Akiya Collective is a society of artists, makers, and architects restoring abandoned houses in Japan into art installations, community spaces, and interactive habitats.

We are non-profit organization and a community-driven project dedicated to creating spaces that are in harmony with the local environment.

Over the last year, we:

• Incorporated our legal entity, a US-based non-profit organization (with a 501c3 fiscal sponsor)
• Hosted two residencies, with cohorts of 10 people each, in rural areas in Izu and Nagano
• Developed relationships with city governments and locals, learned different renovation techniques, and produced installations
• Researched 100+ properties, visited 25+, and explored 5 different areas of rural Japan
• Established our first community home in Nagano Prefecture

We have open-sourced our process and research in an online playbook for others to learn from. In our community of 1,000+ people, there are already members who have committed to purchasing property near our base. Through our project, we are actively supporting a network of home owners in acquiring, renovating, and operating properties in tight-knit regions for cohabitation and coworking.

During this grant round, we are looking to crowdfund for renovations for our first community home, which will be hosting build weeks, and 2 additional residency programs in 2024.