INRTU delegation visits Nantong University School of Fine Arts

A delegation from INRTU visited the Nantong University School of Fine Arts (NTU, Jiangsu Province, China). The Russian and Chinese sides discussed cooperation in student exchanges and the development of projects to train artists and designers.

Nantong University was founded in 1912. Students focus on engineering, humanities, creative, and medical sciences. The School of Fine Arts has 150 teachers, including members of the Artists and Calligraphers Associations of the PRC. The division includes galleries, printmaking workshops, a museum, lacquer art and home textile studios.

The INRTU delegation visiting the School of Art included Nina Berngard, head of the Academic Mobility and Resource Centers Department, Dmitrii Dorokhin, head of the Department of Monumental and Decorative Painting and Design named after V.G. Smagin, associate professors Natalia Dovnich and Marina Dagdanova. The trip was made possible thanks to the assistance of Peng Bo, a student of Irkutsk Polytechnic Institute from Nantun.

During their visit, the INRTU students met with the School's administration and students studying design and painting. Nina Bernhard made a presentation of IRNITU. She spoke about the exchange program on the example of the International Summer School 2021 for participants from Germany.

"The program aroused keen interest among foreigners. It gives students an opportunity to broaden their horizons, learn the Russian language, and get acquainted with the nature and traditions of the Angara region.

Professor Zhang Wei, Dean of the School of Fine Arts, noted that NYU cooperates with universities in the United States, Great Britain, Thailand, Slovenia, Italy, Armenia, etc. The organization of exchange programs with Irkutsk Technical University also arouses interest. Chinese colleagues are considering sending several students to INRTU in autumn. They plan to study for one semester in painting and design. Assistant Dean Professor Huang Tianlin thanked us for the visit, expressing the hope that the INRTU students will be frequent guests at Nantong University," reported Nina Bernhard.

Dmitrii Dorokhin talked about the implementation of modern technologies in lectures for future artists, the use of "numbers" in the implementation of creative ideas in the material. Natalia Dovnich and Marina Dagdanova gave lectures and shared their personal practices on the topic of trends in monumental and decorative painting and design. The students actively asked the Irkutsk students questions and discussed.

The participants of the delegation were also invited to the opening of the exhibition Shining Youth-2023. According to Dmitrii Dorokhin, the exhibition features works by future graduates of the School, famous Chinese and Slovenian artists. In the future, INRTU students will be able to join the creative project.

"Every year the NTU School of Fine Art has approximately 300 graduates. It doesn't train muralists, but it develops specialties related to environmental and graphic design. Students have 3D printers, VR devices and other modern equipment at their disposal. We would be interested to learn from the Chinese experience in using these technologies.

Our Asian colleagues were particularly impressed by our work with materials and decorative painting, and the implementation of monumental projects," said Dmitrii Dorokhin.

In addition, a rich cultural program was organized for the INRTU delegation - excursions to museums, a Buddhist complex on Mount Lanshan, a master class in textile decorating, a concert and a city festival. Especially for Irkutsk residents, local artists sang a popular song about Baikal in China.