HKUST is a world-class international research university with a focus on science and technology, yet opportunities to pursue the arts are alive and growing.
HKUST’s very name points to science and technology being at its heart. But the arts play an important role in the development of students, whether as participants and artists themselves or those there to take in the spectacle, and HKUST is keen to foster its artistic offering.
Campus life at HKUST already provides a number of ways in which students can get involved with artistic pursuits, from arts-focused courses to performances, concerts and exhibitions, but these are set to expand with the launch of the Shaw Auditorium, expected to open in the fourth quarter of 2021 to coincide with the celebration of the University’s 30th anniversary. This new landmark seeks to enrich the lifestyle and learning experience of students, staff and alumni alike.
Shaw Auditorium
The Shaw Auditorium addresses HKUST’s need for a space in which to host large scale events and art and music performances. The three-storey, multi-purpose development, located near the south entrance of the Clear Water Bay campus, features a 1,300-seat concert hall, the Mona Shaw Plaza, which is an open-air space suited to intimate outdoor performances, and ample facilities for teaching, small-scale recitals, exhibitions and other cultural and educational activities. Made possible thanks to a generous donation of HK$150 million from The Shaw Foundation Hong Kong, the Shaw Auditorium hopes to inspire students, staff and alumni and cultivate an appreciation for and interest in the arts.
Common Core Arts Courses
From graphic design and Chinese calligraphy to experimental animation, Studio Arts Common Core Courses span Chinese Art, Design & Creativity, Film/Media and Photography, exposing students to the arts, enhancing their appreciation and encouraging personal development.
SHSS Creative Arts Education
The School of Humanities and Social Science offers courses centered on creative arts education where students can learn to understand the arts from a more professional perspective. Courses are currently offered in music, creative writing and film.
Center for the Arts
The HKUST Center for the Arts arranges a variety of programs to encourage student appreciation of and participation in the arts. Activities range from exhibitions and concerts to film screenings and workshops.
Intimacy of Creativity
Intimacy of Creativity – The Bright Sheng Partnership: Composers Meet Performers in Hong Kong is a series of events, held in partnership with the Curtis Institute of Music, that explore the creative process. Hailed by the Financial Times as a festival with a “finely hewn sense of craft” and “the city’s most innovative musical experience”, it features public, in-depth open discussions and preview concerts presenting revised compositions by selected Composer Fellows on campus, as well as world premiere performances across Hong Kong.
HKUST Music Alive!
HKUST Music Alive! is a platform to showcase the arts, organizing a wide range of music events staged in public spaces both on and off campus and aimed at students, staff, alumni and the general public.
Sustainable Smart Campus’ SmART Steps
The Sustainable Smart Campus initiative seeks to implement projects on campus that showcase sustainable and smart thinking and benefit the community. Its SmART Steps project turns the University’s stairwells into a “living lab”. The stairwells near lifts 3, 13-15 and 17-18 and next to Cheng Yu Tung Building have been transformed with visual art installations to make taking the stairs a more attractive option.