Characteristics: Thoughts and Practices on the Internationalization of the China Academy of Art

Anthology Ed. – Xiu JiangChina Academy of Art Press, Hangzhou China

An Identity-Based Approach to Graduate Art Education: The International Master of Fine Arts Program at the China Academy of Fine Arts

February 2020

Three years ago, a radical new graduate program was established by China Academy of Art,
in Hangzhou. Its purpose was to address the increasing need to educate young artists to the realities of a rapidly emerging global culture and an art world which increasingly reflects changing economic, social and ideological realities. The International Master of Fine Arts in Contemporary Art, is a new graduate degree program that offers a three-year intensive experience in contemporary cross-cultural approaches to art and the search for a new level of connection between art, culture and identity. Students from all over the world are selected based on academic and artistic achievement. Each is fully funded by the Chinese government through a state scholarship program for foreign students. All classes are taught in English, or in Chinese with English translation, with an emphasis of cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary studio practice. Students learn to develop their own art work taking advantage of the best of both Chinese and Western approaches to education. They learn to be artists by examining their own identities and cultural traditions.

The China Academy of Art (CAA), in Hangzhou has long been at the forefront of innovation in
the education of emerging artists. Throughout the 20th Century, CAA has been a great force for innovation and excellence in the education of artists throughout China. The mid-century leaders of the school Lin Fengmian, Pan Tianshou and Fang Ganmin were among China’s greatest pioneers for cross-cultural education. Lin Fengmian was the first President of CAA in 1928 and, like his colleague Fang Ganmin, had studied at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Paris, in France. Their legacy of cross-cultural approaches to art-making remain today as an important cornerstone of CAA’s tradition of innovation and progressive approaches to international art.

In the 21st century, CAA has pioneered new partnerships with European and American art colleges as well as taking a leadership role in contemporary art within China. In 2003, CAA held
a landmark conference on cross-cultural approaches to art attended by major figures in the art community throughout the world, entitled Edges of the Earth—Migration of Contemporary Art and Geopolitics of Asia. The international dialogue that took place at this major event was a turning point in CAA’s already substantial record of developing connections with Western art colleges
and art communities. At that time, China was still emerging as a major influence in international contemporary art. Within five years – by 2008 – it had arrived as an important contributor to the contemporary art scene. The sudden emergence and international prominence of artists
such as Cai Guoqiang, Huang Yongping, Zhang Peili, GuWenda, Wushan zhuan, Liu Xiao Dong, Fang Lijun, Qiu Zhijie, Yang Fudong, and even the controversial Ai Wei Wei, have all firmly established China as an integral part of the international art world. Many of these artists are alumni of CAA – all have built their careers at a time when ‘Identity Art’ has become the major ‘trope’ in contemporary art. Each has gained world-wide recognition based on art work which explores the nature of cultural identity – being Chinese in the aftermath of China’s relatively recent revolutionary history and contributing to its ascendance as a world leader in culture as well as economics and technology.

当代中国艺术家与其他当代艺术创新者们不 再囿于那些欧洲中心的形式主义、技术技巧、学 术研究。他们对身份本身的探究令世人眼前一亮， 在一个日益互相依存、跨越文化、去中心化的世 界里，为艺术和意义赋予新话语。最伟大的艺术 家们研究的是自身在当今世界的文化体验及它们 对意义与联系的影响。虽然全球仍不乏诸多传统 艺术实践，但一个正在崛起的国际化艺术世界反 映出的文化现实已无关任何一种具体的艺术实践。 因此，正是艺术家对历史、社会互动的感知，以 及对各种人类奋斗的反应，形成了他们各自艺术 创作与职业发展的方式。

十年前，新的“世界文化”出现，人们认为 艺术家的培养也应该以更新、更开放地模式展开。 作为对这一看法的回应，中国美术学院开始酝酿 国际美术硕士学位项目。国美举办的地之缘:亚 洲当代艺术的迁徙与地缘政治，吸引了世界各地 一流的艺术家与艺术教育家前来参加各个分论坛， 探讨艺术与文化身份。在其中的一个分论坛上， 土耳其艺术家 BedriBaykam 意味深长地问道:“为 什么我必须成为‘另一个’?为什么我们不能成为彼 此的那一个?”这些艺术家与教育家们一致认为， 面对文化意识较强的艺术家，我们必须要开发新 的培养模式。会议也向大家呈现了当时刚刚完成 翻新的国美南山校区。毫无疑问，国美正引领一 场关于新千年国际化艺术与教育的重要探讨。

