Howard Chan (Hong Kong, China)
Howard CHAN works as a cultural programmer in Hong Kong. Chan has been concerned with the bridging of different knowledge areas and resources in the society. In 2002, he co-founded and chairs the Community Museum Project (CMP), a curatorial/research collective that disseminates and articulates the culture and practice of everyday life. As part of this collective, he co-curated Objects of Demonstration (2002, 2004), (This is Not) Fake Museum (2003), Street as Museum series (2005), Designs By Users (2005), and In Search of Marginalized Wisdom: Sham Shui Po Craftspeople Exhibition (2007). With community as the subject and settings, and crossing the boundaries of exhibition, publication and tours, CMP uses “museum” as a method to give shape to vernacular culture often overlooked by the society. Recently, CMP has formed School of Indigenous Creativity (SIC) together with art organizations in Hong Kong and the Netherlands. SIC is a social enterprise model that based on knowledge exchange and creativity. In 2007, SIC organized the first Socially Yours: Alternative Design Networking Seminar, an international platform for socially progressive creative practitioners.
Chan has been active in the community-driven cultural scene in Hong Kong and overseas. In 1998, he co-founded the independent art space 1aspace. He co-organized IN-BETWEEN: International Conference-Exhibit Program on Independent Art Space 2001 and 2002 and is a working member of Intra-Asia Network, which unites the artist-in-residence programme organizers in Asia-Pacific.
