Contemporary Arts in Rural Development aims:

• To develop a transdisciplinary collaboration between the academy and cultural organisations in the UK and Japan in order to explore their contribution and potential in support of sustainable rural development
• To exchange lessons, knowledge and best practice of creative interventions (e.g. rural art festivals, rural art residencies) in rural development policy contexts.
• To develop an international comparative research proposal that builds on this network with empirical exploration on the role of arts to rural development.
• To identify appropriate case studies in the UK and in Japan for a mutual research agenda doing experimental research on the role of arts in rural development.
• To develop and plan a collaborative programme of activities for artists and art professionals across the UK and Japan (i.e. between Northumberland’s Berwick Visual Arts, Scotland’s Stove Network and Japan’s Art Front Gallery).

To realise these objectives, activities are planned in both the UK and Japan with art professionals and artists working in rural contexts, early career researchers and rural development experts (within and beyond academia).

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