NGO Self Profile: Sister School Arts Program

The Sister School Arts Program was begun by Indochina Arts Partnership (IAP) in 1998. The idea of Sister School Arts Program is to encourage and foster permanent ongoing relationships between the leading fine arts colleges and universities in Vietnam with those in United States.

IAP is a non-profit, non-governmental organization begun in 1987 to conduct programs of cultural development and artistic and educational exchange between the United States and the countries of South East Asia, with the primary focus on Vietnam.

IAP invites arts colleges and universities in United States and Vietnam to participate and develop the Sister School Arts Program in cooperation with IAP. The program enables students and faculty members to be involved in the program linking colleges and universities in the United States and Vietnam. The idea is that one student or one faculty member from one institution in the United States exchanges with one student or one faculty member from one institution in Vietnam. The two institutions evolve an ongoing relationship that will develop arts education and arts understanding aiming to the benefit the institutions cultural outlook and understanding in a changing world.

Between June 18th and June 23rd, 1999, meetings were held in Boston, Massachusetts, Portland, Maine, and Providence, Rhode Island, between the Presidents and other representatives of Emmanuel College, the Maine College of Art (MECA), the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), the Massachusetts College of Art and the Directors of the Hanoi Fine Arts University (HanFAU), Hue Fine Arts University (HueFAU) and the Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts College (HCMCFAC) for the purpose of forming sister school relationships between these schools (MECA-HanFAU, RISD-HueFAU, Mass Art-HCMCFAU, Emmanuel College and all three Vietnamese schools). All of the schools agreed in principle that this linking of schools could have wide ranging benefits for their institutions as well as for their broader communities. The following were among the many ideas, which were discussed as possible ways for the colleges to begin these relationships:

* Student exchanges. These exchanges could be for a semester or shorter period including winter sessions, special summer programs, or special intensive learning experiences,

* Faculty exchanges. These could also be for a semester or shorter periods. Sabbaticals could be a way for these exchanges to take place but this would take advanced planning.

* Administration and staff exchanges. Gallery or museum staff, development, admissions or other staff and administration could spend a period of time at each other’s college.

* Exhibition exchanges. This seems to be the easiest and most fertile ground for early exchanges. Many exhibition possibilities were discussed including digital images used in printmaking or works on paper, fashion design and small metals and jewelry.

Emmanuel College began its relationship with the Hanoi Fine Arts College during the spring semester of 1998, by sending a student to study at the Hanoi Fine Arts University and continued in the fall of 1998, by having a faculty member from the Hue Fine Arts University in residence for the semester. This residency also included an installation at the Immig Gallery at Emmanuel College. Since 1988, Emmanuel College has also hosted many other artists and exhibitions from Vietnam.

The Maine College of Art and the Hanoi Fine Arts University successfully began their sister school relationship during the fall of 1998, with the exchange of two traditional arts students and continued in the spring with the exchange of a printmaking exhibition of work by faculty and students between the two schools.

In May/June 0f 2000 the IAP led representatives from the four UScolleges to Vietnam to tour the campuses of their “Sister Schools” and to hold discussions with administration, faculty and students there.

Please contact IAP at 20 Webster Court, Boston, MA, phone (617) 527-5670, fax (617) 527-4934, ,