The School of Arts was formerly the Visual Arts Institute which was established by Macao Cultural Institute in 1989. The School was incorporated into the Macao Polytechnic Institute in 1993. It now consists of three departments, namely, Department of Design, Department of Music and Department of Visual Arts. It is also the only institution in Macao SAR that offers diploma and degree programmes in design, visual arts and music. The mission of the School of Arts is to cultivate creative professionals who are able to take challenges and to facilitate development in the areas of design, arts and music.

The School attaches great importance to teaching and learning. With a “student first” philosophy, the School focuses on the enhancement of the overall quality and competence of both full-time and part-time staff members. After years of hard work and team-building, the School now has a multicultural faculty with diverse characteristics and full commitment to the cultivation of qualified graduates.

In the recent years, the faculty members of the School of Arts have been actively engaged in research projects funded by the Macao Polytechnic Institute, Macao Foundation and the Cultural Institute of Macao. Books and monographs that have been recently published include Research in Macao Music Education, Research in Macao Music Composition, Research in Renaissance Chorus, Prospect of Macao Higher Arts Education (on music, visual art and design), Cultural Interpretation of Chinese Piano Music, Exploration of Difficult Piano Techniques, Research in Techniques of Small Casting Sculpture, Research in Macao Music Performance, and 3D Design in Macao. More than one hundred articles and academic papers have been published in various journals and periodicals in Macao, Mainland China and overseas such as Journal of Macao Polytechnic Institute, Macao Teachers’ Journal, Macao Education, Journal of Sino-Western Cultural Studies, and Macao Daily. Some of these academic papers have been cited by professionals in design, music and visual arts in Hong Kong, Mainland China, Taiwan and overseas.

In addition, the artistic works of our faculty have been widely exhibited, purchased and used by many agencies and government offices; and some of the works of art have been collected by the National Art Museum of China. In recent years, our faculty members have also been invited to be juries and judges for many events, contests and competitions such as The National Campus Singing Contest, The Young Times Advertising Awards in Design, the 4th Macao East Asian Games medals and posters design, The Macao International Fireworks Display, Department of Education, School Singing Contest, The National Art Fair-Macao Division, various international and regional symposiums, visiting jury members for doctoral dissertations of the Beijing Central Conservatory, guest professors of the Xinghai Conservatory (Guangzhou), visiting lecturers for graduate and undergraduate students for Taiwan Normal University and Fu Jen Catholic University, arts education workshops and lectures for the symposiums in Europe and Australia, visiting conductors for Macao Orchestra and various choir clubs and concerts.

The School has also been active in promoting academic exchange and cooperation with leading universities in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and other regions. We have also invited prominent scholars and well-known specialists from around the world to visit the School of Arts, review the programmes and give public lectures. An MA in Fine Art programme has recently been established jointly by the School and China Central Academy of Fine Arts.