Introduction of International Exchange Project for Chinese Talents of Arts Creation and Arts Management

The CICA launched the International Exchange Project for Chinese Talents of Arts Creation and Arts Management in 2013, with a goal to promote China's cultural sectors and cultural industry, introduce advanced international management experience, upgrade the professionalization of Chinese art and management, and build a platform for exchanges between Chinese and foreign cultural professionals.

The program has carried out year-round training in the performing arts, cultural exhibitions and handicraft design for professionals.

Under the framework, the CICA held master classes from 2013 to 2018, inviting about 80 Chinese and foreign experts to give on-site lessons to promote the cultural practitioners'professionalism and competence. Up to now, 17 master classes have been successfully held, covering theater management, art gallery management, handicraft design, performing arts and marketing and theater education, attracting a large number of students and winning high praise.

The courses were designed based on advice from domestic and foreign experts and give students professional training through special lectures, case studies, college Q&As and seminars. The master classes also provide students with opportunities to interact with cultural elites from home and abroad, study international advanced management and become involved in international art exchanges. More details page 1-6

In 2014, based on domestic training and research on more than 100 foreign art institutions, the CICA launched a training plan named Go Abroad. It selected more than 20 professionals each year from domestic art institutions to visit overseas art institutions and conduct one- to three-month exchanges. The plan in 2015, 2016 and 2017 was financially supported by the China National Arts Fund.

To guarantee project development and ensure the implementation, the CICA set up operation mode and management methods, adopted a decentralized, batch-based and targeted dispatch method, with an online application system and art talents database. The people sent were evaluated by the experts from the fund and the exchange organizations were jointed determined by the CICA and the cultural departments of the Chinese embassies and consulates abroad. The foreign exchange organization designed targeted internship and exchange schedules. The CICA provided the dispatched talents with full service, covering pre-training, management during dispatchment and feedback after coming back. The CICA collected around 170 summaries from the dispatched people and shared through website and social media platforms. Categorized into visual arts, performing arts, the summaries were printed out in three hard copies-The Achievement of International Exchange Project for Chinese Talents of Arts Creation and Arts Management. The dispatched people were also invited to deliver lectures and share their experiences.

Such way of cultivating art talents set a precedent in China, which was gradually improved by the CICA and formed a scientific and efficient talents cultivation and management mode, achieving more goals than expected. From July 2015 to April 2019, 102 people were sent by the CICA to conduct communication with 79 art institutions in 25 countries, including Australia, Canada, the US, Ireland, Japan, Italy, Germany and Argentina. The art institutions were museums, art galleries, libraries, theaters, art troupe, performing companies, art fund institutions and cultural heritage protection organizations.

Through the project, professionals sent abroad have developed an international perspective and learned advanced management experience. Some have even discovered valuable research materials lost overseas. They also applied their learning outcomes in the work and greatly improved the quality and efficiency of their work, further promoting the cooperation with the foreign institutions.

According to the experts, the project played an important role in broadening international horizon of Chinese professionals, which also enhanced the communication and cooperation with foreign art talents and gave a boost to Chinese culture's going abroad. And the project is expected to carry on in the long run.

The industry feedback showed that such way of learning and communication was very precious and useful. It promoted the dispatched people's professionalism and also the development of the industry, creating an environment with international standard.

In the light of foreign art organizations, the CICA's project worked efficiently, promoting the exchange among cultural professionals and preparing for the future cooperation.

These efforts, backed by funding and cooperation from the China National Arts Fund, aim to cultivate high-end composite art and management professionals and build a platform for exchanges and cooperation between Chinese and foreign cultural institutions.

At the same time, they made friends with their foreign counterparts, introduced Chinese culture to them, and bridged a cooperative channel between Chinese art institutions and their foreign counterparts. Overall, they believe the benefits of the project have exceeded their expectations, and the exchange results are gradually emerging.