- Video recording and photography will be conducted by Weiwuying strictly for the purposes of documentation, cultural promotion, and non-profit use. Participants are required to sign the Portrait Right Agreement to consent to the use of their likeness.
- The National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying) reserves the right to alter the program. For updated information, please check on the Weiwuying website.
[2025 Arts Engagement Forum & Workshop] Forum
Six speakers from the US, the UK, South Korea, and Hong Kong and up to 12 others from Taiwanese arts venues, performance groups, and the art/culture sector will explore over five topics engagement practices, discuss participation by young people and seniors, look at how art connects to contemporary society to create impact, and honor teaching artists who make the effort to engage the public outside of theater venues. Then, we will discuss how to evaluate the invisible influence of the arts in society.
Registrationa Information
Open to:
educational program administrators from performing arts centers and performance groups, performing arts instructors/school educators, artists, students studying in departments related to the arts, those working with communities, and anyone else interested in arts education and engagement.
Fee:
NT$600 per day or NT$1,000 for two days (includes lunch, snacks, and Mandarin-English simultaneous interpreting).
Registration:
Application on the online system Accupass will be available from December 16, 2024, to January 19, 2025. Those selected will be notified on January 24, 2025.
DAY 1
Monday, February 24, 2025, 10:00-17:40 Weiwuying Recital Hall
Topic 1 Arts Education Programs and Policies
For the first topic, representatives from overseas performing arts centers and organizations will explore the current state of arts education and engagement. Venues in the US and the UK are not only concerned with programs but also influencing society. This year, we have invited representatives from the National Theatre, the Kennedy Center, and the Korea Arts & Culture Education Service (KACES) to share how they are doing in this area. In 2005, South Korea established KACES to drive arts education at schools and in communities to help the public become more culturally literate. The Kennedy Center’s education program has received generous support from the US Department of Education and worked hard on providing people of all ages with powerful arts education events. The National Theatre receives stable funding from the Arts Council England, through which it actively drives arts participation at schools, with young people, and in communities.
Topic 2 Creative Youth
It has been shown time and again that taking part in art creation/experiences assists young people with cultivating proactivity and self-expression, and it also helps them explore themselves, establish emotional connections, and foster a sense of social responsibility. Many national arts centers, such as Weiwuying, the Kennedy Center, and the National Theatre, view their students (including young people) as their main target of education. In recent years, South Korea’s KACES has also placed emphasis on arts participation by young people. In Taiwan, the Teenager Performing Arts League is the most active organization with the longest history in this aspect, and in recent years, it has worked with schools to help young people in special circumstances get back to a state of healthy growth. The Grasstraw Festival, an international event put on by the Taiwanese group Our Theatre, evolved from a drama camp for young people. For this topic, the speakers will share about arts participation programs for young people, their strategic visions, and changes that have been brought about.
DAY 2
Tuesday, February 25, 2025, 10:00-17:40 Weiwuying Recital Hall
After the closing ceremony, come to our mixer at the East Crown Terrace! (Sign up for a fee.)
Topic 3 The Role of Teaching Artists and Social Impact
In his book Making Change: Teaching Artists and Their Role in Shaping a Better World, renowned American teaching artist Eric Booth advocates how art can inspire creativity and empathy, in turn promoting personal growth, social change, and initiative toward making the world better. For this topic, he will share about his arts participation programs and programs he has seen around the world. Other speakers will discuss case studies on transforming art into action for society and environmental recovery in different settings in Taiwan, including Dr. Rednose, who brings smiles to kids in hospitals; Polar Light Percussion Group, who give a stage to kids with physical and psychological disabilities; Assignment Theatre, who go to communities where recovery is needed and to reform schools; and EDEN Engagement, a project that spreads the seeds of sustainability on international tours.
Topic 4 Creative Aging
In 2025, Taiwan will become a super-aged society. Art can offer seniors extraordinary experiences and even serve as a prescription to combat aging. Many places around the globe are advocating social prescribing, which applies art, culture, and sports to psychological health, chronic illness treatment, and relieving social isolation. The School of Dance at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts helps people with Parkinson’s disease respond to their physical challenges through dance.
In Taiwan, musician Chen Mei-chun teaches seniors about tempo, helps boost their attention span through percussion, and works with medical care institutions on related research. In 2022, the dance troupe HORSE taught 64 seniors in the workshop FreeSteps—Swinging Years to dance and then perform on stage at Weiwuying, giving them a second taste of youth and allowing them to make an unfulfilled dream come true. Through such activities, seniors make close bonds with new friends as they strive toward a shared goal. Since 2016, the National Theater and Concert Hall (NTCH) has focused on issues related to active aging. Starting in 2022, it infused youthful energy into this initiative by officially launching the Intergenerational Co-Creation Project. Creative aging advocate Chou Hsuan-ni will begin this topic by sharing her experiences in the field.
Topic 5 Arts Impact Research and Evaluation
While promoting arts education, evaluating and quantifying its impact is important as a reference for future strategy and figuring out how to best allocate resources. For instance, International Teaching Artist Collaborative (ITAC) member and American mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato’s EDEN Engagement conducted evaluations of their workshops and numbers of participants. The point is to verify that an event is not just a cultural expression but also has social, economic, and personal impacts. An effective evaluation helps optimize resource allocation and enhances the long-term influence and sustainable development of art. For this topic, speakers from several overseas organizations will share their evaluation strategies.
