Art Place as Media:

Function of Art Support in Public Relations

Abstract

Corporations have been supporting the arts in Japan for many years. However, recent attention has focused not only on funding, but also on cases in which companies themselves operate art places, in which art exists to support communities with stakeholders related to the art activities. Based on the assumption that companies can strengthen relationships with their stakeholders through art places, the purpose of this paper is to examine the roles of art places as media from the perspective of public relations. A review of previous studies of corporate support of the arts was performed, and then art places were categorized based on two criteria: ownership (owned/paid) and interactivity (high: interaction type; low: appreciation type). Further, their communication characteristics were organized in terms of duration, reach and depth, and content editorial rights. This analysis provides clues for companies seeking to build relationships with diverse stakeholders, and also demonstrates the significance for arts organizations of sharing opportunities to interact with funders.