The Craft Area is one of the newest additions to the art and design department at the University of Tsukuba, having been established as an undergraduate program in 2003 and as a master’s program in 2007. Originally, it had been a degree program in art (Ceramic Art) without course areas. As common classes for art, courses for training and exercises in ceramics were started about 40 years ago.

There are materials that remain from the time when the plans were being made to establish the University of Tsukuba in which crafts (ceramics, metal crafts) would be established as formative courses in the so-called “blue cover book[1].” From the time the university was established, it appears that consideration was given to the necessity of modeling and shaping fields that handle actual materials.

Art classes for ceramics training have been offered to students who are not in art programs as elective subjects since the establishment of the University of Tsukuba. Presently, classes for training and practice in crafts (ceramic, wood, glass) provide an excellent opportunity for students to learn art skills as part of their liberal arts education. Furthermore, to contribute to society in general, open lectures (ceramics, glass) have been offered to the general public for 40 years.

In the 13 years that the Craft Area has been in existence, courses have been well-managed and well-equipped, and this has been very effective for art education. For the six students in the first graduating class (students who entered in 2002), there was the impression that because of their small number, they were casual students who were just using the workshop. But now, every year there are more than 40 students who wish to take Basic Studies of Craft, and more than 100 students who wish to take Introduction to Crafts. It can be said that the Craft Area has been steadily becoming an integral part of art education at the university.

As of this writing (2015 academic year), there have been a total of 65 graduates in the undergraduate program, and a total of 21 students who have finished the master’s program. There have been 5 exchange students from other countries, and 3 Japanese students who have studied overseas. We anticipate that such international exchanges will grow in the years to come.

Also in the future, there will be growing demand for research results from the Craft Area doctoral program. While the Craft Area ensures that students will develop expertise for craft area materials and techniques, the Area does not concentrate on expertise alone. Utilizing the special features of the University of Tsukuba as a comprehensive university, we would like for students to be able to have a multi-faceted perspective of things and develop the ability to flexibly create and materialize a variety of artistic expressions based on the establishment of methods for evaluating the relationships between modeling on the one hand, and scientific approaches and psychological and medical perspectives on the other.

[1] “Preparation for Establishing the University of Tsukuba – Summary,” New University in Tsukuba Committee, pp. 39-40, September 29, 1973