When we were about to travel to the United States, our friends at the FORD Foundation introduced us to the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, one of the world's largest cultural centers, and everyone was eager to visit it firsthand. However, on the day my friend had arranged for us to go to the Center, I kept experiencing "technical problems." I waited for the car for 30 minutes, but it didn't arrive due to traffic jams once again. The traffic in the United States is also not very smooth, and American drivers don't always adhere strictly to traffic rules. I witnessed many instances of cars running red lights, although typically only when turning right, as they tend to avoid passing straight through intersections due to heavy traffic, as such recklessness would likely lead to accidents. We also missed our "ride home" on numerous occasions, necessitating us to spend money on American taxis. This time, we were unable to book a taxi, so we had to take the subway. The tram tunnels in New York looked quite rundown and dirty, with water occasionally dripping from the ceiling. While walking on the street, I sometimes heard the sound of trams rumbling beneath my feet and saw hot steam rising from manholes, which turned out to be where gases were released from the tram tunnels.

After emerging from the subway, we walked for a while until we reached Columbus Avenue. A massive block of buildings stood right in front of us at the intersection of Columbus Avenue and Broadway: this was Lincoln Center! Built in the 1960s, the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts comprises 7 performance venues, including the New York City Opera House, the New York State Theatre, Avery Fisher Hall, and the New York State Opera, among others. It is also home to 12 independent arts organizations, such as the New York City Opera, the New York Symphony Orchestra, the New York City Ballet, and the Juilliard School. With its 7 massive buildings, including theaters and cinemas with seating capacities ranging from 2,800 to 3,700, the Center can accommodate up to 15,000 spectators simultaneously. Our friends at the FORD Foundation mentioned that artists and orchestras from around the world consider this an ideal venue for performances, and performing here is regarded as a mark of high artistic quality. The Thang Long puppet troupe and artist Dang Thai Son have also graced its stages. From the outside, the architecture may not appear particularly special, but the interior of each building within the Center is remarkable, as it is perfectly suited to its function. For example, the Symphony Hall features a rough wall structure and simple decoration, creating optimal sound transmission, making it audible from any seat. I sat in the back of the 2,800-seat auditorium, yet I could hear every note as clearly as if it were right next to me. The theater guide explained that the simplicity of the theater's decor was intentional to prevent distractions and keep the audience focused on the performance. Similarly, the opera theater with 3,700 seats for renowned artists is adorned with trinket-like objects, resembling jewelry boxes, and offers 6 tiers of seating, ensuring that every audience member has an unobstructed view of the stage. Indeed, this place can be considered one of the best in the world, as it houses such a large and modern collection of theaters in one location and hosts numerous prestigious arts organizations from around the world. It has maintained consistent performances over the past decades and offers regular weekly activities throughout the year, catering to audiences from all walks of life, not only from New York but also from across the globe.

Visiting, asking questions, and exploring this area can easily fill an entire day. Once you venture into the heart of these buildings, you realize the enormity of the place, with basements that seem to stretch endlessly and corridors resembling a labyrinth. Interestingly, guiding tourists through this area has become a profession, organized as guided tours that attract a diverse group of workers, including artists who have retired from their performing careers (referred to as "the sorry of the world" in Vietnam). Our spirited guide was an elderly woman, tall with a flat face, a pointed nose, and wrinkled skin, yet her facial features were remarkably expressive and playful. After each introduction to a section, as she led us to the next, she briskly moved along, often shaking her head and occasionally singing chamber music. Ms. Thuy assured me that she had once been an opera artist who had switched careers. Upon further inquiry, I discovered that she had originally been a ballet artist, which explained her tall, slender, and agile stature! As our tour of the Art Center area concluded, and we were about to bid farewell to this delightful and entertaining guide, she mentioned that there was a new opera performance scheduled for that evening, with tickets available for $15 each. Groups could purchase tickets to attend. I was grateful for the thoughtfulness of this artist-turned-tour guide and for the enjoyable marketing of American art.

Regenerate

Lincoln Center Art Education Institute

Despite our tardy arrival, we received a warm welcome from the staff of the Institute, all of whom were women. They introduced us to a bronze plaque inscribed with the words of the Center's founder before inviting us into their office.

The establishment and operation of the Institute draw inspiration from real-world experiences. People frequently share anecdotes about the lack of artistic awareness among students, often viewing it as a humorous challenge to overcome. The Center's female information director shared an incident from 13 years ago when a 13-year-old student expressed profound regret after watching an Indian dance performance, exclaiming, "There is such a unique art form in the world, and I've only just discovered it!" The Director of the higher education program paid tribute to Mr. Mat Trubat, the founder of the Lincoln Center (who sadly passed away a year and a half ago), and explained that during the early days of organizing art shows for students, Mr. Mat Trubat once sat among the audience and overheard the following conversation between a teacher and students:

Do you comprehend what they are doing?

No, teacher! What about you, teacher?

I'm just as clueless!

This conversation led Mr. Mat Trubat to the realization that merely staging art performances at schools would not suffice; there needed to be an emphasis on art education, starting with the educators themselves. Since then, the Institute has been dedicated to fostering collaboration between artists and educators to promote art appreciation among students, from kindergarten to middle and high school, within the context of America's non-compulsory art education in schools.

Programs that integrate the arts into education for both students and teachers are carried out through partnerships with school clusters in New York, Connecticut, and New Zealand. These initiatives aim to train educators who will collaborate with our students, enabling them to explore and appreciate art through field trips that complement their curriculum.

