Museums
The seven major museums managed by the Department are the Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong Museum of History, Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence, Hong Kong Science Museum, Hong Kong Space Museum, Hong Kong Heritage Museum and Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum. These museums acquire, conserve, research, exhibit and interpret Hong Kong's tangible and intangible cultural heritage.
The Department also manages the Hong Kong Film Archive, Art Promotion Office, Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre, Ping Shan Tang Clan Gallery cum Heritage Trail Visitors Centre and seven smaller museums, i.e. Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware, Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb Museum, Law Uk Folk Museum, Sheung Yiu Folk Museum, Sam Tung Uk Museum, Hong Kong Railway Museum and Fireboat Alexander Grantham Exhibition Gallery.
In 2010-11, over 5.3 million visitors patronaged LCSD's museums. We will continue to roll out inspiring and enjoyable exhibitions and programmes to suit the interest of different audience segments in the community. In order to enhance publicity of museum programmes and to extend the audience base, the Department has set up a new Marketing and Business Development Section to strengthen branding and promotion work, and to foster new partnership with outside entities.
Museum Advisory Panels
To enhance the management and operation of museums and to increase professional and community involvement in their promotion, three Museum Advisory Panels (Art, History and Science), active since October 2010, advise the Department on the positioning, business development, promotion and management of the respective museums. The Panels comprise professionals, academics, museum experts, artists, collectors, art promoters, entrepreneurs, marketing and public relations experts, and community leaders with expertise relevant to the different museums.
Intangible Cultural Heritage Advisory Committee
The Intangible Cultural Heritage Advisory Committee was set up in July 2008 to monitor and to advise on the conducting of the first territory-wide survey of intangible cultural heritage in Hong Kong. The Committee comprises local academics, experts and community personalities. In the second term of the Committee which commenced on January 1, 2011, its membership was expended to cover a wider spectrum of expertise related to intangible cultural heritage. Besides, its terms of reference was also expanded to cover measures on the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage including research on and promotion, enhancement, transmission and revitalisation of intangible cultural heritage.
Museum Trainee Scheme
A Museum Trainee Scheme was started last year to nurture museum professionals. Ten graduates from local and overseas universities in disciplines such as Fine Arts, History of Arts, Communication Studies, Conservation, Cultural Management and Architectural Studies were recruited to be trained for two years ending 2012. They are now attached to the Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong Museum of History, Hong Kong Heritage Museum, Hong Kong Film Archive, Art Promotion Office and Central Conservation Section.
Guided by their supervisors and mentors, the trainees learn how to manage museum services, organise programmes such as education programmes and International Museum Day. They also get the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in curating exhibitions and projects
Hong Kong Museum of Art
The Hong Kong Museum of Art offers a multicultural vision of world art and culture through exhibitions and programmes with an international perspective. In 2010-11, to foster closer partnership with local collectors, the Museum launched the Hong Kong Collection Series. The Grandeur of Chinese Art Treasures: Min Chiu Society Golden Jubilee Exhibition featured 340 world-class works of Chinese painting calligraphy, ceramics, and decorative arts from the Min Chiu Society Members’ collections. Nobility and Virtue: A Selection of Late Ming and Early Qing Paintings and Calligraphies from The Chih Lo Lou Collection, a joint venture with the Chih Lo Lou Art Promotion (Non-profit Making) Ltd, showcased internationally famous Hong Kong private collections. A series of international academic lectures was also organised.
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In 2010-11, several major modern art exhibitions were organised. New Vision: New Colour was presented as the prelude to Legacy and Creations exhibition series that echoed to the theme of Expo 2010 Shanghai China. The Hong Kong Contemporary Art Biennial Awards 2009, which appraised the contemporary Hong Kong art scene and cultural identity, was a great success, with more than 2 200 entries and 14 award-winning works.
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The Museum has also provided a wide range of educational programmes to enhance public appreciation of art. Touching Art: Louvre’s Sculptures in Movement, gave the general public and the disabled community, especially the visually impaired, the opportunity to appreciate art through touching superb art replicas. Educational programmes, co-organised with arts groups and cultural organisations, were also presented to enhance the educational value of museum programmes, cater for different groups and to tie in with the New Senior Secondary Curriculum.
