The Association for Corporate Support of the Arts has announced the seven winners of the Japan Mécénat Awards 2014 (the Grand Mécénat Award, five Mécénat Awards, and the Award Granted by the Commissioner for Cultural Affairs).

The Japan Mécénat Awards for 2014 were awarded for a variety of activities working to build a society based on a foundation of culture, looking from different viewpoints at the way that we live. The Grand Mécénat Award was awarded to Gallery A4 (Tokyo) for its presentation and communication of a wide range of themes, including environmental themes, that relate to architecture, basing this work on the question of what a truly rich way of living actually is, which in turn is part of the broader question of whet her values that prioritize economic effect are appropriate for our society.

The five Mécénat Awards and the Award Granted by the Commissioner for Cultural Affairs were each awarded for initiatives that use culture to contribute to society. Activities firmly rooted in their local community include work to ensure the continuity and development of the traditional Bingata craft of Okinawa (Bank of The Ryukyus), collaboration with a local self-help group to establish and run a library for children in Kenya (Nippon Koei), and a varied program driven by local participation that engages with the regional resource of the Sumida River from a cultural perspective (Asahi Beer). Activities that actively train new generations include the use of management resources to teach communication skills to children (Dentsu), and work with amateur orchestras around Japan to train young people who will go on to take leading roles in regional music culture (Toyota). Another winning activity was recognized for creating a reliable outlet for artists to present their work, thereby supporting the creationof art based on new ideas (Shiseido)

http://www.mecenat.or.jp/english/No.6_2014_Mecenat%20Award%202014%20Results.pdf