Established in 1995 under the Hong Kong Arts Development Council Ordinance, Chapter 472, the Hong Kong Arts Development Council (HKADC) is a statutory body set up by the Government to support the broad development of the arts in Hong Kong. Its major roles include grant allocation, policy and planning, advocacy, promotion and development, and programme planning.
As the HKADC’s principal decision-making body, the Council comprises 27 members appointed by the Chief Executive of Hong Kong. Of these, 10 are elected by various arts constituencies. Overseeing the administration of the HKADC, these professional and enthusiastic advocates are dedicated to the formulation and implementation of sound policies to promote the arts in Hong Kong. The Council comprises six standing committees, namely the Arts Promotion Committee, Arts Support Committee, Management Committee, Audit Committee, Review Committee and Strategy Committee as well as 10 art-form groups. Also under the umbrella of the Council is the newly added Hong Kong Arts Development Fund.
The HKADC also invites local arts veterans and professionals to be the arts advisors and examiners to assist in planning and implementation of arts initiatives. Arts advisors are to provide professional guidance and expertise while examiners are tasked with assessing funding applications and making grant-related recommendations.
Recognising the need for the community to be well informed about the HKADC, the activities it undertake and the processes and procedures that it adopts.The HKADC has designated an Access to Information Officer who is responsible for ensuring that requests for access to information under the HKADC’s Code on Access to Information (Code) are properly dealt with in accordance with specific procedures.
The measures on the promotion of racial equality drawn up by HKADC are to set out good practices in achieving effective delivery of our services for all people of Hong Kong regardless of their race, cultures and languages, and to help raise awareness of the importance of building a racially inclusive and cohesive society. Details of the measures are available in English, Chinese, Bahasa Indonesia, Nepali, Urdu, Punjabi, Tagalog, Thai, Hindi and Vietnamese.
Vision
Our vision is to establish Hong Kong as a dynamic and diverse cultural metropolis.
Mission
The HKADC is to plan, promote and support the broad development of the arts including literary arts, performing arts, visual arts as well as film and media arts in Hong Kong. Aiming to foster a thriving arts environment and enhancing the quality of life of the public, the HKADC is also committed to facilitating community-wide participation in the arts and arts education, encouraging arts criticism, raising the standard of arts administration and strengthening the work on policy research.
Values
| • | Freedom of artistic expression |
| • | Overall development of the arts in an embracing society that cherishes plurality and diversity in the arts |
| • | Igniting the creative spark in a city and enriching the quality of life of the public |
| • | Social cohesion, humanistic values and community spirit |
| • | Equal access to culture and the arts |
Goals
To strive for the vibrant growth of artistic milieu in Hong Kong, three major development goals have been laid down for the current term:
| • | Fostering the development of arts groups |
| • | Raising the level of artistic standards |
| • | Exploring development opportunities for artists |
Strategies
To achieve the three major goals of fostering the development of arts groups, raising the level of artistic standards and exploring development opportunities for artists, the following development strategies will be adopted:
| • | Supporting promising artists and arts groups for artistic pursuits |
| Besides strategically focusing on cultivating artists and arts groups with potential, the HKADC will continue to support a range of projects to popularise the arts and assist arts practitioners and arts groups at various stages of their development through different grant schemes. | |
| • | Promoting arts administration to improve the management of arts groups |
| The HKADC will continue to introduce overseas residencies, arts scholarships/cultural internships/talent development schemes, as well as exchange programmes both within and outside China. These initiatives are designed to strengthen the training of arts administrators and to enhance the professionalism of arts practitioners and arts groups. We will also help arts groups towards professional management by improving their management and organisational abilities. | |
| • | Focusing on the arts environment and proposing policy recommendations |
| By conducting researches and studies, the HKADC will continue to compile, preserve and analyse the information on local arts activities and the results achieved, to observe and understand the local arts milieu and its development in order to reflect the realities and the needs of the arts and culture community to the government. At the same time, the HKADC will advise the government on the policies and measures to help foster a more conducive environment for arts development. | |
| • | Enhancing public participation and exploring arts space |
| The HKADC will foster a more pervasive artistic ambience in society and cultivate the audience by organising various arts activities and flagship projects. At the same time, we will strive for the stable development of arts groups and artists by exploring with various strategic partners the possibility of providing more creative spaces to support the arts community. It is hoped that the development of both the software (cultivation of future audiences) and hardware (creative spaces) will attract greater participation by different community segments. | |
| • | Fostering strategic partnerships and bringing arts resources together |
| The HKADC will strengthen the networks with various arts groups and other community and regional organisations, as well as work closely with various government departments, public bodies, the business sector and government bodies and groups both within and outside China. We will promote arts development by bringing together social resources, consensus and coordinated actions. | |
2014–2016 Business Plan
The HKADC Administration Office supports, promotes and plans an array of commissioned and self-managed arts activities as well as self-managed/commissioned projects in tandem with the development strategies of the HKADC. Major projects are outlined in the Annex.
Evaluation
Towards Overall Planning
| • | The HKADC will evaluate its business plan in the middle and at the end of the Council term. Interim and annual reports on the overall planning and recommendations will be forwarded to the next term of Council for reference. The HKADC also responds to the recommendations made by the Audit Commission by introducing measures to strengthen corporate governance. |