Over the past 25 years, the Lincoln Center Art Education Institute has developed and standardized its own esteemed approach to art education, challenging students to learn about art and study through artistic expression. In collaboration with educators, the Institute has conducted practical research focusing on various forms of art, including dance, music, theatre, fine arts, and architecture. This process-oriented approach underscores the comprehensive role that the arts can and should play in education. By encouraging students to question and investigate, the Lincoln Center Art Education Institute promotes cross-curricular learning, fosters critical analytical thinking skills, and cultivates creativity in student expression. As a result, unexpected connections are forged, diverse perspectives are considered, complexities are explored, and doors to new imaginative worlds are opened.

The activities of the Lincoln Center Art Education Institute are rooted in the principles of aesthetic education, drawing inspiration from innovative educators such as Jon Duauy, Maxine Grin, and Houot Gatne. "Aesthetic education" expands the conventional boundaries of education to encompass the art world, asserting that works of art offer an endless source of inquiry, reflection, and comprehension. Regardless of age, every individual possesses the capacity to respond to a work of art in ways that challenge preconceived notions, encourage fresh perspectives, and deepen their understanding. This uninhibited process of reflection enhances cognitive abilities in profound and meaningful ways. Simultaneously, aesthetic education nurtures an internal understanding of the artistic choices that contribute to any given work of art. Students learn to deeply appreciate art, engage in thoughtful analysis of artworks, and fortify fundamental skills such as abstract thinking, problem-solving, and readiness to apply these skills in their studies and everyday life.

This experiential approach employed by the Lincoln Center Art Education Institute has truly captivated children, inspiring them to learn, research, think critically, and engage in discussions. To ensure that art education aligns with the overarching educational objectives outlined in the core curriculum, the Institute pairs educators with artists who provide instruction within schools. Through careful scheduling, this collaborative effort results in the design of classroom activities that allow students to thoroughly investigate a work of art while establishing connections across the entire educational program. In this manner, teachers not only contribute their expertise as professional educators but also participate as students within an engaging and vibrant learning environment.

Currently, the Institute of Art Education Technology collaborates with 255 schools in 61 school clusters across three states in the United States. It has initiated several innovative movements to make arts education an integral part of every student's learning experience. These initiatives include the School Partnership Focus Project, which collaborates with eight schools in New York, aiming to deepen and expand the practice of integrating art into education by incorporating art appreciation into every classroom and involving the entire school community. Additionally, the project focuses on partnering with higher education institutions to incorporate art education into the curriculum of selected teacher training programs, as well as hosting the National Educators Conference, which brings together teachers and administrators from across the nation. The Institute also offers regular professional development workshops tailored to the specific needs of individual schools or school clusters.

Since its inception, the Institute has been recognized as a leading organization in the field of art education, serving as a source of inspiration for both theoretical and practical innovations in integrating art into education. It serves as a model for 21 similar organizations, including 19 in the United States and 2 in Australia. These institutions have now come together as the Association of Institutes of Aesthetic Education, an international organization dedicated to promoting the importance of aesthetic education as a vital component of the educational system.

With remarkable achievements in the aforementioned activities, the administrators of the Lincoln Center Art Education Institute assert that the Institute stands as a leading organization in the global effort to advocate for the role of art in education, not only within the United States but across the world.

Playing a pivotal role in supporting the Institute's endeavors is the Information Center. Housing an extensive collection of materials, including books, newspapers, magazines, tapes, discs, and images, the Information Center serves as an invaluable resource utilized by artists involved in education throughout the school year. One of the Center's notable contributions is the publication of a book called "Art Windows," which serves as an introduction to various works of art, artists, the creative process, staging, social and cultural contexts, as well as feedback and evaluations of these works. Annually, the Center releases between 7 to 9 such books, all of which focus on works within the domains of dance, music, and theater, each of which has a substantial performance history of at least 350 presentations. While the books contain reference materials, they deliberately refrain from including curriculum or teaching content. When educators visit the Information Center, they peruse books and videos, subsequently determining the content to incorporate into their lesson plans, ranging from the appreciation of the artwork to converting it into a learning experience for their students.

When questioned about the funding sources for these activities, the Deputy Director of the Institute of Art Education chuckled and remarked, "More than 90% of the U.S. population recognizes the importance of integrating music into the educational curriculum. However, when it comes to budget allocation, the number of supporters begins to dwindle. Therefore, we must generate our own funding to bring our ideas to fruition." She elaborated on the diverse financial sources, including revenue from schools (any school participating in the Institute's educational program incurs expenses for training). This serves as a significant revenue stream, constituting two-thirds of their funding. The remaining portion is sourced from government grants, organizations, and individual contributions. The fees charged to schools are carefully regulated; for example, a school sending 5 teachers to study 2 works must contribute $6,000, which is used to compensate performing artists and instructors. She further explained, "Our collaboration with schools in training is also adaptable; we have partnered with two universities to train master's degree candidates, and these universities confer master's degrees or certificates to those who study with us concurrently during their graduate studies. Individuals who have completed their undergraduate degrees but have not yet become teachers can also enroll with us to become art educators."

In summary, New York places a special emphasis on art education for students, employing effective methods such as a team of trained teachers and modern pedagogical approaches that encourage students to actively and creatively engage with art. Through the guidance of teachers and artists, students are introduced to the world of art through a variety of activities, ranging from basic to complex, including collecting articles about a particular work of art, offering critiques of art-related articles in newspapers, and participating in listening exercises and analytical practice involving artworks. According to Institute management and art unit leaders, this approach also serves as an investment in cultivating a wider audience for the arts, nurturing a community of students who actively engage with and appreciate art in various forms.