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In 2010-11, the Hong Kong Museum of Art presented two large-scale exhibitions : Legacy and Creations － Ink Art vs Ink Art and Art vs Art in Shanghai to coincide with Expo 2010 Shanghai China, showcasing contemporary and cross-disciplinary Hong Kong art. Ink Art vs Ink Art revealed the creative visions of new ink painting and calligraphy, while Art vs Art presented other contemporary cross-over art forms. To foster cultural exchange, the Museum collaborated with the Zhejiang Art Museum to stage the East Meets West: Wu Guanzhong’s Art Retrospective Exhibition, the largest solo exhibition to commemorate the late master.
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The Hong Kong Museum of Art attracted 358 290 visitors during the year, with a total of 2 854 sessions of education and extension programmes which drew 104 082 people.
Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware
Situated in Hong Kong Park, the Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware is a branch of the Hong Kong Museum of Art specialising in the study and display of Chinese tea ware. Since 1986, the Museum has organised eight tea ware competitions and exhibitions of Tea Ware by Hong Kong Potters, a platform for creativity and exchange for local potters. To encourage more young people to engage in ceramics, a new category for students was introduced in the 2010 Tea Ware by Hong Kong Potters, from August 2010 to May 2011. It featured 100 sets of ceramics by 78 local potters from the Open and School categories.
K S Lo Gallery, the new wing of the Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware, displays ceramics and seal carvings donated by the K S Lo Foundation. To promote general understanding of the history of seal carving in Hong Kong and its role in the cultural interflow with the Mainland, the Calligraphy on Stone: Seal Carving in Hong Kong exhibition features over 60 items of Chinese seals by noted senior Hong Kong seal carvers. The gallery also has hands-on exhibits with tactile/Braille captions. The Museum attracted 169 913 visitors during the year.
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Hong Kong Museum of History
The mission of the Hong Kong Museum of History is to enrich cultural life, strengthen social cohesion and nurture a national identity. It collects, preserves and displays cultural objects closely related to the history of Hong Kong, overseas and the South China area.
Besides its permanent exhibition, The Hong Kong Story, the Museum presents various thematic exhibitions in conjunction with other museums and cultural organisations in Hong Kong, overseas and the Mainland.
The Evergreen Classic － Transformation of the Qipao exhibition illustrated the origins of qipao, its transformation between the 1920s and 1960s and how this traditional Chinese costume is ‘fashionised’ and modernised by designers as it continues to evolve. The Hong Kong, Benevolent City: Tung Wah and the Growth of Chinese Communities exhibition introduced the Tung Wah Group’s contribution to Hong Kong society and overseas Chinese communities over the past 140 years. The Centenary of China’s 1911 Revolution exhibition, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the revolution which ended the Qing dynasty, displayed over 400 exhibits and images from various sources, including libraries and private collections in Hong Kong and abroad. Four other exhibitions included Chen Kung-che: Hong Kong’s Archaeologist and Polymath on early archaeological work in Hong Kong and three displays － Memories We Share: Hong Kong in the 1960s and 1970s, Under the Trees: People and Stories from Village Schools and Witness of Time: Photos of Central and Western District in the 1970s.
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To foster public interest in local history and cultural heritage, the Museum organised a rich variety of educational and extension activities throughout the year.
Three competitions were launched, namely the 8th Inter-School Competition of Study Projects on Hong Kong’s History and Culture, the 4th Competition on Historical Research on Photos and the ‘Hong Kong, Benevolent City: Tung Wah and the Growth of Chinese Communities’ Interactive Game Design Competition.
Seasonal programmes included A Parade of Chinese Riddles, Making of Chinese Scented Charms in Spring, Summer Fiesta: The Fun is Out There, and Christmas is the Time for Fun.
Collaboration with cultural and educational institutions included the special lecture series on Hong Kong Local Records, a seminar on Chinese Family Enterprises and the Stock Market, and a special lecture on Radicalisation of Modern Chinese Thought.
The Hong Kong Museum of History attracted 614 032 visitors during the year.
The Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence, a branch of the Hong Kong Museum of History, was converted from the old Lei Yue Mun Fort in Shau Kei Wan. Apart from its permanent exhibition, 600 Years of Coastal Defence in Hong Kong, the Museum staged a thematic exhibition British Army Aid Group Drawings, during the year, when 122 883 visitors patronised the Museum.
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Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum, housed in historic Kom Tong Hall, has two permanent exhibitions on Dr Sun and thematic exhibitions entitled Kom Tong Hall － the Artefacts and Revolution Once More － Dr Sun Yat-sen from Xing Zhong Hui to the Governments in Guangzhou. This museum attracted 89 430 visitors during the year.