[2025 Arts Engagement Forum & Workshop] Forum
Six speakers from the US, the UK, South Korea, and Hong Kong and up to 12 others from Taiwanese arts venues, performance groups, and the art/culture sector will explore over five topics engagement practices, discuss participation by young people and seniors, look at how art connects to contemporary society to create impact, and honor teaching artists who make the effort to engage the public outside of theater venues. Then, we will discuss how to evaluate the invisible influence of the arts in society.
Registrationa Information
Open to:
educational program administrators from performing arts centers and performance groups, performing arts instructors/school educators, artists, students studying in departments related to the arts, those working with communities, and anyone else interested in arts education and engagement.
Fee:
NT$600 per day or NT$1,000 for two days (includes lunch, snacks, and Mandarin-English simultaneous interpreting).
Registration:
Application on the online system Accupass will be available from December 16, 2024, to January 19, 2025. Those selected will be notified on January 24, 2025.
DAY 1
Monday, February 24, 2025, 10:00-17:40 Weiwuying Recital Hall
Topic 1 Arts Education Programs and Policies
For the first topic, representatives from overseas performing arts centers and organizations will explore the current state of arts education and engagement. Venues in the US and the UK are not only concerned with programs but also influencing society. This year, we have invited representatives from the National Theatre, the Kennedy Center, and the Korea Arts & Culture Education Service (KACES) to share how they are doing in this area. In 2005, South Korea established KACES to drive arts education at schools and in communities to help the public become more culturally literate. The Kennedy Center’s education program has received generous support from the US Department of Education and worked hard on providing people of all ages with powerful arts education events. The National Theatre receives stable funding from the Arts Council England, through which it actively drives arts participation at schools, with young people, and in communities.
Topic 2 Creative Youth
It has been shown time and again that taking part in art creation/experiences assists young people with cultivating proactivity and self-expression, and it also helps them explore themselves, establish emotional connections, and foster a sense of social responsibility. Many national arts centers, such as Weiwuying, the Kennedy Center, and the National Theatre, view their students (including young people) as their main target of education. In recent years, South Korea’s KACES has also placed emphasis on arts participation by young people. In Taiwan, the Teenager Performing Arts League is the most active organization with the longest history in this aspect, and in recent years, it has worked with schools to help young people in special circumstances get back to a state of healthy growth. The Grasstraw Festival, an international event put on by the Taiwanese group Our Theatre, evolved from a drama camp for young people. For this topic, the speakers will share about arts participation programs for young people, their strategic visions, and changes that have been brought about.
DAY 2
Tuesday, February 25, 2025, 10:00-17:40 Weiwuying Recital Hall
After the closing ceremony, come to our mixer at the East Crown Terrace! (Sign up for a fee.)
Topic 3 The Role of Teaching Artists and Social Impact
In his book Making Change: Teaching Artists and Their Role in Shaping a Better World, renowned American teaching artist Eric Booth advocates how art can inspire creativity and empathy, in turn promoting personal growth, social change, and initiative toward making the world better. For this topic, he will share about his arts participation programs and programs he has seen around the world. Other speakers will discuss case studies on transforming art into action for society and environmental recovery in different settings in Taiwan, including Dr. Rednose, who brings smiles to kids in hospitals; Polar Light Percussion Group, who give a stage to kids with physical and psychological disabilities; Assignment Theatre, who go to communities where recovery is needed and to reform schools; and EDEN Engagement, a project that spreads the seeds of sustainability on international tours.
Topic 4 Creative Aging
In 2025, Taiwan will become a super-aged society. Art can offer seniors extraordinary experiences and even serve as a prescription to combat aging. Many places around the globe are advocating social prescribing, which applies art, culture, and sports to psychological health, chronic illness treatment, and relieving social isolation. The School of Dance at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts helps people with Parkinson’s disease respond to their physical challenges through dance.
In Taiwan, musician Chen Mei-chun teaches seniors about tempo, helps boost their attention span through percussion, and works with medical care institutions on related research. In 2022, the dance troupe HORSE taught 64 seniors in the workshop FreeSteps—Swinging Years to dance and then perform on stage at Weiwuying, giving them a second taste of youth and allowing them to make an unfulfilled dream come true. Through such activities, seniors make close bonds with new friends as they strive toward a shared goal. Since 2016, the National Theater and Concert Hall (NTCH) has focused on issues related to active aging. Starting in 2022, it infused youthful energy into this initiative by officially launching the Intergenerational Co-Creation Project. Creative aging advocate Chou Hsuan-ni will begin this topic by sharing her experiences in the field.
Topic 5 Arts Impact Research and Evaluation
While promoting arts education, evaluating and quantifying its impact is important as a reference for future strategy and figuring out how to best allocate resources. For instance, International Teaching Artist Collaborative (ITAC) member and American mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato’s EDEN Engagement conducted evaluations of their workshops and numbers of participants. The point is to verify that an event is not just a cultural expression but also has social, economic, and personal impacts. An effective evaluation helps optimize resource allocation and enhances the long-term influence and sustainable development of art. For this topic, speakers from several overseas organizations will share their evaluation strategies.
- Video recording and photography will be conducted by Weiwuying strictly for the purposes of documentation, cultural promotion, and non-profit use. Participants are required to sign the Portrait Right Agreement to consent to the use of their likeness.
- The National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying) reserves the right to alter the program. For updated information, please check on the Weiwuying website.
