The School of Experimental Art of Hubei Institute of Fine Arts was founded in 2022. Currently, it offers undergraduate programs in “Intermedia Art” and “Experimental Painting” and graduate programs in “Intermedia Art Studies” and “Experimental Art Studies”. The history of the School’s programs dates back to 2002, when Wei Guangqing and Yuan Xiaofang pioneered the fields of video art and experimental painting at Hubei Institute of Fine Arts, integrating avant-garde arts into the education system and starting the transformation that distinctly reflects Chinese characteristics.
The School consists of three teaching and research departments: Open Media, Intermedia and Performance, and Experimental Painting. The departments are aimed to cultivate students to understand and master various visual expression mediums, techniques and forms, guiding them to reflect on the cultural significance of visuals and images in contemporary Chinese context and to create new scenarios representing the spirit of the times, regional identity, and personal uniqueness. The goal is to nurture high-level artistic talents who possess cultural confidence, broad vision, interdisciplinary skills, and diverse creativity.
The School of Experimental Art boasts laboratories and platforms including the Image Art Laboratory, Post-production Imaging Laboratory, Community Art Education Laboratory, COS-J, and BITRUMP. While introducing different contemporary art forms, they also promote cross-disciplinary communication, enabling the upgrading of art education mechanism in terms of art concept and educational resources.
The faculty is made up of 20 staff members, including 17 full-time teachers from renowned institutions at home and abroad. Several of them hold significant academic positions in the national art and media industries.
At present, the School boasts one National First-Class Undergraduate Course, eight provincial-level research projects, one Provincial First-Class Undergraduate Course, one Provincial Teaching Team, as well as one Excellent Course, two Quality Courses, three Quality Online Open Courses and one Model Course for Ideological and Political education at school level; one book-compiling project has been approved. Besides, the students and faculty have achieved impressive results in various competitions, including more than ten awards in innovation and entrepreneurship competition (nine provincial awards and above), eight national college students innovation and entrepreneurship training programs and six provincial college students innovation and entrepreneurship training programs, three national first prizes and 42 provincial prizes or above in discipline competitions at national level.
