The Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts (FAA) at Chulalongkorn University celebrated its 40th anniversary on 29 February 2024, with a series of events, including awards ceremonies, merit making and concerts. In tandem with the celebrations, the FAA also relaunched ART4C, a gallery facility that showcases artworks from current students and FAA alumni.
During the past 40 years, the FAA has developed into one of Thailand’s top fine arts faculties with its graduates flourishing across diverse industries, both in Thailand and abroad. Presently, the faculty boasts 13 programs, including three international offerings, catering to 857 Thai and International students; FAA has a total of 58 full-time lecturers, including 12 professors.
Among 59 outstanding alumni who received awards at a ceremony on 29 February for their contributions to art and society, the FAA presented the Outstanding Honourable Alumni Award to Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya, in honour of her work as a fashion designer.
FAA Dean Professor Kumkom Pornprasit noted in her keynote address that “the faculty stands as a beacon for the arts in Thailand, thanks to faculty members, retired lecturers, and renowned guest lecturers/artists, including national artists, and independent creative artists.”
Professor Pornprasit said that the FAA would continue to leverage the “transformative power of fine arts to serve society sustainably”. In an era dominated by digital innovations, she said that the FAA recognizes the profound impact of technology on our lives and is keen to harness its potential in art, through FAA’s initiatives, such as digital arts and the FAAMAI Digital Art Hub.
More recently, the FAA has pioneered music and expressive art therapy in Thailand through new international graduate courses and outreach programs with partner faculties to provide therapy for students and staff at the university. With emerging programs like music therapy and art therapy, the faculty is committed to serving society’s evolving needs.
On 1 March, students from the Department of Thai Traditional Music and the Department Dance performed at the faculty in a merit making ceremony. To complete the 40th anniversary celebrations, a Home Coming event was held in the evening of 2 March with talent shows, mini-concerts, and a ceremony for undergraduates known as the “artist lighting ceremony” to welcome the 41st batch of new undergraduates. By receiving a torch lit by current and past lecturers and alumni, new students are officially accepted as FAA students.
To coincide with the 40th anniversary of FAA’s founding, ART4C, the faculty’s dedicated gallery facility has been relaunched and repositioned to focus more on enabling artists to develop their portfolios and public visibility.
At the relaunch on 29 February, which featured an exhibition, The Map: A Survey of Works on Paper by Kade Javanalikhikara, ART4C Director Dr Haisang Javanalikhikara explained, “Art4C aims to promote sustainability in artistic practice. We decided to shift from a gallery and coffee shop to be an affordable art shop, showcasing Thai artists’ creativities. Exhibitions continue as before but our focus now is more on working with artists, building their profiles and connecting them to wider audiences. We also encourage art and cultural practitioners in any field to experiment with us.”