中国美术学院院长许江已领衔撰文，阐述重 新审视当代艺术边界与国界的必要性。国美校友 美籍华人艺术家任敏 , 以及由来自国美与美国的 知名教育家、艺术家、学者组成的师资顾问团队， 与许江院长一道开发了新的课程模式，重新思考 艺术与创新过程的定义。中国当代艺术全英文授 课硕士项目将吸引来自世界各地的年轻艺术家， 他们会面对一个“异域”环境，迎接挑战，直面 并重估自己的文化、种族、民族身份，形成个性 化的创作策略，引领着他们创造出一系列原汁原 味又有国际化意义的作品。该项目以跨学科性为 出发点，文化融合性为落脚点。学生既能在国美 校园感受顶尖艺术家与学者的熏陶，也会通过线 上课程、短期“现场”强化课程与海外教师交流。

项目充分利用中国美术学院的海量优质资源， 旨在融合当代艺术与历史、技术和哲学的学习、 以及跨学科工作室式实践。学生将在国美校园拥 有独立的工作空间，也可以使用所有工作室学科 的技术设备。他们还将接受中国语言文化强化培 训，内容包括哲学、艺术史、书法、各种传统媒 介的工作室实践。学生最终需要撰写总结性论文， 以学术论文的形式，运用国际艺术批评理论探讨 自己的创作。项目采用“师徒制”，学生全程会 获得教师指导，直至创作出成熟、充分的工作室 作品，能达到艺术创新、质量与承诺的国际标准。 项目的最终目标是培养具备新“文化能力”的艺 术家。与传统项目毕业生相比，该项目毕业生在 进入国际艺术领域时，应有更广的涉猎，更强的 文化意识与自省能力，与更开阔的世界观。 他们 将探索与文化身份、工作室实践相关的问题，并 获得一流国际艺术院校的认可。他们会对自己的 创作有新的认识，会像中国古代文人一样修心养 性，这也是中国传统艺术对当代世界的深刻影响 之一。该项目的愿景是扩展艺术专业教育的教学 边界，融合文化身份与自我意识，为学生创作出 重要、有意义、有影响力的作品奠定基础。

Contemporary Chinese artists and other innovators in the contemporary art world are no longer basing their work on Eurocentric formalism, technical skill or academic study alone. It is the search for identity itself that has captured the world’s imagination and brought new perspectives on art and meaning in a world which has grown increasingly interdependent, cross-cultural and de-centralized. Our greatest artists have explored their own experience of culture and its effect

on meaning and relevance in the contemporary world. While there are still strong traditional practices associated with art throughout the world, the emerging international art world reflects cultural realities that are no longer related to a specific kind of artistic practice. Instead, it is the artists’ experience of history, social interaction and response to many kinds of human struggle that informs their approach to art-making and professional achievement.

The International MFA program (IMFA) at the China Academy of Art was first conceived more than a decade ago in response to the perception that the emergence of a new ‘world-culture’ was suggesting that artists would need to be educated in new and more open ways. The China Academy’s international conference ‘Edges of the Earth’ was attended by many leading figures
in art and art education from around the world. An important dialogue about art and cultural identity emerged from the numerous panel discussions and workshops that were included in the conference. In one of these panel discussions, Turkish artist, Bedri Baykam asked rhetorically, “Why do I always have to be ‘the other? Why can’t we just be ‘each other?” Artists and educators came together in their agreement that a new model for educating artists who were more culturally aware was essential - inevitable. The conference was also a showcase for the newly completed renovation of the Nan Shan campus. It was clear that CAA was leading an important discussion about the nature of international art and education in the new millennium.