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The Hong Kong Museum of History also manages three small branch museums, the Fireboat Alexander Grantham Exhibition Gallery at Quarry Bay Park, Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb Museum in Sham Shui Po and Law Uk Folk Museum in Chai Wan. They attracted 70 429, 32 189 and 14 342 visitors, respectively, during the year.
Hong Kong Science Museum
The mission of the Hong Kong Science Museum is to promote public interest in science and technology through world-class services and facilities. The Museum continually adds to its impressive collection of science and technology-related artefacts for research, education and public appreciation.
Jointly organised with the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination, the River of Wisdom － Animated Version of the Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival exhibition was held at AsiaWorld-Expo from November 9 to 29, 2010. The exhibition, in the form of a digital animation of the famous Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival by the renowned artist Zhang Zeduan of the Northern Song dynasty, was presented on a giant screen measuring 120 x 6.5 metres. A supporting exhibition with graphic displays and artefacts, as well as a series of lectures and seminars reinforced the educational element of the main exhibition. The exhibition attracted a record 930 000 visitors in three weeks, of whom about 190 000 came from schools and social welfare organisations.
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A new permanent exhibition, Jockey Club Environmental Conservation Gallery, was opened in August 2010. It aimed to convey the importance of environmental conservation and encouraged visitors to adopt a sustainable lifestyle, using natural resources wisely.
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Biodiversity in China － An Exhibition on China’s Wildlife Specimens, from December 18, 2009 to August 31, 2010, enabled visitors to understand the country’s rich biodiversity and the importance of conserving natural habitats. The exhibition, displaying more than 400 plant and animal specimens native to China, supplied by the Chongqing Museum of Natural History, attracted 259 000 visitors. To enable visitors to get to know local biodiversity, an exhibition titled Biodiversity in Hong Kong, displaying species endemic to Hong Kong, such as the Romer’s Tree Frog, was also held.
The Marvellous Inventions of Leonardo da Vinci exhibition held from October 8, 2010 to February 9, 2011 depicted the life and work of the legendary genius. The exhibition displayed more than 50 interactive models reconstructed from the drawings and notes found in the codices of Leonardo. The exhibition also included replicas of his codices and paintings, including two of the most famous paintings in western art, Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. More than 110 000 people visited the exhibition.
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The Museum’s Science News Corner staged two thematic exhibitions: Transgenic Fish for Rapid Monitoring Estrogenic Pollution and Life in the Universe. These were organised jointly with the City University of Hong Kong and The University of Hong Kong.
Five leading scientists from the Mainland and Hong Kong delivered lectures at the Distinguished Chinese Scientists Lecture Series 2010, organised jointly by the China Association for Science and Technology, Beijing-Hong Kong Academic Exchange Centre, the China Association (Hong Kong) for Science and Society and the Museum. The topics covered the beauty of science, astronomy, China’s engineering achievements, pharmaceuticals and organic synthesis.
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Science Alive 2010, sponsored by the Croucher Foundation and jointly presented with the British Council and the Education Bureau, offered a variety of educational activities including a science communication contest, a debate competition, a lecture series, workshops, demonstrations and science walkabouts.
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During the year, the Science Museum attracted a total attendance of 1 838 577, including the visitors to the River of Wisdom － Animated Version of the Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival exhibition held at the AsiaWorld-Expo.
Hong Kong Space Museum
Officially opened in 1980, the Hong Kong Space Museum is the major local institution dedicated to popularising astronomy and space science. Its main facilities include the Stanley Ho Space Theatre and two exhibition halls － the Hall of Space Science and the Hall of Astronomy. While the exhibition halls feature 59 groups of predominantly interactive exhibits, the Space Theatre offers a stunning OMNIMAX audio-visual experience as well as educational Sky Shows.
To celebrate the launch of the Chinese lunar spacecraft Chang’e-2, the Museum staged a special exhibition entitled Chang'e-2 Lunar Mission, from September to December 2010.
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Funding for renovating the two exhibition halls has been secured and new exhibits will be designed and installed in an environment simulating the experience of space travel. The Museum's website (http://hk.space.museum), with its wealth of information and educational resources on astronomy and space science, remains very popular.
