Asia Regional Council Executive Board (2024-26)

I am an Associate Professor of Art Education at Tokyo Gakugei University
and served as Secretary of the InSEA Asia Regional Council in my
previous term. I have been actively involved in organising webinars and
preparing for the regional congress.  Throughout my career, I have engaged in international joint research projects with scholars and teachers across Asia and the world. The artistic cultures of Asian countries have historically influenced one another, resulting in a rich tapestry of diversity and commonality. Today, we can share our practices and research across borders, fostering new collaborative initiatives. InSEA serves as a vital platform that connects the diverse arts and cultures of different regions, promoting the creation and sharing of valuable art education practices and research. I am committed to building activities and content that enable wide participation, and I have strived to create harmony in this historically and culturally rich region. I aim to lead with even greater dedication, supporting and realising our collective goals. I look forward to achieving this together with you all.

Dr. Hsin-Yi Chao has been one of the ARC Council staff from 2022 to 2024. Currently, she holds the position of Assistant Professor in both the Cultural and Creative Industry Program and the Graduate Institute of Library and Information Science at National Chung Hsing University in Taiwan. Dr. Chao earned her Master of Fine Arts and Art Education from the National Taipei University of Education and later pursued a Ph.D. in Architecture at the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology. Following her doctoral studies, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Toronto's Psychology Graduate School in Canada. Dr. Chao's expertise extends to leadership and the nonprofit sector. In 2014, she established the Taiwan Art Beyond Vision Association, where she continues to serve as the Chair. Her diverse background includes significant experience as an art educator, having taught at various educational levels from primary schools to higher education institutions. Additionally, Dr. Chao has a rich history of curatorial work, having experienced six years as a curator at the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts. Her scholarly interests are broad and interdisciplinary, focusing on non-visual art educational theories and practices, the application of accessible technology, universal display design, art audio description, and research on tactile spatial cognition. These interests intersect with fields such as special education, psychology, museum studies, and art, all aimed at promoting equal access to art education for individuals with visual impairments. Dr. Chao’s accomplishments are not limited to academia; she is also recognized for her strong social networking capabilities and her effective execution of inclusive art education initiatives within schools and museums in Canada, Italy, and Japan.

The opportunity to work as a World Councilor from 2014 to 2019 allowed me to promote the significance of art in human development and its status within the school curriculum. Now, I wish to continue this meaningful effort by serving as a board member of the Asian Regional Council. It is my belief that InSEA has played a crucial role in establishing a foundation for advocating art education and fostering solidarity among art educators worldwide. In this respect, the responsibility of ARC includes connecting the regional art education community to the international network by ensuring local experiences are heard and shared. As a member of ARC, my contribution will focus on enhancing cross-cultural comparative research on Asian art education, both in theory and practice. The effort to contextualize art education in different neighboring countries will help reveal the enrichment of art education as well as the complexities involved in securing a place for art in schools. Through regional forums, webinars, and publication projects, I will endeavor to create more opportunities for Asian art educators to engage in exchanging and encountering diverse stories of art teaching.