Tama Art University

When Tama Imperial Art School (the forerunner of Tama Art University) was founded in 1935, its Articles of Establishment included the following statement of noble resolve: “If we consider art as the product of a free spirit, faults in the world of art education are surely worth emphasizing. Together, we will here strive to correct these faults, and do whatever we can to help promote the arts in Japan.”

Today, as we behold the grave troubles facing our nation, such as the nuclear crisis triggered by the Great East Japan Earthquake, we must give more than a passing thought to “faults in the world of education.” Those of us in the university world must ponder anew the familiar, practically timeless problems of “the limitations of specialized knowledge” and “freedom of the intellect.” Technology is not all-powerful. Those utilizing and controlling technology on a daily basis are merely human, and not necessarily highly trained specialists. The only hope of keeping the system functioning properly lies in the values and ethics of the intellectual classes. These ethics must stand independent of all other variables.

Overemphasis on specialized knowledge, and neglect of the values and ethics of the intellectual classes, are the “faults in the world of education” of which our nation is guilty. At Tama Art University, our mission is “to cultivate professional art and design specialists and independent-minded creators.” This is the ideology which we have firmly upheld since our foundation, yet it carries the inherent risk of precipitating the abovementioned “faults in the world of education.”

Tama Art University uses the phrase “Freedom and Will” to encapsulate the challenges and the determination entailed in upholding an intellectual ethos. Freedom is something that human beings endlessly struggle for in the course of their day-to-day activities. Freedom is not a gift, but must be seized with both hands, and this requires strong personal will. Without this will, it is impossible for artists to create art.

At Tama Art University, we instruct students in the theories, techniques and expressive modes of their fields of specialization, centered on the process of Project-Based Learning, but this is not all we teach. We also place strong emphasis on the humanities, which enable students to develop into art and design professionals and creators who truly connect with society through their work. While specialized knowledge and techniques provide a foundation, humanities education provides a moral compass for graduates as they go on to exercise their will in society at large. I believe this paradigm offers a solution to the problems facing the world of higher education, and a means of ensuring that the founding spirit of Tama Art University is reflected in reality.

An “amateur” originally means “one who loves.” Tama Art University aspires to be a bastion of the intellect, one which produces intrepid and independent professionals who remain true amateurs at heart.