During the year, the Museum presented two Sky Shows, four OMNIMAX Shows and two School Shows, attracting a total of 375 665 visitors. The Young Astronaut Training Camp was jointly organised by the Space Museum, The Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, China Astronaut Research and Training Center and Xichang Satellite Launch Center from August 3 to 9, 2010. Thirty local secondary school students were selected to study basic space science and experience astronaut training in Beijing and Xichang. During the year, 398 421 people visited the Hall of Space Science, the Hall of Astronomy and 11 temporary special exhibitions, while 24 725 people participated in 229 extension activities.
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The Museum also developed exhibits on the life and culture of the Song Dynasty to complement the River of Wisdom － Animated Version of the Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival exhibition in November 2010, to broaden its educational value.
Hong Kong Heritage Museum
The Hong Kong Heritage Museum offers a diverse range of exhibitions and educational activities throughout the year.
To celebrate the Museum’s 10th anniversary, a mega programme was organised for Hong Kong’s ethnic minorities in May 2010. Featuring a play called Ethnictricity, a Fun Cultures Bazaar and multi-language gallery walks, the programme attracted over 8 000 visitors of different ethnic backgrounds to celebrate and appreciate their different cultures, languages, traditions and customs.
Two other thematic exhibitions were also presented to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Museum, City Flâneur: Social Documentary Photography and Act•Live － Hong Kong International Poster Triennial 2010. The former was the second exhibition of the Hong Kong Photo Series, showcasing the development of Hong Kong social documentary photography dating from the 1950s, by 35 groups of established photographers. A seminar featuring a panel of veteran photographers and academics from the Mainland, Taiwan, Macao and Hong Kong was held in connection with the exhibition. The Act•Live exhibition, jointly organised with the Hong Kong Designers Association, was the fourth event of the Hong Kong International Poster Triennial, which displayed 190 outstanding poster designs selected from 1 775 works submitted by designers from 43 countries/regions. The works of five international judges in this year’s triennial were also shown.
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A blockbuster exhibition, Pixar: 25 Years of Animation, was staged in late March 2011 to showcase the vast creative collection of Pixar Animation Studios. With over 400 exhibits, including traditional artworks in various mediums, maquettes, early animated short films, and one-of-a-kind media installations, the exhibition took visitors behind the scenes on a journey through Pixar’s blockbuster animations.
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Other thematic exhibitions during the year included: a new Chao Shao-an Student Exhibition Series, featuring the development of the third generation of Lingnan School of Chinese painting; and Brush Beyond Space: Works of Tong Yang-tze, a cultural and artistic exchange between Hong Kong and Taiwan, showcasing 17 calligraphic works of Master Tong with space and graphic design specially created by Taiwan architect Ray Chen and Hong Kong designer Freeman Lau.
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To acknowledge a generous donation by famous Cantonese opera artiste, Yu Kai, a display, featuring 60 highlights from his donation, showcased his contribution to the art. Besides, a display called Theatre Art of Cantonese Opera was also organised at the Hong Kong International Airport to further promote this traditional art form to foreign visitors.
Three partnership programmes were presented during the year to strengthen collaboration with the community. They included: the HKDA Design Student of the Year 2010 exhibition cum Design Student Seminar 2010, in partnership with the Hong Kong Designers Association; the Hong Kong: Creative Ecologies — Business, Living, Creativity exhibition in partnership with the Hong Kong Design Centre; and the One Hundred Years of Railway Operations in Hong Kong exhibition in partnership with KCRC, MTRC and the Transport and Housing Bureau.
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Commissioned by the LCSD, the South China Research Center (SCRC) of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology continued a territory-wide survey of Hong Kong's intangible cultural heritage (ICH) to compile an inventory.
To involve the community in the survey, LCSD and SCRC representatives attended meetings of the District Councils and Heung Yee Kuk in 2010 and early 2011 to explain the purpose of the survey and to seek councillors’ cooperation to identify local items of interest. With the information obtained from the documentary research and field surveys, a preliminary inventory of Hong Kong’s ICH, covering 63 proposed major items, were submitted to the Legislative Council Panel on Home Affairs on February 11, 2011.
To complement the application of four local ICH items for inscription onto the third national list, the museum continued to organise a series of public programmes including lectures, guided field visits and exhibitions to promote the Cheung Chau Jiao Festival, the Tai O dragon boat water parade, the Tai Hang fire dragon dance and the Yu Lan Ghost Festival of the Hong Kong Chiu Chow Community.
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The Hong Kong Heritage Museum, which attracted 397 575 visitors during the year, also manages three branch museums, Sam Tung Uk Museum, Hong Kong Railway Museum and Sheung Yiu Folk Museum. These three branch museums attracted 91 785, 207 099 and 52 842 visitors, respectively.
