Guan Shanyue Art Museum turns art into hands-on learning experiences

The Guan Shanyue Art Museum is redefining public art education by transforming its galleries into interactive classrooms where visitors do not simply view art — they create it.

On Sept. 4 and 5, the museum concluded its “Forging Paths — Art Research Exhibition of the Chunshui Fellows” with an immersive event that saw participants dress in 1930s-style attire and use UV flashlights to role-play as members of the Chunshui Painting Academy. It was a fitting finale to an exhibition that placed participation above passive viewing.

A child in 1930s-style attire during an event for “Forging Paths — Art Research Exhibition of the Chunshui Fellows” at the Guan Shanyue Art Museum earlier this month. Photos courtesy of the art museum

A participant makes a relief-printmaking bookmark at an event held Sept. 18 in conjunction with the “Charm of Plurality” exhibition at the Guan Shanyue Art Museum.

The museum’s Shanyue Academy summer program also brought families into the creative process. On Aug. 9, 15 families folded and glued paper to create a three-dimensional parrot after viewing works by Yang Shanshen and Su Wonong, turning a gallery visit into a hands-on introduction to Lingnan’s artistic heritage.

Throughout the summer, Shanyue Academy hosted lectures, guided tours and workshops connected to the museum’s exhibitions. On Aug. 1, artist Wen Zhe and curator He Xiang, from “Constellation: The Art Ecosystem of Gongbi Painting Over 12 Years of ‘Youth Koans,’” led a “voxel cuisine” workshop. Using game-like logic, participants explored the techniques and creative principles behind gongbi, or fine-brush, painting.

The museum also expanded its creative media beyond paper and ink to include ceramics, plant dyeing and bead art. On July 31, a workshop invited visitors to create miniature artworks from colorful beads inspired by the “Chunshui” exhibition. On Aug. 30, a tie-dye workshop with the Liyuan Education Group Baihua Campus Affiliated Kindergarten used natural sappanwood dye to express Lingnan’s aesthetic of space on fabric.

A tie-dye workshop co-organized by the Guan Shanyue Art Museum and the Liyuan Education Group Baihua Campus Affiliated Kindergarten on Aug. 30.

The Guan Shanyue Art Musuem’s outdoor public program “Botanical Impressions,” held during this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival, won widespread acclaim from the public.

Beyond its own walls, the museum extended its reach through partnerships with schools. On July 15, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University joined the museum’s “Bay Area Seed Program,” launching the exhibition “Epochal Echo of Ink: Contemporary Interpretations of Chinese Aesthetics Across Time” along with a series of workshops featuring AI-assisted ink painting, art therapy and a digital journey through classical Chinese landscapes.

The museum even took art underground. This summer, it launched a themed train on Shenzhen Metro Line 11, “Next Stop, Guan Shanyue,” alongside pop-up activities such as hand-painted wind chimes, vinyl-record art and fabric printmaking. With the metro carrying 8 million passengers daily, the initiative brought art into commuters’ everyday routines.

The Guan Shanyue Art Museum transforms academic exhibitions from static displays into hands-on, participatory experiences through interdisciplinary collaboration, game design and cross-sector partnerships.

Chen Junyu, director of the Guan Shanyue Art Museum, said the museum’s philosophy is simple: Art should not remain confined to white walls — it should grow throughout the city and flow through everyday life. “We hope art will no longer be something you travel to see, but something you live with every day,” he said.

From UV-light role-play and AI-assisted ink painting to gallery workshops and subway carriages, the Guan Shanyue Art Museum is dissolving the boundaries between art and daily life, making everyone a co-creator of culture.