Background of Co-organiser
University Museum and Art Gallery (UMAG) of The University of Hong Kong was founded in 1953 as the Fung Ping Shan Museum. Originally established as the Fung Ping Shan Library of Chinese language publications in 1932 in honour of its benefactor, the building became a museum dedicated to collecting Chinese art when the University’s libraries consolidated. The museum was renamed UMAG in 1994, shortly before its new wing was opened to the public in 1996. It is the oldest continuously operated museum in Hong Kong and over the past sixty years it has built up a diverse collection of ceramics and bronzes dating from the Neolithic period (c. 7000–c. 2100 BCE) to the Qing dynasty (1644–1911), as well as traditional and modern paintings from the Ming (1368–1644) to the twenty-first century.
UMAG regularly hosts exhibitions of contemporary and ancient Chinese and Western art, as well as on early Hong Kong history. The Museum was originally established as a teaching museum and has maintained this commitment to the University through the teaching of Chinese art and museum studies and by encouraging students to broaden their education through the arts. It regularly presents non-exhibition related talks and activities that are open to both the University’s students and the public.
Project Details
The project aims to foster partnership between museums and schools by bringing UMAG into the classroom and home through the Zoom webinar platform. We hope to enable students to experience historic properties by sharing stories of the amazing art collections from the past, present and future of human creativity while maintaining social distancing.
UMAG currently does not have a robust online presence and digital educational initiatives. Therefore, the project will create and develop a dedicated online platform and academic enrichment program to serve primary school students to access valuable resources from the museum collections and exhibitions. Specifically, students will research and create educational materials based on UMAG collections and works from special exhibitions. Students are expected to teach with these materials via the online platform, where technical supports will be provided. PGDE student should build rapport with the target audiences, i.e. primary school students and teachers, and answer enquiries that may arise during each online sessions.
This project is also in response to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4 Quality Education pertaining to these specific targets:
4.2) By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education
4.5) By 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children in vulnerable situations.