History of the Department of Traditional Art Crafts

The Department of Traditional Art Crafts of the School of Design and Arts of Beijing Institute of Technology was founded on the Institution of Cultural Literacy Education for Students. The institution was established in 1999 and its main part then was the Ceramics Workshop, founded and directed by Wang Legeng. In 2000, the Sculpture Workshop was established, directed by Lu Mingfei.

In 2002, the Department of Traditional Art Crafts was officially established.

In 2002, Zhang Nairen, former Dean of the School of Design and Arts, made a proposal that three teachers of the Department of Cultural Heritage, Wang Legeng, Luo Ping and Cui Cheng, should be assigned to establish the Department of Traditional Art Crafts, and Wang be appointed the director of the department.

In May 2003, the former Dean Zhang Nairen started to expand the institute. After completed, it was renamed the Traditional Art Crafts Lab, covering 500 square meters. During that period, four more workshops were built – the Metal Art Workshop, the Lacquer Painting Workshop, the Weaving & Dyeing Art Workshop and the Silk Screen Printing Workshop– and were directed by Cui Cheng, Luo Ping and Tang Fang respectively.

In 2004, the Wooden New Year Paintings and Paper Cutting Workshop was established, directed by Liang Chou.

In 2005, Zhao Bin joined the Ceramics Workshop and, at the same time, started to assume the responsibility for the Silk Screen Printing Workshop.

In 2007, the Metal Art Workshop had new workshop for jewelry design, directed by Man Qianhe.

In 2011, another set of the workshops mentioned above were established in Lixangxiang Campus for teaching and in the following year, experimental elective courses involving these workshops were offered in this campus.

The department attaches importance to improving students’ practical skills. In 2006, the department started to send students to work as interns in Nantong Indigo Print Fabric Museum.

In 2010, Design and Art Experiment Center (its main body is the Traditional Art Crafts Lab) was awarded the “University-Level Demonstration Center” for its excellence in experimental teaching.

The department is mainly responsible for graduate education and started to enroll graduate and international students since 2003.  
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