We asked two employees who have participated in this program which is not directly related to their day to day work for talking about how it has benefited them and how they each felt. Furthermore, a portion of the results of the employee survey are presented here along with comments and remarks from both of them. All results of the survey are available in the PDF "Summary of Employee Survey Results" at the bottom of this page.

Aya Ito
Monex, Inc.
Products Dept.
Joining: 2019

―― What does this program mean to you? 

Joe: I think the artwork at ART IN THE OFFICE will bring color and life to the office. The artwork stimulates our creativity, which makes our work more interesting and our employees livelier, and it brightens the atmosphere of the office. In addition, the work is always present as scenery, and employees seem somewhat comfortable with the opportunity to touch it during their workday. More than that, we enjoy the process of becoming the landscape of this activity. We also see it as a hint for creating the atmosphere of the office.

Aya: I have loved contemporary art since I was in high school, so I created an art club within the company at the same time as I joined the company four years ago. I am the captain of the club. Contemporary art is often considered difficult, but some works have strong messages about social issues, and so on. You can learn different perspectives from reading news programs or newspapers. I believe that ART IN THE OFFICE, which deals with contemporary art, is one of the tools that enable us to understand distant social issues and other problems as something familiar.

―― Have you experienced any inspiration from being exposed to the creativity of the artists and their work?

Joe: Unfortunately, I have not experienced anything different through those. Each artist has a great deal of individuality and difference, and their work is completely different. Therefore, I think it is a very interesting experience for each individual to find out how they perceive things, how they create their work, and to discover their various styles.

Aya: It was very inspiring for me to see the artist explaining his/her intentions for his/her work to others. I think everyone has opportunities to communicate or explain something to others on a daily basis, but I was inspired by the way to express those. I learned that there are many different ways to communicate and that there is no one right answer.

―― Do you feel anything about one of the objectives of this program which is to promote understanding of diversity?

Joe: Honestly, I have not felt it yet, because I believe that creativity is more important than diversity. The reason is that the creativity helps me to solve the problem when I have a question or need an idea in my daily life. Nevertheless, the artistic concepts of the award-winning works of ART IN THE OFFICE are diverse each year, and they are showing us many images and many styles.

Aya: I see that there are ideas like Joe's. That is surely a "diversity" to learn different opinions. I once participated in a workshop for employees of this program, and the task was to individually complete a face by selecting each of the many parts provided. It was very interesting because they all turned out to look completely different. Everyone has his or her own impression after viewing a work of art, and I don't think there is one correct answer. That is diversity. I think that is good.

―― Does this program become a topic of conversation when you communicate with visitors and employees?

Joe: The award-winning works are completely different each year, and each time they make a big splash within the company. 2021's entries are very impactful. In addition there are also works displayed in the office and conference rooms, and these works are also discussed. Since various artworks are usually displayed in the office and are often visible to everyone, they can easily become a theme of communication among employees.

Aya: When clients and other visitors come to our office, some of them look at the art in the press room while they wait. When there is a tense atmosphere in meetings with customers or meetings among employees, just a brief explanation of this program and it can be an ice-breaker and change the atmosphere to a good one. Also, new employees sometimes ask me questions about the art. New comers might be nervous when they first join the company, but I believe that the presence of art provides an opportunity for them to feel relaxed.

―― What do ART IN THE OFFICE’s programs and works mean to you?

Aya: Although most people may think that art is difficult to touch casually and unintentionally. In my case, art became familiar to me because the office where I work is decorated with art and there are workshops for employees by the artists who created the artwork. I believe that we can open up a whole new world we never knew existed by participating in the workshops. 

―― One of the goals of ART IN THE OFFICE is to expose employees to diversity through works of various artists. Do you think this program leads to an understanding of diversity?

Aya: I have learned something about the writer's way of life. For example, there are women who have been self-supporting as an artist and continue to work while raising children. Their careers are quite different from those of ordinary company employees. I have come to believe that people can have many different kinds of lives.

―― When you communicate with visitors and colleagues, is ART IN THE OFFICE becoming the topic of conversation?

Joe: Until a new work is completed in the press room, we talk with each other, "What kind of work will it be this year?” Our conversation is even livelier when the work is shown to the public, with questions posed such as “Have you seen it?” “What do you think?” “Did you like it?” “Did you understand it?” It is interesting to see people's different reactions each year because there are some people that like it very much, while others not so much.

The following is a summary of the results of a survey we conducted internally for our employees.

ART IN THE OFFICE 2018

ART IN THE OFFICE 2014

ART IN THE OFFICE 2010