CAA President Xiu Jiang who had already written about the need to re-examine boundaries and borders in contemporary art, joined with Chinese-American artist and CAA alumnus Ren Ming, as well as a team of advisory faculty - distinguished educators, artists and scholars from CAA and the United States - to develop a model for a new curriculum that would reconsider existing notions of art and the creative process. The new International MFA program would be an international community of young artists who were intentionally placed in a ‘foreign’ environment where they would be challenged to confront and re-evaluate their cultural, ethnic and national identities. They would be challenged to develop individual creative strategies that would lead them to

a body of truly authentic and internationally relevant artwork. The program was conceived as being inter-disciplinary, as well as being culturally integrative. Students would be taught by a group leading artists and scholars on the CAA campus as well as through on-line, and short-term intensive ‘live’ classes with overseas faculty.

The IMFA program was designed to integrate contemporary arts, academic study – history, technology and philosophy and interdisciplinary studio-based practice using the extensive resources available at CAA. Students would come from around the world but classes would be taught in English, or in Chinese with English translation. IMFA students would receive individual work space on the CAA campus and access to technical facilities in all studio disciplines at the Academy. Students would also receive intensive training in Chinese culture and language – including philosophy, art history, calligraphy, and studio practice in a variety of traditional media. The students would write a summative thesis integrating their artwork into a formal academic paper exploring and discussing the connection between their own work and the larger aspects of international arts critical theory. They would work under the direction of a ‘Master Tutorwho would guide each student through the process of creating a mature and fully informed
body of studio artwork which meets international standards for artistic innovation, quality and commitment. The ultimate goal of the program was the education and development of artists who were capable of a new level of ‘cultural competence’. Graduates would join the international arts community with far greater range and cultural awareness, introspection and an expanded weltanschauung than traditionally trained graduate students. They would explore issues of cultural identity, studio practice, as well as gaining the imprimatur of a top quality international art college. They would gain a new perspective on their own individual artwork, as a form of ‘self-cultivation’ – emulating the ‘wen ren’ – literati artists of ancient China -- a primary aspect

of Chinese traditional art which seems to have profound implications for the contemporary world. The IMFA vision was to help expand the pedagogy of professional education in the arts to integrate cultural identity and self-awareness as the foundation of students’ creation of relevant, meaningful and engaging artwork.

中国美术学院在几十年前就开始招收国际留 学生。这些学生必须先学习中文，再进入各自专 业学习。对他们而言，专业学习是重头戏——中 国艺术，建筑，互联网媒体，油画，雕塑，设计， 等等。他们需要参加传统的以学科为基础的课程。 国际学术团体与国美国际学院为这一新项目提供 关键资源与支持——尝试探索国美如何能更好地 在不断发展的世界艺术舞台上发光发热。

2017 年秋，项目的第一批学生抵达杭州。这 十位学生来自美国，加拿大，俄罗斯和印度，当 时他们并不完全清楚自己要学习什么。2018 年秋， 第二批学生来到了国美。他们来自美国，法国， 德国。国美根据他们的学历背景与艺术作品情况 决定录取他们。他们主要来自美国的艺术学习和 大学艺术专业，包括罗德岛设计学院，莱斯利大学， 波士顿艺术博物馆附设学院，波士顿大学，北卡 罗来纳大学。入学前，三位学生是画家，一位是 陶塑家，一位是版画家，五位是具备绘画基础的 电子文本 / 叙事多媒体艺术家。其中一位是电子 音乐作曲家和装饰艺术家，打算在跨媒体学院工 作。十位学生在来到中国前就知道该项目还在发 展成熟中，他们都愿意成为“小白鼠”。

这批学生中，三位是美籍华人，一位是美籍 墨西哥人，一位印度人，一位俄罗斯人，其他几 位均为美籍欧洲后裔。他们都愿意接下来的一年 里与项目一起探险与实验。所有学生都得到全额 奖学金资助，涵盖了他们在三年学习期间的所有 学费与生活费。

