College of Culture Resources delegation in HK to under art management

A 46-member delegation from the College of Culture Resources, including teachers and students, made a four-day trip to Hong Kong in April to understand the art circle and art management in a small city well-known for some of its vibrant art activities. 

The delegation visited artists’ villages, one of which has been converted from a slaughterhouse, and another from factory blocks – venues that are a clear indication of Hong Kong’s creativity.

During their talk with Ms. Katy Cheng, marketing manager for the organization that runs the annual Hong Kong Arts Festival, the TNUA group learned how Asia’s first international arts festival has been managed and marketed.

They also were amazed by the success of The Fringe Club, a small and independent non-profit group who has been promoting international art activities in Hong Kong.

On the government side, they were briefed by Mr. Louis Yu, chief executive of the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, a statutory body set up by the HK government in 1995 to plan, promote and support the development of the arts. Mr. Yu also explained one of the major art development projects in Hong Kong – a special art zone in West Kowloon.

They also visited the HKICC Lee Shau Kee School of Creativity, a high school dedicated to arts education, and the Chanel Mobile Art exhibition, which kicked off its worldwide tour in Hong Kong.

Lee Ching-hui, a student from the Graduate School of Arts Administration and Management, remarked that although the HK government is not very active in devising arts policy, it is very open-minded towards arts groups and refrains from standing in the way of art development. This can be shown in the ways the HK government allows arts groups to make profits using public spaces, she said. For this to happen in Taiwan, it would need lots of legislation, she concluded.

NUA dance students present papers at 2008 National PCA/ACA Conference in San Francisco

 Two students from the Graduate School of Dance Theory, Teng An-chi and Liu Yi-ching presented their papers at the 2008 National PCA/ACA Conference in San Francisco in March. The conference was attended by over 2,000 scholars and graduate students from around the world. Teng’s paper was titled “What is the Theme in the Choreography of the Younger Generation in Taiwan?” while Liu’s was “The Analysis of the Implications of a Case Study of Taiwanese Dance Curriculum at Taipei Physical Education College.”

Students from the Czech Republic

In Taiwan, there may not be too many students from the Czech Republic, but two of them are at TNUA: Anna Gaurova and Josef Bares.

For Anna, it is the second time she has been in Taiwan. A student of the Chinese and Polish languages at her undergraduate studies at Palacky University in Prague, Anna first came to study Chinese at the National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) as an exchange student for one year. She immediately fell in love with this island, and hoped to return if she had a chance.

She got her chance after attending a week-long series of lectures on movies offered by Prof. Peggy Chiao, Chairperson of TNUA’s Graduate School of Filmmaking, in Prague.

The lectures aroused her interests in Taiwan movies and script-writing. Encouraged by Prof. Chiao, she applied to the Graduate School of Filmmaking, and here she is, a full time graduate student studying filmmaking at TNUA.

She said the TNUA campus seemed a bit too remote from downtown compared to NTNU, but its serenity makes it a good place for studying. TNUA is a friendly place, and she loves the library best because of its large collection.

Josef, who is from the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague, is at TNUA in a semester-long non-degree exchange program. He picked TNUA on strong recommendation from friends back home.

He arrived in Taiwan in February, and since then has been learning Chinese at NTNU and taking art courses at TNUA.

He thinks TNUA and his school in Prague have things in common, namely they are both liberal, open, and encourage students to create freely.

There may be one difference. Josef says back in Prague, students are usually only asked to prepare for in-class discussion, without having to write papers. But at TNUA, students often have to hand in written work.

He says he would also recommend his classmates at the Academy of Fine Arts to come to TNUA. And of course, TNUA students would be welcome to study in his country, he says.