Art Promotion Office
The Art Promotion Office (APO), in co-operation with various partners, organised numerous activities to promote art appreciation among the public, through a series of community art projects in 2010-11.
From December 2010 to February 2011, ArtAlive@Park dressed up four public parks － Hong Kong Park, Kowloon Park, Sha Tin Park and Tuen Mun Park － with new creations by students of four universities. Launched in October 2010, Art @ Government Buildings, the first of its kind, features site-specific artworks by three local artists at three government buildings － Cheung Sha Wan Government Offices, Tsuen Wan Government Offices and Wan Chai Revenue Tower, from June to November 2011. This display was preceded by a mentorship programme, from November 2010 to June 2011, during which tertiary students learn art installation from professional artists.
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The Park Déco Scheme, launched in October 2010, aims to enhance parks with artistic elements. New park furniture and a signage system at Quarry Bay Park will be completed in mid-May 2011, while the renovation of Cornwall Street Park will be completed in late 2012.
A call for entry for the Public Art Project － Tamar, inviting proposals for public artworks by local artists for the new Central Government Complex, was launched in April 2010. The preliminary proposals were short-listed for an exhibition in November 2010 and the final selection to commission artworks will be held during 2011. The installation of four artworks of the Sai Kung District Council Public Art Project 2009 was completed in mid-2011 at Man Yee Playground in Sai Kung, Po Tsui Park and Po Hong Park in Tseung Kwan O.
To enhance people’s encounter with visual arts in daily life, the APO launched the fifth round of Artists in the Neighbourhood Scheme (AIN) in mid-2010. Of the 92 proposals received, six outstanding proposals were selected for display in various districts from 2011 to 2013.
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To strengthen collaboration between the community and arts groups to promote art, the APO worked with a number of organisations, including the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, to present the Visual Arts Thematic Exhibition, featuring a series of six exhibitions from 2007 to 2010. The final exhibition was the Get Lively with Homes Design － The Look of Hong Kong Homes & Households in 40 Years Exhibition (1960-2000) organised by Hulu Culture. Another joint project, Art Moves － Rekindling Hearts with Art and Love － In Commemoration of the Two Year Anniversary of the Sichuan Earthquake Exhibition, was organised with Art for All during May 2010. It featured 23 sessions of visual and performing art workshops and guided tours.
The APO also organised programmes to advance community integration through visual arts. They included the Together We Stride － Community Art Promotion Project, in collaboration with the Hong Kong Open Printshop. It focused on such segments as the elderly, new immigrants, low income families, children of compulsive gamblers and teenage mothers. It began with a series of workshops in April 2010 and culminated in August 2010 with Overture － Together We Stride Community Art Promotion Project Exhibition. Another partnership project is Cross all Borders: Hong Kong Festival Showcasing New Visual Artists with Disabilities 2010, with the Arts with the Disabled Association Hong Kong.
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Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre
The Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre (VAC), managed by the APO, organised signature programmes such as the Art Specialist Course (ASC), a year-long art training programme for amateurs and young artists. The courses in 2010-2011 covered three media — painting, printmaking and sculpture. It ended in January 2011 with a graduation ceremony for 32 participants. An exhibition by the ASC alumni, In Search of Art — Art Specialist Course Exhibition, was also organised in July 2010, featuring about 120 works, covering printmaking, western painting, Chinese ink-painting, Chinese calligraphy, ceramics, sculpture and mixed media.
In May 2010, the VAC issued a call for proposal for Artist in Residence 2010 in new media art and two proposals were selected for presentation from 2010 to 2011. The first proposal, ‘Interacting for the Sake of Interaction’ by Hephaistion + Saffie, was presented from October 2010 to May 2011.
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The VAC’s joint projects include: the Echo — Classic: Hong Kong Sculpture Biennial 2010, in June 2010, in collaboration with the Department of Fine Arts of The Chinese University of Hong Kong; Hong Kong Sculpture Society and Artist Commune; and Hong Kong Graphic Art Fiesta 2010, an international art exchange programme from December 2010 to February 2011. It featured events such as Watershed: A Tale of Hong Kong and Belfast exhibition, Convergence/Divergence — An International Prints Exchange Exhibition, showcasing about 200 works by 24 print studios around the world, as well as various public programmes like Master Classes — Graphic Arts Day Camp, Open Store and Artists’ Talk.
