The 14th Quanta Immersed in Creativity (IIC) Award and Student Docent Finals, a collaborative effort by the Quanta Cultural and Educational Foundation and the Ministry of Education, were set to return to the Quanta Group on Saturday July 1, after a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic. The event unfolded at the Guang-Yi Hall of the headquarters. Alongside students who participated in the Student Docent Finals and the winners, there were cheering groups for the finalists, adding to the vibrant atmosphere of the event.
At the opening ceremony, Quanta Group Chairman Barry Lin, known as "Grandpa Barry," along with his AI smart helper, co-produced a short film resembling VR immersive art. This film guided the participating students and guests on a journey to review the 29 exhibitions planned by Quanta’s IIC program throughout the years. Additionally, it offered a preview of the highlights from the upcoming 30th exhibition, Traveling in Oriental Famous Paintings, slated to launch later this year. Barry Lin expressed, "Quanta's ICC program continues to evolve with the times. Through changes in curatorial content and exhibition formats, we hope to connect our children with the world, instill a forward-looking perspective, and lay the groundwork for the metaverse future.“
Lori Hsu, CEO of Quanta Cultural and Educational Foundation, expressed, “The Quanta ICC Award is an extension of Quanta's ICC program. It begins with art education, aiming to broaden students' artistic horizons and enhance their oral expression skills. Since the program’s inception, over 50,000 students have been trained to speak clearly. Upon graduation, these students have become outstanding contributors to aesthetics in society, leaving their mark in various professions. The host of this session is Yunqi Liu, a previous award-winning contestant from the third and fourth sessions.“
Tengjiao Lin, Executive Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Education, stated, “Since 2014, the Ministry of Education and the Quanta Cultural and Educational Foundation have collaboratively promoted Quanta's ICC program. This program integrates teaching into learning, developing students’ autonomous learning skills, improving self-confidence, and enhancing oral expression skills. It aligns with the interdisciplinary learning principles emphasized in the 108 curriculum. Special thanks to the Quanta Cultural and Educational Foundation for its long-term contribution to Taiwan’s art education. The Ministry of Education will continue to work together with industry, government, and academia to promote aesthetic education. Through the collective integration of resources and strengths, we aim to offer schools richer and more diverse art education learning resources, guiding students towards a broader learning horizon.”
The launching ceremony employed vibrant powders to symbolize artistic creativity, integrating art and technology to enhance students' knowledge, abilities, and attitudes, thereby constructing a rich and wonderful life, one step at a time! The individuals captured in the photo, from left to right, include the training partner of Student Docent, Director Xiufeng Li of the National Museum of Science and Technology; judge representative, Deputy Secretary-General of the New Taipei City Government, Yawen Gong; CEO of Quanta Cultural and Educational Foundation, Hueichia Hsu; a co-organizer, Ministry of Education Deputy Director, Tengjiao Lin; Deputy Director of the Department of Teacher Training and Art Education, Shujuan Wang; and administrative promoter representative, Principal of Tainan City Kaiyuan Elementary School Tianwang, Li.
A total of 1,515 entries were submitted for the Quanta ICC Award and Student Docent Competition. Students from 22 counties and cities in Taiwan, along with overseas Taiwanese schools, participated in the event. Advancing through preliminary rounds and semi-finals, today's finals showcased the top six works in both the elementary and middle school categories. With the backing of their dedicated cheering teams, finalists had their artwork randomly selected, presenting impromptu tours that embodied the true spirit of a docent.
In addition to the Student Docent Award, this year's ‘Administrative Team Award’ was jointly awarded to Principal Tianwang Li and Director Yanru Chen of Kaiyuan Elementary School in Tainan City, and Principal Yusheng Zheng of Yushan Elementary School. Principal Tianwang Li of Kaiyuan Elementary School, along with two former and subsequent directors, Yusheng Zheng (who was promoted to Principal of Yushan Elementary School) and Yanru Chen, actively engaged in the planning and organization of various exhibition activities in collaboration with various units and schools in Tainan City. Their well-deserved recognition comes after seven years of dedicated and hard work.
At this award ceremony, special awards were given to the leaders of 20 counties and cities who participated in the 112-school-year plan, coordinating a total of 269 school exhibition tours. In addition, a new category, the ‘Immersed in Creativity Highlight Award’ was introduced, with recommendation from county and city leaders. This award serves to express gratitude to schools or institutions that have demonstrated outstanding performance in program promotion or teaching. During the ceremony, videos from the winning units, Zhongxiao Junior High School in Taipei City and Zhubei Elementary School in Hsinchu County, were played, effectively showcasing the love and creative expression of children from these two schools.