2026 Annual General Meeting

Please join us for the Sixteenth Annual General Meeting of The University of Hong Kong Museum Society Limited on Wednesday, 3 June 2026, 18:00 at the Biblioteca (Library) on the 23rd Floor of Club Lusitano, Printing House, 16 Ice House Street, Central, Hong Kong.  After the Annual General Meeting, the Executive Committee is pleased to invite members to join a lecture, “Building Stages is Not Enough:  Who Are We Becoming as a Cultural City” presented by Professor Anna CY Chan, Director of The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.  This lecture will be followed with dinner at Salao Nobre De Camoes (Ballroom) on the 27th Floor of Club Lusitano.

Lecture: “Building Stages Is Not Enough: Who Are We Becoming as a Cultural City?” 
By Professor Anna CY Chan, Director of The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts 

Synopsis:

Hong Kong’s recent cultural resurgence is marked by the return of major international art fairs and festivals, as well as the inauguration of large-scale venues such as Kai Tak Sports Park and the East Kowloon Cultural Centre, alongside the sustained activities of institutions including M+, the Hong Kong Palace Museum, the West Kowloon Cultural District, and Tai Kwun.  While these developments signal renewed vitality and heightened global engagement, this keynote presentation raises a critical question:  if Hong Kong is focused on constructing “stages,” what kind of cultural city is it becoming?  It advocates a shift from infrastructure-centric ambitions toward a stronger emphasis on cultural identity, education, and community involvement. Drawing comparisons with cities celebrated for their artistic movements rather than their architecture, the speaker urges Hong Kong to cultivate a distinctive cultural voice grounded in its history, hybridity, tensions, and aspirations.

The speech contends that education constitutes the most important form of cultural infrastructure, calling for arts education that cultivates “cultural citizens” and is accessible across all districts, rather than serving only elite communities.  It further cautions against overreliance on spectacle — such as mega-events, international fairs, and headline performances — without sustained investment in the slower, foundational work of cultural creation: commissioning new works, supporting emerging artists and curators, preserving heritage and archival resources, and fostering conditions conducive to artistic experimentation and risk-taking.  Ultimately, the address reframes Hong Kong’s cultural trajectory as a transition from consumption to creation. Rather than pursuing the designation of a “global cultural centre” as an end in itself, it urges the city to build an ecosystem defined by cross-disciplinary integration, social inclusion, and integrity in scholarship and artistic inquiry.  The concluding appeal is both collective and forward-looking, calling on cultural leaders, educators, museum professionals, patrons, and community stakeholders to build not only physical venues but also enduring cultural futures — ensuring that Hong Kong is recognised internationally not for branding, but for substance and authenticity.

Guest Speaker:

Professor Anna CY Chan is the Director of The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and a distinguished leader in performing arts education with 35 years of experience. Her contributions span academia, arts administration, production, and international collaboration.

She is currently a member of the Performing Arts Committee of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, Director of the Tai Kwun Board, and Chair of its Culture and Arts Programme Committee.  Additionally, she serves as the Dance Advisor for the Hong Kong Arts Development Council and President of the World Dance Alliance.  Professor Chan has restructured HKAPA’s organisational framework and driven its long-term strategic development, enhancing academic governance and self-accreditation.  

Her commitment to sustainability includes advocating for SDG-aligned initiatives, such as green theatres. As a scholar-practitioner, she holds professorial and visiting appointments in Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland.  She was the inaugural Head of Dance at the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority and co-founded the Asia Network for Dance (AND+). 

Trained in Hong Kong, Australia, and the UK, she holds a Professional Dancer Diploma from the Royal Ballet School, an MA in Dance Studies, and an M.Ed. Her achievements include the Hong Kong Dance Award and AmCham Leading Woman in Arts, Sports & Leisure. 

Professor Anna CY Chan
Director of The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts