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| Students participating in the experience of creating works at the space of Hue Museum of Fine Arts |
In late March, a group of students from a school in Hue City were taken by their teacher to visit an exhibition of woodcarvings at the Hue Museum of Fine Arts, which is located on Le Loi Street, Hue City. Upon entering the space filled with hundreds of engravings and countless works created from those engravings, the children immediately felt curious and excited.
The museum's guide introduced each set of wooden blocks to the children and how to create those engraved blocks before printing and producing works on paper. Going from one surprise to another, these elementary school students discovered that creating a work of art is a hands-on process that involves many operations and steps, which can be both challenging and enjoyable.
When the teacher informed them they would have a real-life experience, many students were joyful as creators. After instructions from museum staff on approach, materials, color mixing, ink, etc., the children could begin creating a print copy from a woodblock. Many students had to put in much effort and hard work to produce their work, often resulting in sweat and ink stains. For the first time, everyone was thrilled to unleash their creativity and own a painting crafted by their own hands.
“I am pleased to learn more about the process of creating paintings using wood blocks. The end product might seem simple. However, the process of creating it is actually quite laborious and challenging,” shared a student.
For many years, the Hue Museum of Fine Arts has collaborated with numerous schools in Hue city to organize practical education programs for students to visit and experience. In particular, many activities related to Vietnamese folk paintings, especially those from Hue, were prioritized. It is a distinctive aspect of the culture that caters to the everyday needs of the people. Students have learned to love, appreciate, preserve, and restore local heritage through such hands-on experiences and practical sessions.
According to Ms. Dinh Thi Hoai Trai, the Director of the Hue Museum of Fine Arts, the museum's educational role has been in the spotlight lately as it has collaborated with several schools to offer their students an opportunity to visit and experience the museum. The museum's focus was on introducing, promoting, and providing hands-on experience with folk painting. Children will understand more about the meaning of the paintings, the differences and similarities between painting styles, and especially be guided to participate in printing folk paintings such as Dong Ho, Sinh Village...
“Such activities will create an interesting and useful playground to help students have the opportunity to experience and interact. At the same time, it helps children understand the value and meaning of Vietnamese folk paintings and understand more about the characteristics of traditional culture through folk paintings. From there, we join hands to contribute to preserving, inheriting, and promoting the cultural quintessence left by our ancestors,” shared Ms. Trai.
According to Dr. Tran Van Dung from the Department of Culture and Sports, it is crucial to create and execute educational and experiential programs to keep up with the overall progress of modern society. This will help to reinforce the role of education and perform its function effectively. “Developing and implementing experiential education programs for the public in general and students, in particular, is one of the right and necessary directions to contribute to bringing the museum closer to the public, thereby creating an attractive, friendly, and popular destination,” said Dr. Dung.