Today, in case you didn't know it, is Thank You Art Day, a day to celebrate contemporary art made by anyone anywhere. Artist Yoshiaki Kaihatsu, a Tama Art University graduate, began the annual event in 2001 with an eye to, as he says, "vitalizing the Japanese art scene, because the Japanese art market is very weak."
Kaihatsu chose March 9 for this purpose because the date is pronounced san-kyu in Japanese (literally, three nine, or the ninth day of the third month), which, when speaking without the "th" sound, approximates to the English expression of gratitude.
A seemingly thin concept. But Thank You Art Day (or 39Art as it is written on posters and the official Web site) has developed quite nicely. In the early days there were but a handful of people involved, but by last year more than 100 artists, galleries, museums, and others had joined the celebration.