The School of Art and Humanities has the Department of Art History, Department of Visual Culture Studies, Department of Curatorial Studies and Administration, Department of Archeology and Museology, Department of Liberal Arts and General Studies and it is the site of national key disciplines of art study and key base of art and humanities disciplines in Zhejiang Province. The program obtained the right to grant the Master of Fine Arts degree early in the 1980s, and was the first place in the country to set up a doctorate program of fine arts in 1984. Now it offers programs at bachelor, master, PhD and post-doctorate levels.
The art research of the School of Art and Humanities, especially History of Art History and Methodology have continuously stayed in a strong position in China, while Visual Culture Research and Art Curating are now leading-edge academic programs. In recent years, the school has opened up new fields such as visual culture research, visual communication study, media research, and established higher research institutions such as Art History Research Centre, Gombrich-Haskell-Baxandall Research Centre (G.H.B. Centre), Chinese Painting and Calligraphy Appreciation Research Centre, History of Art History Research Centre, Research Centre of Epigraphy, Literature and Artifacts.
The school has used its international academic mobilization ability to invite more than 30 famous scholars, philosophers, curators and cultural theorists from different countries as guest professors, international researchers and visiting scholars to form an interdisciplinary and multi-field international collaborative research team so as to form a diversed-interactive knowledge system and teaching network, therefore constantly expanding new areas of art studies and visual culture studies.
The School of Art and Humanities has shaped its own unique academic research style and visual theories and methods with Chinese characteristics. It has made great achievements and published a large number of important papers and monographs. It takes national, provincial and ministerial level of important research topics. Its teaching quality and academic influence has always been in the forefront among art colleges and universities in China. Two doctoral theses guided by Professor Fan Jingzhong are listed on the 100 national excellent thesis list.
Many graduates from the school are now working actively in different colleges and universities, art galleries, museums, media and other art institutions, playing important roles in administration and act as core members on academic research. They have made significant contribution to China’s artistic development.
The School of Art and Humanities also runs the E.H. Gombrich Memorial Lectures, Pan Tianshou Memorial Lectures, Urban Culture and Visual Production and other high level academic forum, to keep equal academic exchanges and positive academic image in the international community. It is an important cultural project for Zhejiang province and even for the country,representing the authority and distinction of relevant research field in China.
