In November, CDF introduced and organized a three-day Centre Pompidou “What a Circus" action art workshop in Chiayi, Yunlin, and Taichung, with the mission of creating and nurturing pupils to appreciate art and inspire their creativity. China Development Foundation (“Foundation”) hopes that through the workshop, students in Taiwan will have exposure to world-class aesthetics, particularly for those geographically or socially-distanced from museums.
“What a Circus" is an art education program designed by Alexander Calder, a renowned American sculptor. Calder believes that for children, the circus is a place where magic is born, and that if children could learn in such environment, it could unleash their creative potential.
Over the years, CDF has been cultivating art seedlings in Taiwan. “In addition to those that have been gleaned, there are still many children with artistic talent in remote areas who are not adequately nurtured due to a lack of resources, which is a shame,” said Richard Chang, Executive Vice President of CDF. CDF introduced the Pompidou action art workshop, which uses dynamic aesthetics as a new teaching method to integrate art creation into daily life experiences.
Participating schools included Xikou Elementary School in Chiayi County, Daxing Elementary School in Yunlin County, and Xitun Elementary School in Taichung City. All of the 26 students from Daxing Elementary School participated in the event. The workshop was customized and designed to connect with students’ daily lives, in which they walked among the rice paddies in the neighborhood. “Resources are scarce at elementary schools in rural areas. Pompidou's workshop injected new energy into the students’ mind,” said Ying-ru Chen, principal of Daxing Elementary School.
The Xitun Elementary School soccer team has been receiving sponsorship from China Development Foundation's “Little Flying Elephant” project. The team has won two consecutive national youth soccer tournaments in recent years. The hundred-year-old school selected some third-graders to participate in the art workshop. Principle Ren-yen Su believes that the workshop is a great way to provide artistic inspiration to the students.
CDF, as a professional investment institution, is convinced that there is no better investment than education. To fulfill its corporate social responsibility, CDF, through the China Development Foundation, has long been fostering arts and cultural talent and developing arts and cultural creativity in Taiwan.
