RECREATION, SPORTS AND THE ARTS
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seats), Lim Por Yen Film Theatre (193 seats) and McAulay Studio (80 seats); five galleries: two Pao's Galleries, Photographic Gallery, Experimental Gallery and Atrium Gallery; a Media Centre and over 30 000 square metres of classrooms, practice rooms and other facilities. In addition, the Arts Centre building contains over 35 000 square metres of office space let commercially, as well as a fast food shop and a full dining restaurant.
The Hong Kong Arts Centre is an independent, non-profit making multi- disciplinary arts organisation focusing principally on contemporary arts: visual, film, video, new media and performing arts. A major element of its work is in arts. education both at degree and certificate level and in providing a full range of leisure and arts education and teacher training programmes and courses.
The organisation does not receive any annual subvention but instead funds its wide ranging programmes from box office receipts, tuition fees, rental income, sponsorship, donations and one-off grants for special projects.
Programme highlights of the year included: a local arts festival Festival NOW ‘99; the exhibitions The Projects of Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Focus 98 at the Frontline, Dimensions of Design-100 Classical Seats, Ross Crossing; the film programmes The Age of Independents: New Asian Film & Video, The French New Wave, Max Film Festival and European Film Festival; the performing arts programmes Super-per Bak Truppen from Norway, All Independent Dance Series, Aladdin and Little Asia ‘99; and special projects Visual Arts Competition for Teenagers-In Praise of the New Century, Beijing Summer Art Camp 99, the 5th Hong Kong Independent Short Film and Video Awards, the Art in Hospital Project and a German Museum Tour.
Hong Kong Jockey Club Music and Dance Fund
The Hong Kong Jockey Club Music and Dance Fund was set up in 1980 with a donation of $10 million from the Hong Kong Jockey Club for the promotion and development of music and dance. It is a non-statutory trust fund, administered by a board of trustees. In 1994, the Jockey Club provided a further capital injection of $22 million to meet the increasing demand for support.
During 1999, the fund awarded eight scholarships and 156 grants totalling $4.9 million. The scholarships enabled young people to pursue an integrated programme of post-diploma studies, post-graduate studies or professional training in music or dance studies outside Hong Kong at world-renowned institutions. The grants helped local schools and organisations to acquire or repair musical instruments and dance equipment, and to set up orchestras or dance groups.
Music Office
The Music Office, which was jointly managed by the two provisional municipal councils, promotes general music education among the public, especially young people, through the provision of music training and music promotion activities.
The Music Office hosted 3 836 trainees and 1 034 students in a total of 731 instrumental music training classes and 127 outreach interest classes respectively in 1999. Besides major annual events such as the summer music camp, music interflows and international youth music exchange programmes, 300 outreach educational programmes were organised for 145 000 participants during the year.