Nurturing local artists (Hong Kong)
Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts
Established by law in 1984, HKAPA is a degree-granting institute in Hong Kong offering professional education, training and research facilities in the performing arts and related technical arts. It offers academic programmes from Diploma to Master Degree level in Dance, Drama, Film and Television, Music, Theatre and Entertainment Arts, as well as Chinese Traditional Theatre. Its education philosophy reflects the cultural diversity of Hong Kong with emphasis on Chinese and Western traditions, and interdisciplinary learning.
Every year, HKAPA trains about 750 students for its full time programmes and around 800 students for its junior programmes. Besides, HKAPA set up the Extension and Continuing Education for Life (EXCEL) Programme in 2001, offering part-time personal enrichment courses and in-service professional training on performing arts, theatre and entertainment arts and film and television to the general public, corporate clients and disabled persons of all ages. In 2010/11 academic year, EXCEL Programme provided about 320 courses for over 5 600 students.
The Performing Arts Education Centre is an initiative of HKAPA to strategically embed and systematically coordinate a diversity of educational outreach activities into its programmes with the aim of nourishing young and talented Hong Kong students in preparation for post-secondary and tertiary studies at HKAPA. These include working collaboratively with the Education Bureau to offer two specially designed Applied Learning Courses in drama and dance to students at school since 2005. The Centre has also initiated various community engagement programmes that pursue arts education and social inclusion objectives for the youth in Hong Kong.
In addition, HKAPA runs a Junior Music Programme and a Gifted Young Dancer Programme, which are unique music / dance training programmes specially designed for talented young people in the territory. Successful entrants to the programmes receive technical and artistic training from experienced music / dance teachers in HKAPA.
Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre
The Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre (VAC) under LCSD provides well-equipped studios for trained artists to practise in the fields of sculpture, printmaking and ceramics and facilitate them in their artistic creation in holding different kinds of visual arts activities. VAC runs nine studios, a lecture theatre, an exhibition gallery and two multi-purpose rooms, which are open for hire to artists and art groups. Moreover, VAC often organises various art activities, including workshops, exhibitions, demonstrations, lectures and artist-in-residence programmes for exchange of ideas among artists and fostering of budding artists.
Programmes on visual arts and arts administration run by tertiary institutions
There is a wide range of sub-degree, degree and post-graduate programmes on visual arts and arts administration run by various tertiary institutions such as the University of Hong Kong, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Baptist University and Lingnan University. These programmes provide professional training to students who are passionate about culture and the arts.