As a renowned through-train international education provider to expatriate and local children aged from 6 months to 18 years of age, Yew Chung Yew Wah Education Network (YCYW) is proud and pleased to celebrate its 90th anniversary this year. As one of the multiple celebration highlights, students from kindergarten to secondary levels have collaborated with teachers and the school’s Artists-in-Residence to organize a colorful and meaningful ‘Building a Bright Future for Humanity’ art exhibition.
Instilling art in everyday school life
Featuring an impressive collection of artworks and design pieces, the exhibition held at the Hong Kong Arts Centre at Wan Chai not only celebrates the journey of nurturing innovative minds for the future, but also reflects YCYW’s dedication to cultivating students’ creativity through art education.
Commenting on the art exhibition, Mr Martin Scott, Education Director & Executive Principal at YCIS Hong Kong, says: “It demonstrates to visitors the priority we place on art education as it stimulates students’ curiosity to explore and discover knowledge, get to know the community we live in, and care for the planet we share.”
As Mr Scott explains, the art education journey at YCYW commences with younger students who may start to create from simple experiments with colors, textures and lines, then progressing to storyboards as they grow older. Moving up to primary school, students employ various techniques and gain some understanding behind each element of art. All these explorations of art techniques and concepts prepare senior students for more advanced course work to pursue higher education.
While the exhibition is a vivid demonstration of how art is instilled in everyday school life, it is also a walk down memory lane with a synopsis of the different milestones and achievements of YCYW throughout its 90 illustrious years of history, due, in no small way, to the abundant resources the school has invested in developing students’ talents in various aspects, and to their positive impact on the wider community.
One shining recent example is the establishment of Yew Chung College of Early Childhood Education (YCCECE), a degree-awarding institution born out of Yew Chung Community College (YCCC) in 2018. It is the very first and only specialist tertiary institution on early choldhood education in Hong Kong SAR, Mainland China and perhaps Asia which realises YCYW’s vision of nurturing future generations from infancy to tertiary, also known as the ‘Baby to Bachelor’ cycle.
An extravaganza of creativity
The exhibition features six distinct zones based on different inspirations, techniques and art forms, and are classified into interactive, creative, meditative, conceptual, cultural, and heritage rebirth themes.
The interactive zone is where early childhood and primary artworks are displayed together with a Galaxy interactive drawing area for visitors to draw freely on the floor. The Yew Chung College of Early Childhood Education (YCCECE) students lead art activities in this area. The majority of primary students’ artworks are housed in the creative area.
The meditative area is an area of thought. In the reading corner, children can enjoy their reading time on a cloud-like beanbag, looking up to the sky, and imagining they are flying with their dreams. The mindful rhyme created by the kinetic art pieces allow visitors to dive into the creative world.
Students showcase how they share their conceptual development process through artwork in the conceptual area. Comprising artwork mainly from secondary students, the displays represent an amalgamation of their creativity, knowledge and their thinking abilities and the cultural area captures the impression of Hong Kong streets. The heritage rebirth area exhibits the fashion design items of YCYW’s Art and Design School.
One highlight, for instance, features Chinese Qipao beautifully recreated using Pu-erh tea and rose petal dyes from the Yew Wah Fashion and Design School in Shanghai.
The interactive activities brought on site by Pamela Peck Discovery Space (PPDS), at Yew Chung College of Early Childhood Education (YCCECE), allow children up to the age of 8 and their families to experience how learning through play is actualised.
Students from all year levels have their regular art lessons and work with professional artists to unleash their potential through creating their own art pieces. According to Ms Elisabeth Briel, Artist-in-Residence of YCYW, they play a catalytic role in stimulating students’ creativity. They may, for example, use the floor to create prints. This year, they have also brought a paper machine to the studio at YCYW, for students to make paper from recycled materials.
“Students learn to express their thoughts, ideas and emotions through their artwork,” she says. “And in the process, they also learn to communicate and collaborate with others, as well as sharpening their research skills to gain insights on their artwork topics.”
90th anniversary celebrations galore
Apart from the art exhibition, a fascinating array of events are in place to celebrate this 90th year milestone, including Founders Day, Musical: Mother’s Legacy, Christmas concert, and next year, the Guinness record setting challenge, followed by the 90th anniversary celebration and gala dinner, and concluding with the 90th anniversary concert.
Meanwhile, YCCECE has also organised a number of initiatives, including the ECE conference, and a Teacher Student Book Series. A coffee table book will be published which showcases the evolution and accomplishments of Yew Chung Yew Wah Education network over that time.
YCYW is an unrivalled network of schools across 12 international cities including Hong Kong SAR, Mainland China, Somerset in the UK and Silicon Valley in the US, offering quality international education since 1932.
Learn more: https://www.ycyw-edu.com/
