Summer Studio 2024
Workshops and Exhibition with Tonko House
Starting July 27, the art center BUG will host an exhibition of works created in workshops as part of its special “Summer Studio 2024” program. The workshops, conducted in collaboration with Tonko House, were held at BUG in June and July to foster the artistic talents of elementary, junior high and high school students.
“Summer Studio 2024” was devised as a follow-up to the “Creation Kids Lab” events held from 2018 through 2022 at Creation Gallery G8, the gallery operated by Recruit Holdings Co., Ltd. until 2023. “Creation Kids Labs” were a series of annual workshops targeted at elementary school students, taught by designers, illustrators and other creative artists. During its five-year run, the “Creation Kids Lab” program held a total of 26 workshops attended by 576 youngsters.
For “Summer Studio 2024” at BUG, Recruit wanted to build on its experience with those earlier workshops and offer even more attractive and productive events for a wider range of participants. To achieve those goals, Tonko House was invited to collaborate in both the workshops and exhibition.
Tonko House is an animation studio established in Berkeley, California in July 2014 by Daisuke “Dice” Tsutsumi and Robert Kondo. As art directors at Pixar Animation Studios, the pair played central roles in the creation of Toy Story 3 and Monsters University. Tonko House held its first exhibition at Creation Gallery G8, The Journey of the Dam Keeper, in 2016. Its collaboration with BUG for this summer’s workshops and exhibition comes as the studio celebrates its 10th anniversary.
The workshops held in June and July were led by creative artists involved in animation production at Tonko House. Workshops were held separately for elementary, junior high and high school students, devised to enable participants to experience the fun derived from creative activity. In all, 61 students participated.
The upcoming exhibition will feature works created during the workshops as well as works produced to date by Tonko House. A selection of hands-on programs and other events will also be held for participants of all ages. We are sure the exhibition and its auxiliary events will be an enjoyable and fitting highlight of “Summer Studio 2024.”
About the Exhibition
Characters and story illustrations by 61 students of elementary to high school ages
The exhibition will feature illustrations of original characters designed by students in the workshops held in June and July. Their assigned theme was the pantheon of innumerable deities, a topic also explored in Tonko House’s ONI: Thunder God’s Tale. Workshop participants of junior high and high school ages also drew illustrated stories featuring their original characters. The exhibition will display these many brilliant and highly imaginative works, each befitting their creator’s age, along with photos taken during their production in the workshops.
A special area dedicated to the unique world of Tonko House’s production
The exhibition will include a special area dedicated to works created during Tonko House’s first 10 years. On display will be sketches, models and other forms of concept art as well as full-size prints of its characters. Tonko House’s animated productions will also be shown. Notification of the animation titles and screening schedule will be provided online, over social media, and directly at BUG.
An enjoyable program of hands-on events for visitors
Another special area will be set aside where visitors can experience the fun of producing artworks in a relaxed atmosphere. Participants will be free to take their creations home with them.
Tonko House
Tonko House is an animation studio established in Berkeley, California in July 2014 by Daisuke “Dice” Tsutsumi and Robert Kondo, who before that were art directors at Pixar Animation Studios. They decided to go on their own as joint directors of the short film The Dam Keeper, their debut work. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 2015, won a total of 25 awards worldwide, and was shown at 75 film festivals. Moom, their follow-up short animation created in 2016, received numerous awards at film festivals in eight countries. In 2017, Tonko House’s first short-form series, Pig: The Dam Keeper Poems, which was directed by Erick Oh, was initially distributed in Japan through Hulu Japan; it was later broadcast on NHK and gained widespread popularity. In 2023, Tonko House’s ONI: Thunder God’s Tale, currently available on Netflix, garnered Annie Awards – regarded as the Oscars of the animation world – in two categories as well as three Emmy Awards, the highest accolade in the U.S. television industry.
Since 2019, in addition to its base in California, Tonko House has also operated out of a studio located in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture. Besides its creative production work, Tonko House also carries out a multifaceted array of activities involving exhibitions, events, workshops, etc.
Information
2024.7.27SAT — 8.25SUN
11:00 — 19:00
*Open until 8:00PM every Friday
Tuesdays
8.13TUE — 8.16FRI
Free
BUG
CANVAS Inc.
