Hong Kong Arts Centre (HKAC; ) is a non-profit arts institution and

art museum An art museum or art gallery is a building or space for the display of art, usually from the museum's own collection. It might be in public or private ownership and may be accessible to all or have restrictions in place. Although primarily co ...

established in 1977. It promotes contemporary performing arts, visual arts, film and video arts. It also provides arts education. Its rival is the government-managed Hong Kong Museum of Art. These two museums are considered to be the top two art museums in Hong Kong that dictate the discourse of art in Hong Kong. The centre comprises presentation spaces and venues including galleries, theatres, a cinema, classrooms, studios, restaurant and offices. It also includes

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable ...

, photography, ceramics, illustrations, and sound and visual installations.

History

During the late 1960s, the

City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

was the only venue for contemporary arts in

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...

. In 1968, local art associations and groups petitioned the

Hong Kong government The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, commonly known as the Hong Kong Government or HKSAR Government, refers to the executive authorities of Hong Kong SAR. It was formed on 1 July 1997 in accordance with the Sino- ...

for a piece of land on which to build an arts centre. S. F. Bailey, the secretary general of the University Grants Committee, led the campaign. In June 1971, a piece of reclaimed land near Gloucester Road in

Wan Chai Wan Chai is situated at the western part of the Wan Chai District on the northern shore of Hong Kong Island, in Hong Kong. Its other boundaries are Canal Road to the east, Arsenal Street to the west and Bowen Road to the south. The area n ...

was successfully obtained after years of negotiation. When only half of the required $28 million had been raised, construction was halted and was not resumed until Hong Kong Governor Sir

Murray MacLehose Crawford Murray MacLehose, Baron MacLehose of Beoch, (; 16 October 1917 – 27 May 2000), was a British politician, diplomat and the 25th Governor of Hong Kong, from 1971 to 1982. He was the longest-serving governor of the colony, with fou ...

facilitated loans using a government warrant. Li Choh-ming, the first vice-chancellor of the

Chinese University of Hong Kong The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) is a public research university in Ma Liu Shui, Hong Kong, formally established in 1963 by a charter granted by the Legislative Council of Hong Kong. It is the territory's second-oldest university and ...

, was the first chairman of the Arts Centre, Sir

Run Run Shaw Sir Run Run Shaw (19 November 1907 – 7 January 2014), also known as Shao Yifu and Siu Yat-fu, was a Hong Kong entertainment mogul and philanthropist. He was one of the most influential figures in the Asian entertainment industry. He founde ...

was the first vice-chairman, and Neil Duncan was the first general manager. The Hong Kong Arts Centre was inaugurated by the governor on 14 October 1977.

Venues

* Louis Koo Cinema The Louis Koo Cinema is equipped for film screenings, and suitable for seminars, recitals, ceremonies and press conferences. The venue's capacity is 119.

* McAulay Studio The McAulay Studio has movable seating. It is used for small-scale drama performances and workshops. The seating capacity is 76 – 100. Shouson Theatre, HKAC

* Shouson Theatre The Shouson Theatre has seats arranged at the stall and the circle. The venue is used for large-scale drama and dance performances, concerts, film shows and seminars. The seating capacity for drama is 439 (Stall – 260, Circle – 179); for film screenings is 425 (Stall – 246, Circle – 179) * Goethe Institute The Goethe Institute is a German Cultural Institute that provides language courses and cultural exhibits.

* Pao Galleries The split-level exhibition gallery houses exhibitions of art and crafts all year round. Experimental Gallery, HKAC

* Experimental Gallery (3/F) JCAtrium

* Jockey Club Atrium (G-3/F) * HKAC Art Shop (G/F)

Hong Kong Art School

Hong Kong Art School (HKAS) was officially established as a division of the Hong Kong Arts Centre. The school is an accredited institute. The programmes offered by the school focus on four core academic areas that include Fine Art, Applied Art, Media Art and Drama Education. Its academic levels include Foundation Diploma, Higher Diploma, Bachelor's degree, and master's degree. It has a campus site in Shau Kei Wan and additional studio space at the

Jockey Club Creative Arts Centre The Jockey Club Creative Arts Centre (JCCAC; ) is a multi-disciplinary arts centre in Shek Kip Mei, Hong Kong, housed in a converted nine-storey factory estate. JCCAC was established through the co-operation of the Hong Kong Arts Development ...

in Shek Kip Mei.

Programmes organized by the Hong Kong Arts Centre

* Public Art Hong Kong (PAHK) * ifva: Incubator for Film and Visual media in Asia * Street Music Series * Art of Commercials * AFI Project 20/20 * A Lean Night * Community projects e.g. Go Green Competition

Publication

ArtsLink ArtsLink is a publication featuring programmes and activities held at the centre. It is published in the last week of each month. ArtsLink is available for free at more than 150 locations and provides information about exhibition events, film programmes, theatre performances, and courses of the Arts Centre and the Hong Kong Art School.

Support for other Arts organizations

The Arts with the Disabled Association (ADA) Hong Kong ADA was formed as a non-government organization in 1986. The association provides equal opportunity for persons with disabilities to have access to, participate in and enjoy the arts, and works with the general public to promote integration and inclusion in society through the arts. Art in Hospitals (AIH) AIH was established In 1994, under financial, administrative and office rental support of the center, and was registered as a non-profit making charitable organization in 2003. Aesthetic Education Programme The programme was founded in 2001 by the Hong Kong Arts Centre's Art School, based on the model of aesthetic education that is practiced at the Lincoln Center Institute (LCI), New York, bringing art to primary and secondary schools. Theatre Ensemble Theatre Ensemble uses the centre as the home base for its theatre programmes presentation, it is a pilot scheme launched by HKAC since 2004. The centre also helped the ensemble run an artistic concept “PIP”(Pleasure In Play), conducting drama workshops.

References

{{Authority control Arts centres in Hong Kong Wan Chai Art schools in Hong Kong 1977 establishments in Hong Kong Non-profit organisations based in Hong Kong