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May Chan Rhodes

Art education matters not only because it helps students develop various types of intelligence. It also provides an alternative set of lenses for young people to relate to the world we live in and reflect on what they see, according to education experts.
Susanna Chung, head of learning and participation at Asia Art Archive, says schools in Hong Kong have come a long way in helping students use art as a means of inquiry, but adds that art education in the city faces the same issue as in the rest of Asia - the lack of contemporary Asian art references in the form of archiving, regular exhibitions in museums and galleries, and teaching materials.
Founded in 2000, Asia Art Archive has been working with local and international schools, and educators in Hong Kong, the mainland and across the region to raise awareness of contemporary Asian art and promote art education.
It has also built up resources such as a mobile library of art books, a growing digital art archive, and school tours and workshops for teachers, students and the public.
“Since 2009, art criticism and art history have been included as part of the visual art curriculum in Hong Kong,” says Chung. “However, although teachers want to include contemporary arts in designing the curriculum, they simply don’t know where to start, because there is a historical void. The art education materials we have in Asia, especially countries with a colonial past, are by and large under the influence of the west.
“It is an issue we all have to address because topics such as gender equality, environmental protection, technology and political issues are best addressed by contemporary art,” Chung says. She stresses that works by contemporary Asian artists help students look at the world around them through the artists’ eyes, and open up a new realm of possibilities in terms of how they perceive various issues, the impact they make, and the possible solutions that they imagine could happen. Not to address the need for greater exposure to contemporary Asian art would be to risk a “discon-nect” between art education and reality, Chung says.

The public may think that art education is always better in the cash-rich private sector, which is not true

Rowena Cheung Po-man, former president of the Hong Kong Society for Education in Art (HKSEA), says schools need to become creative in involving local artists in teaching and in utilising the resources provided by various organisations.
Cheung, who currently teaches at the Hong Kong Taoist Association Wun Tsuen School, has received numerous teaching awards over the years, including the Education Bureau’s Chief Executive’s Award for Teaching Excellence in the Arts Education Key Learning Area.
“The public may think that art education is always better in the cash-rich private sector, which is not true,” says Cheung. “There are a lot of public and direct subsidy scheme (DSS) schools doing a good job in art education. The quality depends on the direction of the school’s management, the teachers’ abilities, and also the attitude of the parents.”
Speaking from her own experience, she urges art teachers to be bold and take more initiatives in seeking resources and in involving teachers, parents and students in art activities to help them experience and visualise how art can impact their lives.
“Art is more than making a beautiful picture,” Cheung says. “It helps you appreciate the world and express yourself. You also get to develop your critical thinking skills as you stretch your imagination in the creative process.
“I believe that no school or parent nowadays would say that art is not important for children. It is a matter of making them see art as an integral part of what they are trying to achieve in a child’s education, instead of something that competes for time and resources with other subjects or extracurricular activities.”
Local visual artist Yau Kwok-keung, who founded an art collective called Dirty Paper with his artist friend Chan Wai-lap, likes to share some of the best practices they have witnessed while working with young people and schools.
Both educated in the local system, the pair met at the Hong Kong Design Institute after finishing the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination. They specialise in creating works that evoke nostalgia and collective memories, and these are displayed widely in Hong Kong and the mainland.
Yau observes that school culture makes a big difference, and that this can be seen in how students make use of school facilities and resources in the wider community. For example, at HKICC Lee Shau Kee School of Creativity, the entire set-up is aimed at encouraging creativity, and this is evident in the way corridors and walls have been opened up for creative activities instead of limiting them to the four walls of a classroom.
Yau was involved in an art project with the school, working alongside a qipao dressmaker. While the tailor taught students the skills of making a traditional qipao dress, Yau guided them in the creative process, enabling them to incorporate their experiences, memories, and feelings about certain events, into the design.
“As an artist, I love experiencing the world with my students, and helping them translate these experiences into something creative. For me, this is what makes arts meaningful,” Yau says.
As for the performing arts, Lai Tak-wai, an award-wining professional dancer who appeared in various productions and teaches numerous dance groups in Hong Kong and the mainland, says a school’s achievements should not be judged by the number of trophies it has won at competitions, but by its mindset.
“Many schools do drama and dance, and they participate in various inter-school competitions,” Lai says. “It is not a bad thing. However, you should pause and ask: what if you lose? Does it mean you should not dance?
“It is important that the teachers help students find the meaning of dancing before, during and after the competition so that they know it is not about achievement. Dance develops your ability to express yourself through non-verbal communication and to appreciate the body regardless of its shape. It builds up your confidence and makes you a better communicator.”
One sign that a school recognises the importance of the performing arts in education is their inclusion as regular lessons not just as extracurricular activities, Lai says.
He points out that English Schools Foundation (ESF) schools are generally very good at doing so, while some local schools, such as Sacred Heart Canossian College, are also doing a great job in including dance and drama as regular subjects for students. However, while art and creativity are generally embraced by international schools and their students’ parents as an integral part of the children’s education, these schools must go a step further by taking into account the transient nature of the school community when designing the art curriculum.
While the possibility of parents relocating within a few years may affect the continuity and stability of performing groups, ensembles, and learning to play instruments, it also gives students the motivation to join performing arts groups because they provide the kind of instant social connections that students need after relocation, says Elise Kelly, primary music specialist at the Australian International School Hong Kong (AISHK).
Bas Buwalda, a Year 6 student at the school who relocated from Australia to Hong Kong seven months ago, says music helped him settle in and connect with the community.
“All of a sudden, I got to know people and they enjoyed my music,” says Buwalda, who won the school’s talent show, and has been performing with its choir and jazz band at community events. “Music always helps me one way or another.”
In terms of curriculum design, while following the Australian national curriculum, the school also modifies certain elements in order to be relevant to the Hong Kong setting.

