aa-tomo

Our goal at aa-tomo is to reduce loneliness and social isolation within the context of Japan’s hyper-aging society. Experiencing loneliness and social isolation can suppress creativity, but we believe that access to art and culture can help alleviate this issue. At aa-tomo, we call activities that combine art and care Bunka-teki-Syoho In Japanese,Bunka-teki means cultural, and Syoho means prescribing.

For some, this may be the first time you hear the term. The word “prescribing” is generally used when medicine is prescribed by healthcare professionals. A “cultural” prescription, however, is the act of improving people’s health by connecting them with socio-cultural resources. By collaborating with people in the medical and social welfare fields, and utilizing new technology, this new form of prescription can broaden access to arts and cultural activities, and in doing so, increase interpersonal connections and social bonds.

“aa-tomo’s” activities reference the UK’s “Social Prescribing” and “Cultural Social Prescribing,” programs. We collaborate with cultural institutions like museums, medical and welfare-related organizations, local governments, and private companies to utilize the power of museum collections and local cultural resources, creating an increase in societal connection. Whilst cultural prescribing does not directly cure illness like medicine it has the potential to change the broader social situation: as people converse, cooperate, and change the situation together through art and culture.

New Roles of Museums

Currently, interest in the field of art and care is limited; however, the number of people who are involved in some form of care is growing. We all face challenges related to caring sometime in our lives, and these may include loneliness, social isolation, aging, illness, caretaking, and disabilities. Many people already face difficulties in their everyday life and “‘aa-tomo” aims to share with those who wish to change their circumstances that one of the solutions lies in cultural prescriptions. We believe that by working together, we can make this happen. Museums and art galleries play a crucial role in this endeavor.

Museums, which were once a place where a culture’s greatest “treasures” were proudly on display, have evolved amidst societal changes. Especially since 2000, and further still after the COVID-19 pandemic, museums are expected to function as places for social change, where people engage in dialogue, discover new social challenges, share culture, and converse with peers. Museums are no longer just places to view cultural objects but now serve as venues for social change.

As with museums, the value and social roles of artworks have been shifting. The value of artworks is no longer just decided by experts, but by everyone. Without viewers, artworks cannot exist. Art can only thrive in society only with people’s participation and dialogue. Engagement with art and culture becomes an opportunity to receive and share the universal value of art, leading people to connect more deeply with their societies.

Realizing a Wellbeing Society

Have you ever been in a museum and come into contact with many works of art? These artworks are preserved because they hold universal value for humanity. aa-tomo aims to share those artworks with today’s society, through the lens of “cultural prescription.” In this way, we can rediscover our universal values. We believe that museums and the artworks they house have significant power to positively affirm humanity. “Cultural prescriptions” have the potential to create a well-being society that meets both our mental and physical needs.