The morning of November 10 marked the commemoration of the 95th Anniversary of the China Academy of Art (CAA) at its Liangzhu Campus in Hangzhou, China. The day culminated in the grand ceremony of the "Full Opening of CAA Liangzhu Campus and 'Draw from the Sources, Venture with the Greats' 95th Anniversary Academic Events."

Founded in 1928 by Mr. Cai Yuanpei, the then Minister of Education, the National Academy of Art, now known as CAA, emerged beside the West Lake in Hangzhou as China's first integrated national institution of higher learning in arts. Over the years, CAA has evolved into a substantial institution with five campuses and a community of ten thousand individuals.

The 95th-anniversary activities commenced in the spring of 2023, with April 8 designated as "CAA Launch Day." On this day, the Academy announced the establishment of the School of Calligraphy, China Cinematic Arts Institute, and School of Social Aesthetic Education. Two new initiatives, CAA's online art community CAACOSMOS and the Meta Art Academy, were unveiled. Simultaneously, the Xianghu Campus was officially launched.

Starting from September 19, a series of events unfolded, including "The Way Is Infinite: Centennial Retrospective Exhibition of Zao Wou-Ki," "Proposal to Leonardo Da Vinci − Shanghai Science and Art Exhibition," and "Artistic Experience and Knowledge Production: The Way of Innovation and Research in Professional Doctorate Program - The 5th National Art Education Forum."

The centerpiece of CAA's 95th-anniversary events is "IWV2023: Mutual-Learning of Civilizations". This event transcends time and space, aligning 12 unique disciplines of the Academy with 12 major humanistic directions. This alignment formed 12 interdisciplinary teams that embarked on global explorations to places like Lufeng Dinosaur Valley, Amazon Basin, Silicon Valley, seeking the historical and anthropological significance behind art. From November 10 to 13, these teams reconvened at the newly inaugurated Liangzhu Campus for the "Reports from the World" image launch event and the "Starplex" exhibition.

Over the past 95 years, CAA has continuously resonated with enduring passion and unwavering dedication, witnessing the rise of numerous masters and luminaries. As time has passed, CAA has evolved into the most comprehensive and largest national institution of higher arts education in China.

Source: China Academy of Art

Editor: Xu Yuying