Arts Alliance of International Rainbow

The National Taiwan University of the Arts (NTUA) initiated the establishment of the Arts Alliance of International Rainbow (Arts AIR), an international alliance of five schools from five countries across Europe, Asia, and the Americas, and held the signing ceremony on the 67th anniversary of the NTUA.

The alliance is established to make the arts a social practice through exchanging higher arts education and Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs of the United Nations. The "Arts AIR" core members include École supérieure d'art d'Aix-en-Provence Félix Ciccolini in France, Myongji University in Korea, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in Singapore, National Taiwan University of Arts in Taiwan, and the University of South Carolina in America.

Professor Chih-Cheng CHEN, President of NTUA, indicated that the post-pandemic era had accelerated the change in the overall environment of education. Therefore, we have reversed the cooperation in art education and proposed developing international exchanges through the alliance, combining Taiwan's existing cultural resources and interconnecting with partner universities to form a value-added arts network and enhance the depth of arts education.

Dr. Donna Arnett, the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost at the University of South Carolina, believes that the arts can add color to life and enhance the social experience. The alliance will benefit faculty and students and further promote cultural connections between campuses and break down geographical boundaries. The arts will play an even more critical role in supporting spiritual and physical development after the epidemic. We are excited to work together to enhance positive connections for all people, society, and the world.

Mrs. Barbara Satre, Director of the École Supérieure des Beaux-Arts d'Aix-en-Provence (ESAAIX)introduced that ESAAIX is an art school founded in Aix-en-Provence in 1765. It is dedicated to public cultural cooperation in art and art research to promote contemporary artistic creation and artistic expertise. They look forward to working with the partners to innovate and rethink art through joint research projects, relocated teaching, and seminars.

Mrs Tan-Soh Wai Lan, President of Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) in Singapore, mentioned that NAFA was established before Singapore's independence and is internationally renowned for its commitment to training artists, musicians, dancers, and more. With the support of the school's spirit of creativity, exploration, and perseverance, NAFA hopes to continue to inspire learning and growth through the arts. In addition to this year's international sculpture exhibition in collaboration with the NTUA, and through this alliance, they can promote art education, dialogue, and exchange with the alliance partners worldwide.

Professor Jeong-Won Sun, Vice President of Acdemic Affairs at Myongji University, noted that to develop globally competitive students and prepare them for a multicultural society, Myongji University has been paying attention to the changing trends in the international job market, including those related to the arts profession. Through long-term alliance partnerships, the university hopes to break the so-called "power asymmetries" to address challenges such as climate change and expand the academic horizons of the younger generation.

The initiator of the alliance, Dean Dr. Yi-Cheng CHIANG of the International Affairs Office of the NTUA, indicated, "As the initiator of the partnership, it took hard work to form the Arts Alliance of International Rainbow, Arts AIR. We hope that in the future, we can build the social context of contemporary art, improve the strength of academic research, create a collective vision and meet the goals of the SDGs to realize international higher-quality art education.