered to raise money to fund artist projects supporting the earthquake site and victims.

Since then, some of the funds raised have supported GBFund (The Great East Japan Earthquake Restoration Fund, Association for Corporate Support of the Arts) and art-related projects at the earthquake site. The fostered installation of 300 sprouts is also now part of the Arts Maebashi Museum collection.

I want to express my gratitude to Ms. Mieko Nakajima and Mr. Toshihiro Fukunishi, who have been supporters since the beginning, and to the other members of the Miraime Project for their passion and efforts in promoting the sprouts. Additionally, thank you to all the curatorial professionals from Arts Maebashi who have always been close supporters. Most of all, I would like to express my great gratitude and embracement to Mr. Toru Terasawa, who was the heart of the Miraime Project. Mr. Terasawa demonstrated how an art project from Maebeashi city could contribute to social welfare. Not only leading with the social media and design, Mr. Terasawa developed the project idea to allow this work to function as both artwork and aid for the community. Once again, thank you to everyone who now owns a sprout to support this project and future projects.

未来の芽 里親プロジェクト Facebook

未来芽里親プロジェクトの里親を募るプロジェクト。おかげさまで、３００芽の里親すべてが販売されました 。

芽の購入、そしてこのプロジェクトに賛同してくださった皆様にお礼を申し上げます。

関東大震災後直後に、前橋市から始まった企画。アーティストの作品をきっかけに市のデザイナー、ジャーナリスト、学者のアイデアが集まり社会へ動きはじめたプロジェクト。被災地のボランティア活動や現地でのアーティスト活動の支援金を里親の販売で支える企画でした。

里親の販売であつまった支援金の一部をすでに、GBFund (東日本大震災芸術•文化による復興支援ファンド)に協力することができました。そして 作品は、今年一月に未来芽里親プロジェクトの業績と共にアーツ前橋に寄贈される予定です。

３年以上の間、中島美江子さん、 福西敏宏さん、アーツ前橋の学芸員、プロジェクトの中心メンバーに、心から深くお礼を申し上げます。そして、里親プロジェクトのハートでもある寺澤徹さんに、より一層のお礼を送ります。寺澤さんは、前橋市内でだけでなく、日本全国で社会への機能するアートプロジェクトを実践してみせてくれました。またウェブサイトへの展開などデザインで多様化させプロジェクトを歩きはじめさせただけでなく、この長い道のりにも常に新しい風をプロジェクトの中に見いだしてきたリーダーです。

あらためて、今里親になられた皆様、そして関係者に深くお礼を申し上げます。

Photograph by Shinya Kigure.