As a greeting of 4th exhibition of Amabiki Village and Sculpture I would write short record of our meetings to show how we had been preparing the exhibition.

The course of events at the 4th Amabiki no Sato Exhibition 2001. We have had a monthly meeting since May 2000 before the exhibition started, involving about 30 artists. Where we discussed proposals and queries.
21/05/2000
Explained and debated the aim of the planning and management by participating artists in light of past experiences at these exhibitions. Debate about the zones, dates and participation fee for the 4th exhibition.
18/06/2000
Final decision of the 42 participating artists and the zones they will use, (Abeta, Nakane, Takaku, Washijuku area) dates, fees and assignment role of the volunteers and homepage committee.Every artist must choose 3 request set up points for the work and fill in the map at the town office planning division. At the same time submitting details of work, (i.e. D.O.B, CV, major works)
20 / 08/2000
Confirmation and decision of set up places. Artists wanting the same site would have to discuss between them and decide at the next meeting. Interim report by the Countryside Committee, PR and volunteers.
10/09 /2000
Examine the possibilities of the requested exhibiting sites chosen by the artists with attendance of the head of district council. Explain the process, by which the chief of ward could talk to the landowners, After which the artist could make a visit and ask for confirmation of a particular site.
22/ 10 /2000
Artists should have made a visit to the landowners before the meeting. With so many artists participating this time, we have decided we need a steering committee of 13 members to decide on contents of posters, leaflets. (I.e. preview, bus tours)One artist and one part time receptionist will be in attendance at reception during the exhibition period. Artists will pay the part time receptionist and provide a mobile phone at the information center.
26/11/2000
Confirm first proof for posters and leaflets. Tour of the proposed route by the steering committee. Confirm that journey time round all sites is 2hrs and 15km in distance, navigated on a simple One-way system.
14/01/2001
Release the final proof for poster and leaflets. Apply to the Art & Culture Promotion Fund for a subsidy as in previous year, it is unofficially due in April. Reports from home page, volunteers, and reception committee. For different reasons the final participants will be 38 individual artists and 1 group.
18 / 02/ 2001
The volunteer committee is organizing the provision of food and drink served in local hand made pottery, the selling of local vegetables at the Washijuku hall. The town office suggests the provision of 20 rent free bicycles for touring the site.Cqreceipt of the offer (by Sekishoukai) of providing means to bring in the works. Set up works between the 10th to the 23rd of March. Each committee confirms its own tasks, (i.e. making and setting up Information boards, running of the reception, comments on work and preview.) Publishing of the exhibition, say 4 – 5 times in the village newspaper. Each artist to notify the photographer the angles and time of photography.

This kind of process lasts about a year with each artist undertaking there tasks and culminates in the exhibition itself. This year especially we feel we understand the enthusiasm and excitement of the local people, this being kind of self evident in their provision of a group of volunteers and materials. It has taken four exhibitions before people started to throw question at us like “why are you doing this?” This is only a minority within the village, at last, we have managed to open some channels of communication with the local people and regard this as our greatest achievement.

Executive committee of Amabiki Village and Sculpture
SUGAWARA Jiro

“A quiet one can go far away at a distance”
CHI VA PIANO SI VA LONTANO

As one of the sculptors I participated to the third exhibition of “Amabiki village and sculpture”. Amabiki village is a typical rural village locatd in the north Kanto district. Before the opening of the exhibition, surrounded by beautiful rural sceneries I had meetings with over 30 sculptors and the villagers many times. There, we discussed very seriously how to succeed this small exhibition. After a little excitement at finishing display of sculptures in the village, I recalled an Italian proverb “A quiet one can go far away at a distance”.
The modern culture is quickly going to digital world, so-called “virtual reality” and the people care much about lightness of subculture as sensitivity to the times. But a few thoughtful ones acknowledge they can not change this trend of the world and know there is not a truth in it.
In the modern times the artists were thought as indicators who had keen senses and could anticipate what was coming in future. However, I think in the present day a real artist, like a gleaner in the field, is picking up the traditional and precious things which were already forgot by the ordinary people. And sometimes he asks quietly “Hullo! Where are all things going?” trudging along at the tail end of the time.
The one who visits the exhibition of “Amabiki village and sculpture” may think strange because each sculptor has a different way of representation of his art. Therefore, there may be no reason among sculptors to get together and hold an exhibition. But, though it is not popular today we have one valuable and common belief. It is that all sculptors here believe art and also think seriously or rather foolishly about sculpture.
Not only this, when I joined in the exhibition I have become aware that the sculptors deeply believed in people much than in art. So I was encouraged to find I was not only one sculptor who was trudging along the road in Amabiki village. We venture to have such a small exhibition “Amabiki village and sculpture” in the country. It may not be a popular place because the village is located far away to the city. However, I am sure it will have a good effect on the Japanese people and cure the troubled society and sick times of Japan, 10 years or 15 years later. Also, I am certain that these exhibition will be done better each time and be grown up to the ideal ones. I feel a positive response from the third exhibition.
P.S.
The 27th of May. I finished taking part in the fourth time exhibition today. I thought of two things. The one being rich in space and landscape of village of Amabiki. As for one, the road accomplishing resolution of artists who gathered Amabiki is far. But, the quiet walking of artists pregnant with sincere passion is stable. It was believed to me so.

KUNIYASU Takamasa

The Fourth Amabiki Village and Sculpture – Document