[10th Anniversary] "Think School 2026" in Sapporo, a School for Modern Art and Urban Development for All Ages, Now Recruiting Students! Information Session on Saturday, May 16th
Sapporo's "Think School," celebrating its 10th anniversary, is recruiting students for its 2026 academic year. It offers a unique curriculum blending modern art and urban development, emphasizing flexible thinking and community engagement for students of all ages. An information session is scheduled for May 16th.
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What is Think School?
Think School, which opened in 2016 and celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, is a school where students learn to build relationships with others, flexibly perceive society, and listen to their own voices by engaging with the ideas of urban development and art. In today's uncertain society, changes are occurring that cannot be dealt with using only existing values and ways of thinking. But how can we update our thinking and creativity? We believe the hints lie in urban development and art. Through learning about the open collaboration of urban development and the diversity that art has connected, students will discover their own unique perspectives. You will realize that everyone has excellent ideas and unique perspectives through a year at Think School, a place where friends who enjoy creating and thinking gather to learn from each other.
An information session to answer "What kind of school is Think School?" will be held on Saturday, May 16th.
There are two courses: "Planning Course" and "Production Course," each consisting of 22 sessions. In the "Planning Course," students learn how to construct plans from urban development and art management methods, developing realistic plans based on their own interests and social issues. In the "Production Course," students learn various expression methods and production tips from artists and curators, exploring their own interests.
The curriculum progresses in three steps: "Foundation" → "Exploration" → "Inquiry." Ample opportunities are provided to receive advice from instructors and peers, so no special knowledge or skills are required for enrollment.
Production Course - Class Scene
Planning Course - Group Work
Those who receive the Grand Prize at the graduation exhibition held at the end of the academic year will receive support for holding solo exhibitions and realizing projects after graduation. Extracurricular activities, such as training trips and bus tours, are also fulfilling and optional. People of various ages and professions, from teenagers to seniors, with different values and backgrounds, learn art and urban development together, aiming to foster a diverse and tolerant society.
Graduation Exhibition - Public Review Session (Scarts)
Bus Tour (Asahikawa)
2026 Academic Year - Instructor Introduction (Excerpt from 22 sessions)
Photo: Shingo Kanagawa
### Kaho Ikeda (Independent Curator)
Joint Lecture for Planning and Production Courses: "How to Start and Continue as an Independent"
Since 2016, she has been researching art collectives, DIY culture, and cultural activism, mainly in Southeast Asia. After gaining experience as an assistant at the Mori Art Museum, she became independent in the spring of 2023. In addition to serving as co-program director of Yamanaka suplex, she is a guest curator at Art Center BUG. Recent major planning achievements for exhibitions and learning projects include "Bug School 2024: Wild City" (BUG, 2024), "Go alone or arrive early, aim far or all perish" (Yamanaka suplex, 2024), and "Kobe Rokko Meets Art 2024 beyond" (Hyogo, 2024).
### Ryuta Ushiro (Member of Chim↑Pom from Smappa!Group)
Joint Lecture for Planning and Production Courses: "Genius High School!!!!"
Chim↑Pom from Smappa!Group is an artist collective formed in Tokyo in 2005. They relentlessly pursue the realities of the times, continuously releasing powerful works that actively intervene in contemporary society. In addition to participating in exhibitions worldwide, they also develop various projects independently. They also conceived and launched the international exhibition "Don't Follow the Wind," which "cannot be visited" until the restricted area due to the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident is lifted, participating as artists, and the exhibition started on March 11, 2015. In 2015, they received the Emerging Artist of the Year award and the Grand Prize in the Digital Video category at the Prudential Eye Awards. *Abbreviated below http://chimpom.jp
Photography: Asami Minami
Photo by Pathipol Ratchata-arpha
### Koki Tanaka (Artist)
Production Course: "Uncertain Practices and Unstable Thoughts in Art"
Born in 1975. Artist. Through video and writing, he conducts artistic practices that re-examine human collaboration and the nature of communities, with the theme of "what it means to live together." In recent years, he has continued his creative and writing activities, re-conceptualizing art from the perspective of childcare and care. Major exhibitions participated in include Aichi Triennale (2019), Skulptur Projekte Münster (2017), and Venice Biennale (2017). In 2015, he was awarded Artist of the Year by Deutsche Bank, and in 2013, the Japan Pavilion, in which he participated at the Venice Biennale, received a special mention. His writings and collections include
Think School, which opened in 2016 and celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, is a school where students learn to build relationships with others, flexibly perceive society, and listen to their own voices by engaging with the ideas of urban development and art. In today's uncertain society, changes are occurring that cannot be dealt with using only existing values and ways of thinking. But how can we update our thinking and creativity? We believe the hints lie in urban development and art. Through learning about the open collaboration of urban development and the diversity that art has connected, students will discover their own unique perspectives. You will realize that everyone has excellent ideas and unique perspectives through a year at Think School, a place where friends who enjoy creating and thinking gather to learn from each other.
