ABSTRACT
This chapter centers on the endeavors of art historian-turned-educator Hu Jianqiang and performance artist Wang Jun in providing art education for underprivileged children in their desire to tackle education inequality, a prevailing problem in contemporary China. Hu established the People’s Kindergarten in 2010 for his rural hometown Yebu village to promote a rural life and nature-oriented curriculum that focuses on collaborative learning, creative expression, problem solving, and socially engaged art education. Wang established the Mentor Academy in 2015 in Lianghe county to offer free training in art education, creative mind development, and handicrafts for local children. Analyzing the different approaches Hu and Wang have adopted as they strive to expose marginalized children to the benefits of art, the chapter highlights their activism in creating an art-centered nurturing environment for learning and character-building.