项目在诸多方面取得了出人意料的成功。作 为一个崭新又特别的学术项目，它能如此平稳地 度过前两年，令人惊叹。该项目的学生们很快形 成了一个紧密团体，共同迎接创作挑战，互帮互助。 虽然他们保持了作为中国当代艺术全英文授课硕 士项目学生的独立身份(经常被戏称为国美的“美 国办”)，但也很快融入了留学生团体。一开始， 学生们的中文交流能力有限，导致他们使用各类 技术设备时遇到了一些困难。此外，该项目在运 行之初是由国美的跨媒体学院负责管理。但一年 后，出于项目运行效率与学术全面发展的考虑， 该项目由原本只在行政上对其进行管理的国际教 育学院接管。原本的管理导致项目局限于单一的 工作室领域，即便是相对更具实验性的跨媒体系 , 也限制了学生涉猎更广泛媒介与艺术体裁的脚步。

The China Academy had enrolled international students for decades. These students were required first to learn Chinese, and then to enter one of the many study areas within the Academy. For these students, the academic major was the primary emphasis – Chinese Art, Architecture, Inter-Media, Oil Painting, Sculpture, Design, etc. For

these students, a more traditional ‘discipline-based’ curriculum was required. The international student community and the CAA International College were envisioned as offering essential support and resources for the new IMFA program – an experimental examination of how CAA might better participate in the emerging world art scene.

In Fall 2017 the first entering cohort for the International MFA program arrived in Hangzhou. Ten students from the United States, Canada, Russia and India entered the program, not fully knowing what they were going to do. In Fall 2018 a second cohort was admitted including students from America, France, and Germany. Students were admitted based on their academic credentials and portfolios of artwork – primarily from American art schools and university art programs, including RISD, Lesley College, the Boston Museum School, Boston University and the University of North Carolina system. Of the first entering class, three of the students were primarily painters, one was a ceramic sculptor, one a printmaker, five were drawing-based, digital-text/narrative- multi-media artists. One was an electronic music composer and installation artist who intended to work primarily in the School of Intermedia Studies. All were informed prior to their arrival in China that the program was in its formative stages –they would all be ‘guinea pigs’.

Three of the entering IMFA students were Chinese-American, one was Mexican-American, one was Indian, one Russian; the others were all of European-American descent. They all accepted that this would be a year of adventure and experimentation, for them as well as for the program itself. All students were awarded full scholarships, including housing and expenses, for the entire duration of their three-year academic program.

The program was more successful in many regards than its designers had expected. It has been a surprisingly smooth two years for such a radically innovative and distinctive new academic program. Students have quickly formed a close community of creative challenge and support. They were quickly integrated into the general international student community, though managed to maintain a separate identity as IMFA (meiguo ban – the American Office, as they are teasingly described by others at CAA). Difficulties arose initially about IMFA students’ ability to gain access to various technical facilities without speaking Chinese. Initially, the program was seen as being affiliated with a particular academic area of CAA – initially the School of Intermedia Studies was to have been in charge of the program. It was determined after the first year, however, that the program would be far more efficient and academically well-rounded under the aegis of the International College where it currently resides administratively. Limiting it to a single studio area – even the more experimental Intermedia Department – became a limitation to students’ interest in an even wider range media and artistic genres.

中国当代艺术全英文授课硕士项目以美国数 个优秀的美术硕士研究生学位项目为重要参考， 同时加入较为严格的毕业论文要求，融入中国语 言文化元素。时间是学生充分体验与探索文化身 份的核心元素之一。因此，不同于大部分美国的 美术硕士研究生项目，中国当代艺术全英文授课 硕士项目为期三年而并非两年。学生有更充足的 时间体验中国文化，拥有更广博的工作室经验与 学术体验。中美在专业领域教学法的融合日益见 效。大部分美国美术硕士研究生项目都注重教师 单独指导与教师团队集体建议之间的平衡。此外， 对于大部分美国美术硕士研究生项目而言，社区 挑战与接受也为项目的文化元素注入了活力。中 国当代艺术全英文授课硕士项目非常注重艺术史 与理论课程——即涵盖各类话题的人文课程。自 项目开设至今两年多来，师资团队对项目的课程 大纲、教学进度、课程设置进行了微调。修订、 明确项目的毕业要求也是一个不断改进的过程， 强调了学生中文能力的提升，要求从 2019 年秋 季入学的学生开始，所有毕业生必须通过 HSK3 级考试。此外，项目要求学生撰写并提交学位论文， 项目终审与展出。师徒制的项目完成模式也在反 思传统中式教学的基础上几经调整，传统的类似 项目中，每一位学生配有一名专业教师，教师需 从头到尾指导学生的整个创作过程。这一模式是 学生自我文化与身份探索的重要方面。学生自主 选择导师，中美导师的比例均衡。此外，该项目 还与中央美术学院合作，在第二年要求所有学生 必须参加为期三周的北京游学，这是项目的一大 特色与优势，学生有机会与中国顶尖艺术家交流， 也能直面中国美术最前沿。

