Education | School of the Nations organizes ‘Art of House’ event

Student Linda Chen poses besides her creation

The School of the Nations (SON) held its annual arts event “The Art of House” last week, showcasing a variety of artwork and performances, along with art exhibitions of two local universities.

The event featured a range of artwork, music, dance and drama from students and community members.

Performances included a Chinese folk dance from the Association of Chinese National Culture and Arts, a Capoeira demonstration and Naxi Tribal Dances from Lijiang’s Jinhong Middle School.

Artworks from University of Macau and University of Saint Joseph students were also showcased in the school’s library.

SON Arts Administrator Mark Campbell told the Times that the school, with the aim of promoting the arts among the local community, also showcased eight paintings by their staff members and made them available for auction.

“The works of art from staff members of the school [were] donated for the auction [and it will contribute] to the development of the arts within the school,” said Campbell.

Campbell added that while the school has a strong academic focus, it emphasizes the need for its students to be aware of and appreciate art.

SON Director Vivek Nair echoed Campbell’s sentiments, and remarked on the significance of “including arts in humanities.”

“One of the things we see that is central in education is to move away the focus from simply science and mathematics and very traditional field of learning to include arts in the humanities,” he said.

While the school held “The Art of House” internally in previous years, Nair remarked this year that “there is a great value in exploring the expression in art from the wider community.”

Linda Chen, an eleventh grade International Baccalaureate (IB) student whose artwork was exhibited, commended the school for giving her peers the opportunity to showcase their artworks, which she believed had helped increase their exposure.

“It showcases different art pieces with their [students’] own art styles,” she said.

“One of my pieces […] shows that art doesn’t just come from imagination, it also comes from the inspiration of the things around you.”

Along with the masterpiece she created, which she named “bi-faces,” she also performed a piano recital.

“I always seek for new and different experiences, especially others’ artworks, to inspire ourselves to create new piece,” Chen said.

Aaliyah Riofrio, a student who participated in a drama piece that tackles racism and sexism, said that the play aimed to portray how such issues are prevalent in Macau, particularly with Filipino groups in the region.

“I think Filipinos are treated differently, they’re treated like the lower class just because [there is a large group] of house-helpers here,” he said.

Chi Lo, a fellow drama student acting in the same play, added, “We want people to know the effect of injustice, racism and sexism. We want them to take action against them because we’re all equal and we should act that way.”

Meanwhile, Communication and Media students from the University of Saint Joseph (USJ) presented their short films and photography.

José Simões, coordinator for the Department of Communication and Media at USJ, believed that it is fundamental for high school students to be aware of art produced by university students.

He also said that art events would further enhance the skills and imagination of the students.

“Learning by doing is very important for them, because just theory doesn’t work anymore,” he said.