CO-CORE

 
Toward a higher level of specialist education

 

Yoshihide SEITA

 
President of Tama Art University

 
Ever since its foundation over 70 years ago, Tama Art University has based its activities on the concept of "Freedom and Will" in a continuous search for advances in art and design education. 

In 1964, the Master's Degree Course was established, with the aim of encouraging students to combine research into their specialty with an exploration of other genres. The Doctoral Degree Course was founded in 2001 in order to nurture all-round artists and researchers who can combine the highest level of artistic achievement with a sound grasp of theory.

TAU now has international exchange agreements with seven art and design educational institutions in China, Finland, Korea, Thailand, and the United States. A variety of activities are organized according to these agreements, such as student exchanges and joint exhibitions and workshops. 

Recently we were honored to learn that the newly-devised International Art and Design Critiques Program, designed to help graduate students acquire a high level of critical ability from a truly international viewpoint, has been selected by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) for its "Support Program for Improving Graduate Education". We will take full advantage of this great opportunity to continue our efforts to remain at the forefront of art education.

The understanding and cooperation of everyone in our partner institutions are indispensable to the implementation of the International Art and Design Critiques Program. I sincerely hope that many faculty members and students will participate, and I look forward to our working together to make the program a great success.