总体而言，学生对该项目的反馈良好。招收 的 19 名学生中，五位由于相同原因退学了。他们 对国美或者其他院校传统国际项目所设的专业更 感兴趣，对中国当代艺术全英文授课硕士项目所 强调的一些学术与概念性元素并不热衷。这五位 退学的学生中，虽有两位持有美国护照，但五位 学生均不来自美国。而那些选择继续完成该项目 的学生，他们大多数都对跨学科艺术创作抱有极 大热情，并不想局限于某一单一体裁或媒介。中 文水平有限是所有学生面临的难题——即便是那 些跟着家人学了一些中文的学生。但是，这并不 是导致学生退学的因素。一些选择继续学习的学 生认为，毕业课程里增加了对中文语言文化的要 求，这是必要的。但另一些选择继续学习的学生 却认为这分散了他们学习专业的精力。可想而知， 在过去的两年里，一部分学生努力学习，提高自 己的中文水平，现在已至少具备艺术创作相关的 中文口语与书面表达能力。而另一些学生的中文 水平则亟待提高。此外，工作空间和专业设备(如 陶艺工作室，高质量的数码打印机)的使用仍然 不便利。互联网的通畅性和稳定性不够，一些线 上必修课程的连线会出现问题。中国美术学院国 际教育学院正在解决各种问题，力求该课程项目 的顺利进行。

The academic structure of the IMFA program is based on a composite of several of the most outstanding American MFA degree programs, with the overlay
of a strengthened thesis requirement and the addition of courses in Chinese language and culture. The three-year duration of the program is atypical of most American MFA degrees which generally require only two years of study. The longer duration extends students’ experience with Chinese culture as well as allowing a greater breadth of studio and academic experience. Time itself is an essential factor in students’ ability to come fully to terms with issues of cultural identity on which the program is predicted. It is now becoming a more effective hybrid of American and Chinese tertiary pedagogical approaches. Like most American MFA programs there is a balance between the individual approach of independent tutorial faculty and the more integrative and relational group critique. Like many American MFA programs, the dynamic of community challenge and reception is also a crucial aspect of the program. The IMFA has
an unusually strong requirement of courses in art history and theory – liberal arts courses in a variety of topics. Minor revisions in curriculum, academic schedule and course offerings have been made in the two years since the IMFA program began. Clarification and revision of degree requirements has been an on-going evolutionary process. The emphasis on Chinese language requirement has been clarified to include a new outcome requirement– the successful completion of the HSK-3 examination certifying competence in Chinese language, at the conclusion of the IMFA, for all students entering as of fall 2019. Other outcomes have been further clarified such as the MFA Written Thesis and Final Review
and Exhibition requirements. The structure of the Master Tutorial process has undergone some revision reflecting the traditional Chinese practice of assigning to each student a primary faculty member who essentially supervises all aspects of their students’ progress through the MFA program. This has proven to be a crucial aspect of students’ internal investigation of culture and identity. Tutors are chosen by each student and seem to be equally balanced between American and Chinese faculty. Other additions to the program including a mandatory second-year, three-week residency in Beijing, in conjunction with the Central Academy of Fine Art, have also strengthened and clarified the program. This experience ensures that students have access to some of China’s leading artists and an introduction to the emerging Chinese gallery scene.