An information session to answer "What kind of school is Think School?" will be held on Saturday, May 16th.
There are two courses: "Planning Course" and "Production Course," each consisting of 22 sessions. In the "Planning Course," students learn how to construct plans from urban development and art management methods, developing realistic plans based on their own interests and social issues. In the "Production Course," students learn various expression methods and production tips from artists and curators, exploring their own interests.
The curriculum progresses in three steps: "Foundation" → "Exploration" → "Inquiry." Ample opportunities are provided to receive advice from instructors and peers, so no special knowledge or skills are required for enrollment.
Production Course - Class Scene
Planning Course - Group Work
Those who receive the Grand Prize at the graduation exhibition held at the end of the academic year will receive support for holding solo exhibitions and realizing projects after graduation. Extracurricular activities, such as training trips and bus tours, are also fulfilling and optional. People of various ages and professions, from teenagers to seniors, with different values and backgrounds, learn art and urban development together, aiming to foster a diverse and tolerant society.
Graduation Exhibition - Public Review Session (Scarts)
Bus Tour (Asahikawa)
2026 Academic Year - Instructor Introduction (Excerpt from 22 sessions)
Photo: Shingo Kanagawa
### Kaho Ikeda (Independent Curator)
Joint Lecture for Planning and Production Courses: "How to Start and Continue as an Independent"
Since 2016, she has been researching art collectives, DIY culture, and cultural activism, mainly in Southeast Asia. After gaining experience as an assistant at the Mori Art Museum, she became independent in the spring of 2023. In addition to serving as co-program director of Yamanaka suplex, she is a guest curator at Art Center BUG. Recent major planning achievements for exhibitions and learning projects include "Bug School 2024: Wild City" (BUG, 2024), "Go alone or arrive early, aim far or all perish" (Yamanaka suplex, 2024), and "Kobe Rokko Meets Art 2024 beyond" (Hyogo, 2024).
### Ryuta Ushiro (Member of Chim↑Pom from Smappa!Group)
Joint Lecture for Planning and Production Courses: "Genius High School!!!!"
Chim↑Pom from Smappa!Group is an artist collective formed in Tokyo in 2005. They relentlessly pursue the realities of the times, continuously releasing powerful works that actively intervene in contemporary society. In addition to participating in exhibitions worldwide, they also develop various projects independently. They also conceived and launched the international exhibition "Don't Follow the Wind," which "cannot be visited" until the restricted area due to the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident is lifted, participating as artists, and the exhibition started on March 11, 2015. In 2015, they received the Emerging Artist of the Year award and the Grand Prize in the Digital Video category at the Prudential Eye Awards. *Abbreviated below http://chimpom.jp
Photography: Asami Minami
Photo by Pathipol Ratchata-arpha
### Koki Tanaka (Artist)
Production Course: "Uncertain Practices and Unstable Thoughts in Art"
Born in 1975. Artist. Through video and writing, he conducts artistic practices that re-examine human collaboration and the nature of communities, with the theme of "what it means to live together." In recent years, he has continued his creative and writing activities, re-conceptualizing art from the perspective of childcare and care. Major exhibitions participated in include Aichi Triennale (2019), Skulptur Projekte Münster (2017), and Venice Biennale (2017). In 2015, he was awarded Artist of the Year by Deutsche Bank, and in 2013, the Japan Pavilion, in which he participated at the Venice Biennale, received a special mention. His writings and collections include