ITOCHU AOYAMA ART SQUARE, operated by ITOCHU Corporation as part of its social contribution activities, has been designated for “This is MECENAT 2014” by Kigyo Mécénat Kyogikai (KMK: Association for Corporate Support of the Arts).

“This is MECENAT” is a new scheme for designating the Mécénat activities (building society through the arts and culture) of corporations and other private-sector organizations. This year, 109 activities have been designated. The activities are judged on their overall merit in terms of their positioning, individuality, and vision, including their consideration for society and the community, as well as their creative design.

The screening committee has seven members: Hiroshi Harashima (Professor Emeritus, University of Tokyo), Manabu Akaike (Director, Universal Design Intelligence Inc.), Nobuhiro Ito (Musician and Professor, Osaka University Graduate School of Letters and School of Letters), Momoe Kanazawa (Art historian and Professor, Tokai University), Nobuko Kawashima (Professor, Doshisha University and Chair, Japan Association for Cultural Economics), Youichi Nakamura (Professor, Rikkyo University Graduate School of Social Design Studies), and Motoki Ozaki (President, Association for Corporate Support of the Arts). The designated activities are presented with a “Mécénat Mark,” and registered and stored in the Mécénat Archive on the association’s website for dissemination in Japan and abroad as examples of the current state of Mécénat.

ITOCHU AOYAMA ART SQUARE was opened in October 2012 in the CI Plaza, a commercial facility situated next to ITOCHU’s Tokyo Head Office, with the aim of developing the future generation through art, contributing to the local community and promoting both domestic and overseas art and culture, and has hosted various exhibitions since then.