Student response to the program has been quite positive overall. Of the nineteen students admitted since the start of the program, five students have withdrawn– all for similar reasons. Each of the students who withdrew were actually more interested in the media-specific approach to graduate study available to the traditional international study programs at CAA or elsewhere. They all seemed to be less interested in the enhanced academic and conceptual dimensions of the IMFA. All of those who have withdrawn from the program, so far, have been from nations other than the United States, though two held American passports. Many, but not all, of those who have enthusiastically elected to remain in
the program are primarily interested in inter-disciplinary artwork rather than staying within a single genre or medium. Language is a major issue for all of
the students – even those who were raised speaking Chinese. It seems, however, not to have been a factor in students’ decision to withdraw form the IMFA.
Some continuing IMFA students support the newly expanded requirement in Chinese language and culture – others see it as a distraction from their primary work in the studio. Predictably, some students have worked extremely hard on developing Chinese language ability and now, after two years, are approaching at least a strong working knowledge of both spoken and written Chinese. Others with less capacity (and interest) in Chinese continue to struggle. Work space
and access to specialized facilities such as ceramic studios, high quality digital printers and printmaking facilities, continues to be a challenge. Access to the Internet is sometimes sporadic and there are technical limitations which continue cause difficulties for the required on-line courses with international faculty. The International College of CAA is addressing these and other issues, crucial to the on-going success of the program.

2018 年秋，随着国际学院的搬迁，课程项目 也从国美南山校区搬至相距约 20 公里处，占地面 积更大的象山校区。学生们很高兴，因为校园更大， 风景更优美了，而且他们能与其他留学生在同一 个校区。当被问及他们对项目的整体感受时，所 有学生虽然对项目的细节有各种意见建议，但他 们一致认为，与参加传统美术硕士研究生项目相 比，自己的文化意识与自我认知得到了极大提升。 尽管他们都不确定自己未来在艺术界的职业路径 如何，但他们一点都不忧虑。整体而言，他们对 于自己在该项目中的体验非常满意，回国后会积 极向身边的朋友推荐。

中国当代艺术全英文授课硕士项目的教师对 学生的艺术成绩总体满意，虽然学生目前水平层 次不齐。一些学生的艺术创作作品已经很成熟， 而另一些学生的创作则尚未合格。第二学年的中 期考核会根据学生艺术创作的决心与创意、学生 的学习成绩，决定学生在项目中的去留。需要指 出的是，该项目尚处于起步阶段，学生们还有一 年多的时间创作出令人满意的佳作。在文化身份 方面，学生们现在更愿意走出去，在中国和亚洲 其他国家到处走走看看，寻求自身艺术创作所需 的中国联系。虽然他们对于未来的职业规划依然 不甚明确，但是他们已经能独立地追寻艺术联结， 在中国或其他地方不断地体验与积累。

中国当代艺术全英文授课硕士项目迄今为止 经验宝贵，但一些不足也不容忽视，如沟通不畅， 排斥孤立等不可避免的问题，都是不同文化背景 的人在磨合交流中会遇到的情况。项目中的每一 位同学与每一位跨文化背景的教师都在不同方面 遇到了这些问题。在项目教师与领导的讨论中， 最有价值的内容是对基于学科的课程设置的探讨。 一些学生在入学之初，以为自己会学习某单一艺 术学科(比如油画)的技术与形式技能，所以他 们现在有些失望。只专注于一个单一学科几乎就 是一项“文化特定性”的实践——油画是欧洲的， 国画是中国的。而混合式媒介——跨学科实践才 更有可能实现文化融合。我们已经发现，当学生 们结合不同媒介，而不只追求单一体裁时，他们 共同创造了跨文化身份。同样道理，我们已经明白， 当代艺术作品只有结合了不同角度，使用不同方 法对待“地点”、“技术”、“关系”与“自然”， 其概念化基础才能真正得到彰显。项目中，那些 最优秀的学生往往是具有实验精神，具备在不同 体裁中自由施展、善用特别材料与方法的那些学 生。他们为自己的创作揉入新的视觉与概念方式， 或许也为他们自己的文化身份赋予了新诠释—— 创建了一个新的艺术世界。

