2007-09-07

Launching of Through Our Eyes – China Pilot Programme 2007 in China,
organised by The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation,
and supported by Zhaoqing University and
the Education Bureau of Gaoyao City

Following the Hong Kong success of its visual arts education programme Through Our Eyes, The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation, is bringing the programme to mainland China this July.

Since its establishment in 2005 in Hong Kong, Through Our Eyes has received enthusiastic support from education and arts & culture sectors in Hong Kong, as well as local and overseas media. In order to extend its positive influence on the cultivation of our younger generation, The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation has joined hands with Zhaoqing University and the Education Bureau of the Gaoyao Province to launch Through Our Eyes – China Pilot Programme 2007 in Zhaoqing this July. This programme aims to bring out and nurture the innate creative and co-operative spirit in every young person through photography and creative writing.

The programme also acts as a valuable bridge for arts and cultural exchange among mainland China, Hong Kong and overseas. With more than six months of preparation work, it is dedicated to providing mainland teachers and arts students with an exceptional learning experience, employing photography and creative writing as educational tools and fostering cross-cultural understanding.

The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation has invited two workshop facilitators, Julia Winckler, photographer and lecturer from the University of Brighton, and Mimi Lok, writer and lecturer from San Francisco State University, to work with twelve teaching artists from Hong Kong to conduct workshops at Gaoyao. With Zhaoqing University as the strategic partner for Through Our Eyes – China Pilot Programme 2007, the programme will be conducted in three parts, namely a two-day teaching assistant workshop for art students in Zhaoqing University, a one-day workshop for local secondary school art teachers and a two-week workshop for around one hundred local students (F.1-F.3). With the guidance of the Hong Kong teaching artists and Zhaoqing University teaching assistants, students will explore issues of identity, the environment, community and cultural heritage through photography and creative writing. The Foundation also hopes to promote interpersonal cooperation and broaden the students’ horizons through interactive, cross-disciplinary learning.

Each teacher and student will receive a certificate of appreciation co-issued by Zhaoqing University and The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation upon the conclusion of the workshop. A selection of outstanding artworks will be showcased on the official Through Our Eyes website and in the Through Our Eyes print publication.

About The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation
With roots deep in Chinese culture, The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation was established in Hong Kong with a mission to foster and support Chinese arts and culture, in particular arts education and cross-cultural understanding between China and the world. A second mission is to promote deeper understanding of the teachings of the Buddha. Underlying the Foundation’s philosophy is a strong belief in the importance of educating the whole person and cultivating mutual understanding among people, thus benefiting the growth of the individual and the society. With this mission, The Foundation has developed and supported innovative programmes such as the groundbreaking international partnership project between the Palace Museum in Beijing and the British Museum called Britain Meets the World: 1714-1830, held at the Palace Museum. In order to revive and promote Kunqu, The Foundation has worked with the renowned Chinese writer Pai Hsien-yung to organise performance tours of the modernised version of the classic Kunqu opera The Peony Pavilion. In support of young talents, The Foundation offers The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Orchestral Fellowships which annually offers ten internship placements with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra for outstanding young musicians from Hong Kong and Mainland China and The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Scholarships for Outstanding Merit which annually offers six full scholarships for talented full-time students at the School of Music of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.

About Through Our Eyes
The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation initiated the visual arts education programme Through Our Eyes in 2005 to inspire Hong Kong youth to find their authentic voices through photography and creative writing. The programme has since attracted hundreds of teenage participants and received acclaim from the public, education, arts and culture sectors, as well as local and overseas media. Student work from this programme has been shared with the community in public exhibitions, such as last year’s groundbreaking installantion projection event Wanchai In A Different Light. A collection of all the artworks from the first Through Our Eyes: A Photographic View of Hong Kong by its Youth, is now available in bookstores in Hong Kong.

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