It is important that the teachers help students find the meaning of dancing before, during and after the competition so that they know it is not about achievement

For example, the Australian curriculum puts a strong focus on understanding of aboriginal Australian culture and practices. While this is deemed a key part of student learning at AISHK, an understanding of other world cultures is also recognised as an integral aspect of education in Hong Kong.
“The international school environment in Hong Kong allows students to share their experiences with students and staff of different backgrounds, fostering a greater understanding of various cultures and practices, and how music, drama and dance entwines with this,” says Kelly.
The school provides students with numerous internal and external opportunities to perform. Within the school, students have the chance to perform at weekly assemblies, as well as at in-house functions such as the Australia Day Assembly, Welcome Barbecue, and inaugural Scholar’s Assembly.
AISHK students have already appeared at several external events this year. These include on an A Cappella ensemble performing at the Australian Chamber of Commerce Australia Day Luncheon, the jazz band playing at the Kowloon District Police Road Safety Carnival, and the primary choir singing at the Australian and Chinese Association of Hong Kong 24th Anniversary Ball.
“Where possible, the performing arts department at AISHK works with all parts of the school to ensure students are able to pursue music and drama alongside their other interests and skills,” Kelly says, citing research findings on how music education can improve brain functions. “The benefits of a holistic performing arts education are also communicated to students, staff and parents.”
John Lee, the middle school art teacher at Hong Kong International School, agrees that art teachers should work hand in hand with colleagues when designing the overall arts portfolio for the school. Lifelong learning is the overall goal of the school’s education, he says, and no teacher should work in isolation as everyone is part of the same bigger picture.
Lee also stresses that it is important to be flexible and to respond to the interests of students. For example, sensing serious interest in photography in his class, he chose to use relevent projects to introduce different art theories instead of using more traditional mediums. “Teachers should respond to the students’ desires and be flexible, so that their teaching becomes relevant to their lives,” he says.
On the subject of contemporary art, Lee says it remains a challenge for local and international schools alike to find resources next to home.
The school has actively worked with local artists, and with organisations such as the Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation (HKYAF), in order to get connected to the local art scene.
HKYAF founder Lindsey McAlister says she is happy that art provides a platform for students and teachers of different backgrounds to come together. The HKYAF has been organising workshops and art events for young people and teachers for the past 24 years, including Arts in the Park, an annual event which attracted almost 40 UK and local professional artists, and over 3,500 students from various schools, in 2015.
“You can never be wrong in art. There are so many areas in life you can be wrong in, but arts and creativity are not among them,” says McAlister.
“Kids are just so liberated by those words. You can’t be wrong when you contribute openly and honestly with an open heart and open mind. It is very compelling to keep getting involved in the arts because, in school, most of the classes will tell you what answers are right or wrong. The skills you pick up in the arts are also for life. In the performing arts, for example, you pick up verbal and non-verbal communication skills, not to mention leadership, team-building, and lots more.”
While emphasising that educators and parents have come a long way in recognising the importance of the arts, McAlister challenges them to take a step further and resist the temptation to try to quantify artistic achievements with examination after examination.
“Personally, I don’t think it is necessary to have examinations in the arts apart from certain art forms,” she says. “By having an examination where it is not necessary, you are pitting children against one another again. And extra classes to prepare for exams can be ridiculously expensive, putting more pressure on the children to ‘do well’.
“I am interested in a young person being the best they can be, and they are achieving their full potential through being involved in an art project.
“Hong Kong kids are really awesome when given the opportunity and structured freedom, so that they get the tools they need to express themselves.”


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