中国当代艺术全英文授课硕士项目还在不断 发展完善。我们需要进行大量深入反思，充分评 估这一艺术人才培养新模式的有效性。中国美术 学院目前开展了数个国际项目，这只是其中之一。 国美与其他艺术院校的各类新老合作关系也为跨 文化教育提供了宝贵参考。这些全新的实验性项 目的有效性亟待探索挖掘。每一学期，国际美术 硕士研究生项目都会不断修改完善项目愿景，评 估每个学生的学习成果。在刚刚兴起的世界文化 中，职业艺术教育应有一席之地。我们的共同目 标就是为实现这一愿景出一份力。国际美术硕士 研究生项目不仅是一个国际合作平台，更是我们 探索艺术人才培养新途径的重要平台。

In the Fall of 2018, the IMFA program was re-located, along with the entire International College, from the CAA Nan Shan campus to the larger Xiang Shan campus, slightly more than 20 kilometers away. Students generally welcome the increased space and verdant, park-like setting of the new campus. They seem to welcome the location of all international students to the same campus. When asked about their overall experience, they all registered complaints about various day-to-day details of the program but had a unanimous perception that their cultural awareness and consequent self-knowledge was far greater than it might have been in a more traditional MFA program. All expressed at least a moderate perception that their artwork had substantially improved since they entered the IMFA program. None was sure about their future career path in the art world, but few indicated any great concern about the issue. Overall, they were satisfied with their experience in the IMFA program. They have been active in recommending the program to their friends back home.

Faculty perception of students’ artistic success and accomplishment is generally positive though there is a perception that student achievement has been uneven. Some students are developing their artwork very well and others are still working at a less than acceptable level. The crucial second-year review will determine whether students should continue in the program based on the resolution and creative ambition of their artwork, and the quality of their academic work within the program. It has been pointed out that the program is still in its early stages and that the students currently enrolled have more than a year to achieve satisfactory results. In terms of cultural identity, one sign of great success has been students’ tendency to travel independently within China and other countries in Asia – to seek out exposure and interaction with Chinese art venues that are suitable to the kinds of artwork they are producing. Despite student ambivalence about career preparation, they seem to be independently seeking out professional connections and are gaining exposure for their work in China and elsewhere.

The lessons learned from the IMFA program have been important. The inevitable issues of mis-communication, alienation and isolation occur as a natural consequence of cultural re-alignment. Certainly these issues have been present in varying ways for each of the IMFA students as well as the cross-cultural faculty who teach in it. One of the most valuable discussions that has occurred among faculty and program leaders is over the issue of discipline-based curricula. Some students who have enrolled with the idea that they will primarily pursue only the technical and formal development of skills associated with a single artistic discipline, e.g. oil painting, have been disappointed. To follow a single discipline is almost necessarily a ‘culture-specific’ practice – oil painting is European, Chinese painting is Chinese. In mixed-media – interdisciplinary practices of one sort or another – cultural fusion seems to be a more likely outcome. We have discovered that students weave together a cross-cultural identity when they combine media rather than pursuing a specific genre. Similarly, we have learned that conceptual foundations

of contemporary art work are most useful when they combine perspectives – and technical approaches to issues of ‘place’, ‘technology’, ‘relationship’ and ‘nature’. The students who have been most successful in the program are those who have shown a sense of experimentation, and a capacity for working in different genres often using unusual materials and approaches. As they synthesize new visual and conceptual approaches to their own artwork, they may be creating a new sense of their own cultural identity – a new art world.

The IMFA is, itself, a work in progress. A great deal of further reflection is needed to fully assess the effects of this new approach to educating artists. CAA has several experimental international programs in place, of which the IMFA is only one. Various nascent and some long standing partnerships with other art colleges have also yielded valuable insights into the nature of cross- cultural education. The effects of these new and experimental programs are yet to be fully understood. Each semester, the IMFA refines and clarifies its vision and assesses educational outcomes for each student. Our collective goal is to be a productive part of a larger inquiry into ways in which tertiary arts education can gain a new cultural relevancy to an emerging world- culture. The IMFA is seen as a platform through which international partnerships and serious investigation of new approaches to teaching art and artists can be achieved.

Michael Grady, 2019 春