CityU’s “Jockey Club Project IDEA” strengthens social inclusion through Arts Tech
A more than HK$17 million donation from The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust is helping City University of Hong Kong (CityU) to run a three-year education project called “Jockey Club Project IDEA”.
This project, which kicked off in July 2022, aims to enhance the literacy and technical skills of secondary school students and teachers to work at the intersection of arts and technology (Arts Tech) for artistic expression and social innovation. The Project will also enhance art accessibility and participation for people with disabilities (PWDs) and promote social inclusion among the young generation and the general public.
“We are deeply grateful to The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust for its unwavering support in boosting the integration of arts and technology,” said Professor Matthew Lee Kwok-on, Vice-President (Development and External Relations). “We currently lack Arts Tech education endeavours that empower learners to apply technology to artistic concepts and use technology as the key vehicle for artistic expression. The project utilises CityU’s strengths in Arts Tech to fill the niche area for training art teachers and provide platforms for cultivating Arts Tech literacy.”
He added that CityU was dedicated to promoting innovation through professional education. He also mentioned that the project’s goal is to foster a robust foundation for the flourishing of Arts Tech in Hong Kong and leverage the creative potential of technology to promote social inclusion.
The project will work with arts and social welfare NGOs to enable three target groups of PWDs to access Arts Tech. The partnering NGOs will share their experiences with students to enhance their understanding of the challenges PWDs face during art making and appreciation. Structural training in Arts Tech will be offered to teachers and students that will equip them with knowledge and skills in different types of media technologies.
“Through this project, we hope to nurture young Arts Tech talent,” said Dr Lam Miu-ling, Associate Professor in the School of Creative Media (SCM) and Project Leader. “Unlike STEM or STEAM education, which primarily focuses on problem-solving skills and science education via experiential learning, our project emphasises the unique role of arts where technology-infused artefacts are created to reflect and inform humanistic values. We believe the project has immense potential to make a positive impact on society.
The project’s first Arts Tech Workshop for Teachers was held at the Run Run Shaw Creative Media Centre in December 2022. Teachers from ten participating secondary schools learned how hybridised aesthetic forms and modern artistic practices are made possible by technology and explored how technology can be integrated into teaching visual arts.
“We hope to benefit students, teachers and PWDs, and reach a wider public through Arts Tech train-the-trainer programmes, workshops, public exhibitions, and sharing sessions in schools and the community,” Dr Lam added.
The project is overseen by the Office of the Vice-President (Development & External Relations) and implemented by a team led by Dr Lam from SCM. Professor Fu Hongbo, Professor in SCM and Dr Zhu Kening, Associate Professor in SCM and Department of Computer Science are the team’s Deputy Project Leaders.