Art College

College of Fine Arts of Central University of Nationalities is specialized in cultivating high-quality art-majored talents from various ethnic groups. The College of Fine Arts grows out of the Art Department of Central Institute of Nationalities which was founded in 1959. Later in 1983, the Art Department was established and developed into the College of Fine Arts in 2002.

50 years of development finds the College of Fine Arts in Central University of Nationalities its unique characteristics and styles with profound influence all over the country. The College of Fine Arts, as the school’s key branch, is the cradle of many Chinese ethnic artists and the base for educating high-quality art talents from various ethnic groups.

Now the college offers specialties such as painting (oil painting and Chinese painting), artistic design (decorative design, environmental artistic design, costume design), fine arts study (art education) etc. and sets up studios of woodcut and screen printing, costume design studios, digital design studios, studios of pottery design and sculpture, etc. In 1985, our college started to take in master graduate students and in 2001, doctor graduates.

Now the college is staffed with 5 professors, 8 associate professors and 23 lecturers, among which there are 3 doctorate holders and 16 master degree holders. We have a total enrollment of 550 undergraduate students, 14 master graduate students and 6 doctor graduates.

Some of our teachers are very famous scholars or painters active in painting, designing and academic communities, such as Prof. Liu Bingjiang, Prof. Li Kuizheng, Prof. Yin Huili, Prof. Gao Runxi, Prof. Zhong Zhijin, Prof. Zhang Zhiwei, Prof. Ji Jingning, etc. We also have promising young scholars and painters such as PanYing, Yuan Yaomin, Yue Qianshan, Piao Chunzi, Rui Fabin, Li Guinan, etc. In recent years, teachers of the College of Fine Arts are committed to more than ten “211 Project” construction items or subjects and have published considerable research results and artistic works. The achievement especially lies in the study and protection of ethnic traditional art, the ethnic artistic design and the artistic works of the ethnic theme and is unapproachable among art institutes or schools of.

Our college has attached great importance to undergraduates education, accumulated rich teaching experience and formed unique teaching characteristics of our own. Basic skill training is a focus in teaching and fieldwork in the ethnic regions is always a key section. For many years, we have kept the precise style of study and the strict management system, abided the rules of teaching and tried to foster the students’ creative ability and quality. A lot of excellent graduates have become the major force in ethnic artistic creation and education all over China. In recent two years, about ten undergraduates and post graduates won prizes and awards in the national display of fine arts and some other important exhibitions and design contests.

From 1959 to 1968, nearly 200 graduates from 15 minority ethnic groups (including Zang, Uygur, Mongol, Bai, Dong, Miao, Yao, Zhuang, Naxi, Chaoxian, JingPo, Man, Hui, Dahan’er and Kazak) returned to their hometowns and became the first generation of high-level talents with professional artistic training in ethnic regions and autonomous districts. From 1972 to 1976, 150 students from more than 30 ethnic groups were recruited as 3-year-long painting majored students. These students also returned to their respective ethnic regions after graduation. From then on, the five greatest national autonomy areas, esp. the remote autonomous district or county no longer suffered for lack of ethnic artistic talents. Some of these graduates have become the renowned local artists and some have become painters well known both home and abroad and quite a few have become leaders of local art institute or teaching organization. Among them, you can find the first generation of painters of Chinese painting, such as QiangSang (Tibetan), Tudier.Yiming (Uygur), Zheng Dongshou (Chaoxian). Among them, you can find the first generation of industrial artists such as Lv Guochang (Chaoxian), the first generation of painters such as Kelimu. Nasierding(Uygur), Li Fuyi, Jin Longwu, etc. Since the College Entrance Examination was resumed, till now, about 1500 students from 27 ethnic groups have been enrolled in our college and successfully graduated. These vigorous young graduates made good use of their artistic talents and skills and their impressive achievements won them praises from all walks of life. Since 1985, approved by the State Council, the College of Fine Arts has been entitled with the right to confer master degree of painting and art, which made us an organization of artistic creation, scientific research and teaching with three levels of academic degrees. So far, 30 master degree holders majoring in Chinese painting, oil painting, ethnic arts and crafts have graduated and they have been highly praised by their working units for their excellent research capability, high academic level and qualified professional skills.

