Autumn of Ah Ba Zhou by Ko Nan.

The tapering fingers of her right hand lightly rested on her left wrist, the Goddess of Mercy, or Kwan-yin, is gazing to her right, as if deep in thought. Her beauty reminds us of noble women depicted in Tang Dynasty paintings. Yet there's a solemnity about her, commanding veneration from the viewers.

Combining the styles of Wu Tao-chi, the monk Wei Chi-yi and Dunhuang murals, this gold color lined drawing exemplifies the accomplishments of Jao Tsung-i as a traditional Chinese painter and an art historian.

Well, you can have it in your sitting room for free, thanks to the Artwork on Loan program.

Fine art for free

Launched in Hong Kong in August 2003, Artwork on Loan is a joint program by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council (HKADC) and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. The program makes duplicates of works by 27 local artists and lends them to the public through Hong Kong Public Library.

The purpose is to "bring art into people of every walks of life," said Winnie Yip, Director of Arts Promotion and Corporate Affairs of HKADC.

"Usually, people think of museums and exhibitions when they think of fine art. But they don't necessarily have time to appreciate one piece when visiting a museum. Or, it could be difficult to fit a museum visit into the schedule in the first place," she said.

Goddess of Mercy by Jao Tsung-i.

The pleasure could be much greater if people can take an artwork to their homes and workplaces, where they can appreciate its beauty at leisure. Also, it's more fun to enjoy it with people. "You can view the artwork together with your family or friends and talk about it," Yip said.

The idea of lending out artworks through the library came up at a meeting at HKADC. "The library was lending out CDs as well as books...Why not lending out artworks, too?" said Lorenex Leung, Arts Promotion Manager of HKADC.

Although a first-of-its-kind in Hong Kong, the project won ready support. "It's a great cooperation project with the library, which has a well-developed system to reach the public. People could borrow artworks as conveniently as they borrow a book."

In the past five years, more than 100 artwork duplicates have been borrowed more than 5,000 times. "That's more than 300 loans per month," Yip said.

Schools have been active borrowers. More than 90 schools have staged mini-exhibitions with artworks borrowed under the program.

To keep schools involved, HKADC sends them newsletters on the program regularly. It also made arrangements for artists to visit the schools and hold interactive workshops.

For many, the creation of artworks remains a mystery. In the workshops, the children can learn from the artists themselves how they transform an inspiration into an expression. And they are given opportunities to do some artistic creation themselves, said Yip.

This is great art education. "How to cultivate an art appreciation? If you never had a chance to experience the art, you would not understand it," she said.

The online catalogue of the Artwork On Loan (www.hkegallery.com) has functioned as an art educational channel as well, Yip said.

The website lists the artists' own explanation and notes along with their artworks. Containing multimedia demonstration, mini-tutorials on Chinese painting and calligraphy, watercolors and oil paintings help the initiated to gain basic understanding on art.

Showcasing disabled artists

Participatory artists, invited by the HKADC, are mainly winners of art awards including Hong Kong Art Biennial Exhibition, Visual Arts Achievement Award, the Fellowship for Artistic Development Award and the Rising Artist Award of HKADC.

The artists could choose five artworks, which would be reproduced and made available to the public, said Yip.

Also invited are artists from the Arts with the Disabled Association of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Artists Society, Hong Kong Lan Ting Society and Hong Kong Association of Amateur Calligraphers.

When the project was launched in 2003, Hong Kong was recovering from the SARS crisis. "We had hoped to convey a positive message to the public, so we made a point to include the artists from the Arts with the Disabled Association," Leung said.

As it turned out, the works by the disabled artists are among the most popular items on the project.

While famous masters such as Jiao Tsung-i have ardent fans, there's also a lot of interest for Chan Tung-mui, who is spastic and paints with her left foot, and Ko Nan, the deaf painter known for his unique style in scenery paintings.

"It's probably because people came to know about these artists through the school exhibitions, which often showcase the disabled artists," Leung said.

HKADC is expanding the program this year by increasing the number of artists to 60. The number of artworks will total 280. The 33 new artists will be introduced in three batches in May, July and October.

Besides the usual channels, HKADC hopes to engage more malls or shopping centers in promoting the Artwork on Loan program.

Yip cited a show at the Telford Plaza as a success example. "Telford had artwork duplicates wrapped around its pillars. It's very interesting... People get a chance to appreciate art when they're shopping," she said.

"To bring artworks to daily life, so fine art is no longer remote. This is what we're trying to do," Yip said.

(HK Edition 06/26/2008 page4)