Cardiff Met Art And Design Students Visit Partner University In China
Art and Design students from Cardiff Metropolitan University received a warm welcome when they arrived in China for a two week art exchange, which was supported by the University’s short term mobility funding.
Professor Olwen Moseley, Dean of Cardiff School of Art and Design (CSAD), and Dr Keireine Canavan, Subject Leader for Textiles, accompanied the 15 undergraduate students visiting the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology (BIFT) and Cardiff Met’s China office, which is also located in Beijing.
The itinerary included lectures delivered by Professor Olwen Moseley and Dr Keireine Canavan, student workshops, networking events and activities, dedicated on campus advice and interviews with prospective students, an exhibition of CSAD student work on the BIFT campus, and discussions about opportunities for joint research and PhD supervision as well as the structure and delivery of joint Masters.
In addition to the exchange and its learning activities, the CSAD students experienced Chinese culture, history and food, and visited the national museum, Wangfujing Street, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, and the 798 Art District.
Cardiff Met’s China office facilitated the visit in terms of organising the practical logistics and trips for the students. Professor Olwen Moseley commented on the excellent work of the China office: “I was particularly impressed with the professionalism and support from our China office, who went out of their way to ensure that the business was conducted efficiently and effectively, and with a sense of pride and belonging to the Cardiff Met family.”
The arrangements for the visit consisted of each CSAD student having a student buddy from BIFT, who were present to welcome the group at Beijing airport and remained together for the rest of the trip. Isabella Bilstein, a BA Ceramics student, talked about her experience in terms of student support: “The friendship, patience and goodwill of the Chinese students have inspired me to be giving and welcoming to international students who will come to study at my university.”
As a result of this short term mobility trip students have applied for more opportunities to study overseas through International Credit Mobility, where BIFT, is an Erasmus+ partner, for example.
Professor Mohamed Loutfi explained what a good opportunity the trip to Beijing was for Cardiff Met: “A concerted effort in preparation by colleagues in the International and Partnerships Office and CSAD led to a very successful relation building opportunity with BIFT and other Chinese institutions. I understand there are great hopes for quality relationships for CSAD in China and I look forward to seeing this first visit produce results in the near future.”
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