2014 DNP Foundation for Cultural Promotion Research Grants for Academic Studies Relating to Graphic Design and Graphic Art, Selected Research Topics
Message on Launching the Foundation's New Research Grants Program
The DNP Foundation for Cultural Promotion regularly operates a continuing program of exhibitions on graphic-related topics at its three key venues: ggg in Tokyo (Ginza), ddd in Kyoto (Uzumasa), and CCGA in Fukushima Prefecture (Sukagawa). The Foundation also archives prints and posters and related materials in its determined quest to pass on the rich legacy of graphic culture to future generations.
The "DNP Foundation for Cultural Promotion Research Grants for Academic Studies Relating to Graphic Design and Graphic Art" have been newly inaugurated to take the Foundation's activities further forward, as a way of contributing ever more meaningfully to graphic culture itself. Our hope is that many scholars will express their interest in, and understanding and approval of, the new program, inspiring them to undertake solid academic research that will spur new advances in studies relating to graphic art and design.
Yoshitoshi Kitajima, Chairman
DNP Foundation for Cultural Promotion
Screening Process and Results
"DNP Foundation for Cultural Promotion Research Grants for Academic Studies Relating to Graphic Design and Graphic Art" are a new program to support academic research launched in 2014. At the start, the Foundation was unsure of its ability to accurately convey the aims of the program, unsure how well the program would be received, and unsure of how much interest it would generate among potential applicants during the short application period. In the end, to our great pleasure a total of 66 applications were received, far surpassing our expectations. We were especially pleased to receive many inquiries and applications from abroad.
Grant winners were decided in a two-part screening process. The first part was a point-based selection procedure, followed by overall consideration of the finalist group. The applications spanned a wide spectrum of research topics, including many of clearly important significance. The members of the judging panel were drawn from various fields of specialization and had a broad range of interests. On occasion their opinions were strongly divided, making the selection process more time-consuming than had been anticipated.
In the end, a total of 12 research topics were selected: 8 in Category A (research on graphic design or graphic art in general) and 4 in Category B (research relating to graphic designer Ikko Tanaka). We have high hopes and expectations that the research carried out by the grantees will be fulfilling and yield significant results.
This newly inaugurated research grant program will be continued on an annual basis. Our hope is that through this program research relating to graphic culture will flourish as never before, for the benefit of future generations.
Hiroshi Kashiwagi, Screening Committee Chairman
DNP Foundation for Cultural Promotion
Application Overview
Application Period: May 1 through July 31, 2014
Number of Applications
| Subtotal | Breakdown | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic | Overseas | ||
| Category A | 57 | 39 | 18 |
| Category B | 9 | 6 | 3 |
| Total | 66 | 45 | 21 |
Selected Research Topics
| Category | Research Topic | Applicant | Affiliated Institution |
|---|---|---|---|
A |
Bijin (beauties) and retsujo (virtuous women): The Representation of Women in the modern print culture Japan |
Ewa Machotka |
Leiden University Institute for Area Studies, Lecturer |
A |
Posters in Modern Japan---Adaptation, Creation, and Development--- |
Natsuko Tajima |
Ome Municipal Museum of Art |
A |
Onomatopoeia of East Asia that is analyzed from the point of view of typography--A study on similarity and difference |
Kim Kyongkyun |
Korea National University of Arts, School of Visual Arts Dept. of Design, Professor |
A |
Fundamental Research on the History of Modern Pornography as Graphic Culture |
Gen Adachi |
Independent scholar |
A |
Reflections on the Concept of Standardization of Paper Formats(Weltformat) in the Modernist Movement in Graphic Design: On Another "Bridge (Die Brücke)" |
Fumiko Goto |
Keio University, Faculty of Letters, Associate Professor |
A |
Dr. Frantz Stoedtner's Glass Slide as the Teaching Materials -- A Way of New Knowledge Acquisition during the Meiji and the Taisho Era |
Tsumiki Wada |
Kyoto Institute of Technology, Museum and Archives, invited Assistant Professor |
A |
Distinctive impressions of distorted and illegible character in Bird-worm seal script |
Hikari Sakata |
Tama Art University Department of Graphic Design, Assistant |
A |
Developing an Environment to Realize the Creation and Proliferation of Diversified Graphic Design: A Social Science Perspective |
Ryu Kojima |
Kyushu University, Faculty of Law, Associate Professor |
B |
Ikko Tanaka's Design Activities in the 1950s: An Analysis of a Turning Point in Japanese Postwar Graphic Design |
Sae Yamamoto |
Independent scholar |
B |
Metabolism in Visual Culture: The Collective of Kiyonori Kikutake and Ikko Tanaka in the 1960s |
Yasutaka Tsuji |
Research Fellow of Japan Society for the Promotion of Scienc |
B |
Ikko Tanaka's graphic design as a recipient of Japanese art traditions |
Rossella Menegazzo |
University of Milan, Associate Professor |
B |
Tanaka Ikko and Japanese Modern Typography |
Mariko Takagi |
Hong Kong Baptist University, Academy of Visual Arts, Assistant Prpfessor |
Yoshitoshi Kitajima, Chairman
DNP Foundation for Cultural Promotion