EN-US 
ZH 
Beyond teaching and research, Yuan Ze University faculty and staff revealed another dimension of their talents through painting and photography. Yuan Ze University’s Arts Center launched the “Hidden Talents: Yuan Ze University Faculty and Staff Art Exhibition Series.” The inaugural exhibition, “Hidden Talents: Joint Exhibition of Oil Painting and Photography,” was held at the Arts Center on the first floor of Yuan Ze Building 3 and ran through November 6.
It featured 17 oil paintings by I-Chun Liu, Professor in the Department of Social and Policy Sciences and Dean of Student Affairs, along with 15 photographs by Huang-Te Hu, retired professor of the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management. Together, the 32 works showcased the faculty members’ artistic talents through a rich interplay of color, light, and shadow.
The exhibition series was curated by Professor Lim Chor-Kheng, Director of the Arts Center and Chair of the Department of Art and Design, with support from the Public Affairs and Alumni Service Center. The series invited current and retired faculty and staff members from non-art and design backgrounds who had long pursued their own creative practices. Lim Chor-Kheng said that people on university campuses were often known primarily by their professional titles, while their interests and talents beyond their academic or administrative roles received far less attention. Many colleagues had devoted years to painting, photography, and crafts but had rarely had opportunities to exhibit their work publicly. She therefore hoped the exhibition series would bring the artistic talents hidden across the campus into the spotlight.
I-Chun Liu, Professor in the Department of Social and Policy Sciences and Dean of Student Affairs, had devoted many years to teaching and research in public policy and social welfare. Outside her demanding academic and administrative responsibilities, she turned to oil painting as a way to find inner calm and express her emotions. Under the theme “All Things Become Art, and the Heart Creates Its Own Scenery,” Liu depicted animals, flowers, plants, mountains, and seascapes. Her works included “Standing Against the Wind,” which portrayed a lion standing proudly on a rock with a sense of resilience, and “Strolling in the Morning Light,” which captured soft morning sunlight over a riverside streetscape and conveyed a tranquil atmosphere. Through rich layers of color and delicate brushwork, she incorporated observations of everyday life and personal emotions into her paintings, revealing a sensitive artistic perspective beyond her academic expertise.
Huang-Te Hu, retired professor of the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, presented his photography under the theme “Beauty Begins with Observation.” Introduced to photography by his father when he was in sixth grade, Hu continued to pursue photography throughout his life. His exhibited works featured cherry blossoms in Yu-Ziang Memorial Garden, dramatic sunset clouds above Yuan Ze Building 1 and the Student Activity Center, University anniversary celebrations, and crested goshawks that returned each year to nest near Yuan Ze Building 3. Through his lens, familiar corners of the campus were transformed into compelling images shaped by changing light and seasons.
Notably, the exhibition was integrated into the “Professional Internship” course of the master’s program in the Department of Art and Design. Graduate students participated in organizing information about the artworks, planning the exhibition space, and installing the exhibition. The experience allowed them to apply what they had learned in the classroom to actual curatorial work while gaining practical experience in arts administration and exhibition production, reflecting the Department’s emphasis on both theory and practice.
Lim Chor-Kheng noted that artistic creation was not exclusive to those in art-related fields. Through the exhibition, she hoped students would recognize that everyone could continue exploring interests beyond their professional expertise and enrich their lives through different creative pursuits. She added that the Arts Center would continue the exhibition series, with the next installment expected to focus on calligraphy, painting, and lifestyle crafts, providing more faculty and staff members with opportunities to share their creative work with the campus community.
