Date: Thursday, Mar 26, 2026 20:00

Title:  Beyond the Workshop: Structural Barriers and Cultural Sensitivities in Community-Based Dementia Arts Programs in Japan

Speaker: Herb L. Fondevilla 

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The speaker is a Specially Appointed Associate Professor at Rikkyo University in Tokyo. Her research interests include visual culture, contemporary art, and community-based art and arts in health.

 

This talk will be recorded and made available to Counterpoint members who have submitted the application form and paid the membership fee. Please send an email to this address if you would like the link to the video.

Outline: Despite growing recognition of arts-based interventions for dementia care, little is known about the institutional and cultural challenges of implementing such programs in Japan. This presentation examines a five-year longitudinal study (2017-2022, with a two-year gap due to COVID) that explores how arts-based activities can improve well-being for persons living with dementia, culminating in the Hanabi Arts Workshop in Toride City.

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The project employed participatory action research methods, collaborating with Toride Art Project (TAP), a local NPO, along with artists, volunteers, municipal staff, and university students to design and implement creative workshops. Over the project duration, we trained workshop facilitators, coordinated across multiple agencies, and developed culturally sensitive approaches to engage participants and their families. Data collection included participant observations, interviews with stakeholders, and reflective documentation of the collaborative process.

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Our findings reveal three critical challenges in sustaining community-based dementia arts programs in Japan: (1) cultural stigma surrounding dementia that limits family participation and community engagement; (2) institutional barriers between academic, government, and community sectors that complicate cross-sector collaboration; and (3) the precarious employment status of key project personnel (non-tenured academics, freelance artists, casual workers) that threatens program continuity beyond initial funding cycles.

The study demonstrates that while arts-based activities show promise for enhancing wellbeing among participants with dementia, successful implementation requires sustained investment in relationship-building across sectors, cultural sensitivity training for facilitators, and innovative funding models that address the precarious nature of community-based research. These findings have implications for policymakers and practitioners seeking to develop sustainable dementia support programs in Japan and similar cultural contexts.