Visual Arts Education and New Technologies: Sharing cultures at the DeTao Masters Academy

Abstract

I shall begin our presentation by exploring how the definition of visual arts has developed over time.// We then examine the revolution inspired by new media and technology in art, giving the example of David Hockney as an artist who has embraced technologies ranging from the iPhone to multi-camera video to give new dimensions to the interpretation of nature.// Sir John will then address the issue of art education and look at how the UK Open University used the knowledge media, through its Art Explorer programme, to reach large numbers of students in the teaching of art history.// Starting from Larry Lessig’s statement that: “a new technology (the Internet) has given us a new freedom” we next explore the new possibilities for sharing creative works and mixing them to create new art forms. By developing the Creative Commons license that allows artists to share copyright widely, Lessig has created a movement for sharing cultural works with exciting implications for artistic expression.// Building on these reflections, I shall then give examples from the rich inter-disciplinarity found in the DeTao Masters Academy. The DeTao Masters clustered within the SIVA project are a remarkable collection of international talent in the visual arts. Drawing on interviews with a number of distinguished Masters we report on their motivation for working in China, the importance they attach to multi-disciplinary training and their reflections on the keys to professional success at the highest levels.// As we draw to a close Sir John will ask how we might use the knowledge media to bring the artistic insights of the DeTao Masters to a wider audience in China and we will seek your advice on how to do that.// Finally, I shall tell you about our backgrounds and why we became DeTao Education Masters.