On the afternoon of December 17, 2025, the third session of the “Arts Education Workshop” series organized by the School of Fine Arts at Nanjing Normal University was held in Room 110 of Xuehai Building on the Xianlin Campus. Professor Xu Jun of Zhejiang Normal University was invited to deliver a lecture titled “Developing and Utilizing Local Cultural Resources from the Perspective of Classical Heritage.” Bringing together theory and practice, the lecture was designed for undergraduate and graduate students in fine arts education. The event was moderated by Associate Professor Du Lijiao and attended by nearly 100 participants, including faculty and students from the School of Fine Arts and the School of Education Science, as well as primary and secondary school art teachers from Nanjing.

During the lecture, Professor Xu emphasized that the transmission of classical heritage should not be understood as the simple reproduction of traditional culture. Rather, it requires an in-depth exploration and creative transformation of local cultural resources, thereby contributing to the innovative development of China’s outstanding traditional culture. To illustrate this approach, he introduced the system of practical courses he has developed for foundational art education. Through eight thematic modules, including “The Art of Bookbinding,” “The Craft of Mortise and Tenon,” “The Legacy of Huzhou Brushes,” “The Art of Woodblock Printing,” and “The Beauty of Song Ceramics,” he examined the aesthetic values embedded in local cultural forms such as traditional bookbinding and Ming-style furniture, guiding participants to understand the cultural logic and craftsmanship underlying the beauty of traditional art.

Professor Xu placed particular emphasis on “living pedagogy” in the development and implementation of foundational art curricula. He advocated moving beyond the boundaries of the conventional classroom and bringing knowledge to life through authentic settings and hands-on experience. As an example, he presented a museum-school collaborative course in which specially designed, detachable pieces of Ming-style furniture were brought into the exhibition space, allowing students to assemble and explore traditional mortise-and-tenon structures themselves. This tactile and embodied approach transformed traditional craftsmanship from textbook knowledge into lived experience, enabling students to deepen their understanding through direct participation.

Regarding the development and teaching of courses on traditional arts and crafts, Professor Xu encouraged students to go beyond printed materials by conducting fieldwork, visiting craftspeople, and experiencing traditional practices in their original contexts. Such encounters, he explained, allow learners to better understand the cultural values, practical wisdom, and traditions of craftsmanship embodied in these practices. Foundational art education should not only communicate the pursuit of excellence associated with craftsmanship, but also guide students beyond technical skills to recognize the historical contexts and cultural identities they embody, ultimately bringing together the preservation of tradition and creative innovation.

Toward the end of the lecture, Professor Xu engaged in a lively discussion with students. In response to questions concerning the design of craft-based courses, he stressed that curriculum development should remain closely connected to the distinctive cultural characteristics of each craft, while providing structured and progressive aesthetic and cultural learning experiences appropriate to students’ needs. Participants commented that the lecture had opened up new perspectives on the development of art curriculum resources and provided valuable inspiration for their future teaching practice.

Through a combination of theoretical discussion and concrete teaching cases, the third session of the Arts Education Workshop vividly demonstrated how classical heritage can be integrated with local cultural resources in contemporary art education. The lecture further clarified the significance of the “creative transformation and innovative development” of traditional culture. Participants not only deepened their understanding of cultural inheritance, but also gained practical approaches to identifying local aesthetic resources and implementing “living pedagogy.” The event reinforced the importance of balancing continuity and innovation in the transmission of outstanding traditional culture, while opening up new possibilities for educating through art and cultivating students through culture in future art education practice and research.