Kyoto University of the Arts Opens 'Indigo School 2026': A Practical Art Management Program Connecting Traditional Craft Ecosystems to the Future

Kyoto University of the Arts (President: Taku Sato) will open 'Indigo School,' a practical art management and human resource development program designed to revitalize traditional culture for the future, as part of the FY2026 Project for Promoting Culture and Arts at Universities.

### What is Indigo School? For future creators and art managers, 'thinking about sustainable manufacturing with environmental consideration' is an indispensable quality. Crafts possess a history optimized for their regions over many years, accumulating efforts towards environmental care and coexistence with diverse biological life.

By re-examining these from various perspectives such as culture, technology, and science, we aim to extract this 'sustainable manufacturing mindset.' This project reconsiders craft culture through 'Indigo,' which has formed cultures worldwide, shifting perspectives from Japanese crafts to global crafts to find new thinking required by modern society.

### Four Programs for Knowledge and Technique 'Indigo School' consists of four programs: acquiring knowledge, learning techniques through practice, and creating works. In addition to technical improvement, it aims for students to acquire the ability to structure ideas and take action.

In FY2026, under the theme 'From Kyoto to the World,' the program will combine field work in Kyoto Prefecture with online lectures.

* **Program 1: Knowledge**: Expanding horizons through lectures and talks by artists and designers involved in crafts. * **Program 2: Practice**: Learning the production process and how to pass it on to the next generation, aiming to improve techniques in various fields. * **Program 3: Material**: Fostering thinking about manufacturing by growing raw materials from seeds. * **Program 4: Exhibition**: Providing a space to think about manufacturing with visitors through exhibitions of products, videos, works, materials, and tools created in the school, as well as gallery tours and workshops.

### Experience from Cultivation to Dyeing Participants will acquire skills through lectures from artists, going beyond just 'dyeing' to include 'cultivating' indigo.

*Details of the program can be found on the Indigo School website: https://ai-no-gakko.kyoto-art.ac.jp/

### Online Information Sessions If you are considering applying, please be sure to attend an online info session. 1st session: Friday, April 24, 2026, 19:00- 2nd session: Sunday, May 10, 2026, 14:00- Application Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc0LXNi6W4wt8y87Swf9MaH9evJVb61PxtfM8kTbUuR4iGoAA/viewform

### Target Audience Traditional craftspeople, artists, art students, editors, educators, researchers, corporate art planners, curators, etc.

### Period April 2026 to March 2027

### About Kyoto University of the Arts Kyoto University of the Arts is one of Japan's largest comprehensive art universities with approximately 23,000 students. It will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2027. It emphasizes 'Social Implementation Projects' and practical education using the power of art and design to solve real-world problems.