During the 50 years of hard work, the earliest graduates are now the gray haired elderly. They have devoted their life to the ethnic artistic education, made historic contributions to the regional ethnic artistic development and laid a solid foundation for the future development of our college. They are distinguished ethnic artistic educators. They are founders of Chinese ethnic artistic education. Thy are Zhang Jiayan, Chen Ziwei, Hao Hongzhang, Chen Yili, Wu Hongkui, Jiang Zhenming, Zhu Yuekui, Zhang Guangfu, Wang Yizhou, Chen Zhaofu, Zhang Zhengheng, He Chongwu, Xing Lian, Liu Bingjiang, Jiang Zhenghong, Jin Jiezhong, Luo Yi, Zhou Xiuqing, Yu Wuzhang, Chen Shengmou, Li Jingshan, Chen Yinghua, Gao Zhenmei, Deng Yuanchang, Mao Shuixian, Wang Yuli, etc. Since 1975, another group of accomplished painters enriched our teaching team. Currently, 1/3 of the teachers are professors or associate professors, who bring into full play their talents both in artistic creation and teaching. Some of their works can be frequently found in big exhibitions and are well received for the distinct personal styles, unique ethnic features and artistic taste. More than 50 people (80 person-times) have won various prizes and awards home and abroad. Quite a few teachers made academic exchanges or gave lectures in America, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Russia, Czech, Yugoslavia, Japan, South Korea, India, Singapore, Indonesia and regions like Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Some teachers’ works have been collected by the National Art Museum, China Artists Association, World Arts and first-grade art organizations at provincial or municipal level. Some works are even collected by some famous art gallery or collectors abroad.

The development of the College of Fine Arts is closely related to the care and help from many famous artists, esp. those in Beijing. Distinguished artists such as Li Kuchan, Zhou Yuanliang, Ye Qianyu, Li Keran, Wang Xuetao, Kang Yin, Wen Jinyang, Wei Qimei, Qian Shaowu, Zhan Jianjun, Jin Shangyi, Zhu Naizheng, Liu Dawei, Zhang Daoyi, etc. not only participate in teaching the specialized core courses and theoretical courses, but also give lectures and demonstration, which greatly benefit the students and teachers.

With the development of the reform, artists from America, France, Switzerland also come to our college. All these academic exchanges help the teachers and students know more about the history, current situation and development tendency of western arts.

The College of Fine Arts has persistently adhered to the professional artistic educational requirement. With a precise and scientific teaching plan made and executed, we geared ourselves to the objective of bringing up students with excellence in every aspect. Great importance has been attached to basic courses and specialized theoretical courses. Students are given solid basic skill trainings on shapes to ensure a promising long-term development. Students are given guidance to seek inspiration from life and create works of ethnic themes which could reflect the real life of the ethnic groups and create representative ethnic images. During the process of teaching, teachers help students to absorb crafts used by predecessors and some foreign techniques , form their own technique and ask them to bear in mind that the distinct ethnic features and ethnic life are always the most important theme of art. The college also helps to broaden the students knowledge by all means and cultivate students with great passion towards their ethnic artistic tradition. Teaching quality and artistic creation are equally important for teachers. From 1987 to 1992, we held joint exhibitions of teacher’s works in China National Museum of Fine Arts and Cultural Palace of Nationalities. These joint exhibitions have got much media coverage and have been well received in circles of arts.

In recent years, teachers in our college have published more than 50 treatises, 300 papers and nearly 1000 paintings among which 15 were listed as national projects. Around 100 influential national or international artists have been invited to hold exhibition or give lectures while about 40 teachers in our college have been invited abroad to give lectures or hold personal exhibitions. In September of 1998, the new teaching building was completed. In 2001, studio building for new teachers was finished. All these, together with the new art gallery completed in 2003 help to greatly improve the teaching facilities. After our university passed the “211 Project” , our college has been given more financial aid.

On December 2, 2004, exhibition of our teachers’ works opened in China National Museum of Fine Arts. This exhibition was a very important academic exchange activity and was highly praised by media and the art society. CCTV, CHINA NATIONAL RADIO, BTV, International Edition of People’s Daily, Guangming Daily, China Youth Daily and magazines like Nationality Pictorial, Art, Art Observation, The Illustrated all gave great coverage on this exhibition.

However, we know that achievements represent only the past. In the future, we still have a long way to go. With the new situation in our economic development and the actual needs of the economic and cultural development in the ethnic regions, how to make reforms on teaching structure, specialties setup, teaching material, teaching staff manning and management system? How can we foster with high efficiency the qualified artistic talents of all kinds for ethnic minority areas? How can we help teachers and students to improve their artistic creation in scope and depth and artistic level? All these questions need to be considered carefully and solved immediately. We believe that during the 11th five-year plan of China, the College of Fine Arts will take a new look in the garden of Chinese higher education.