On Tuesday, April 21, 2026, a lecture titled “Writing and Constructing: Curating and Implementing the Permanent Exhibition of the Hubei Museum of Art” was held at the School of Fine Arts, Nanjing Normal University. The speaker, Hu Ying, Deputy Director of the Hubei Museum of Art, shared insights based on the museum’s major long-term exhibition project, “A Century in Perspective: Documentary Exhibition of 20th-Century Hubei Art.” The lecture offered a systematic account of the transformation of Chinese art institutions from exhibition venues into fully developed art museums, providing a representative case for regional art history, institutional research, and archival construction.

Drawing on the historical development of modern Chinese art museums, Hu emphasized that permanent exhibitions are a defining feature distinguishing museums from temporary exhibition venues. She noted that they serve as a comprehensive manifestation of the museum’s core functions, including collection, research, exhibition, education, communication, and public service, aligning closely with the latest definition of museums by the International Council of Museums, as well as with contemporary principles of public engagement and cultural transmission.

Completed over four years, “A Century in Perspective” is the first long-term exhibition project in China to focus on regional art history as its central subject. It has been recognized as an outstanding exhibition by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and has become an important model for the professional transformation of art museums. The exhibition is structured into three major sections—the Republican period, the early decades of the People’s Republic of China, and the reform era—presenting a comprehensive narrative of 20th-century Hubei art. It addresses key themes such as art societies, art education, wartime art, industrial printmaking, folk sculpture, and avant-garde movements. Through the systematic organization of a vast body of newspapers, journals, and primary documents, the project provides valuable local evidence for the study of social art history and visual culture.

In discussing the implementation and structural development of the exhibition, she outlined a complete academic process, including archival surveys, expert consultation, collection of exhibits, exhibition design, and public communication. Building on its permanent exhibition, the Hubei Museum of Art has established six major collection directions and developed a series of branded triennial exhibitions focusing on lacquer art, industrial printmaking, art documentation, and sculpture. This has fostered a coordinated framework that integrates historical research with contemporary practice, and local cultural traditions with international exchange.

Grounded in the practical experience of the Hubei Museum of Art, the lecture responded to key issues in contemporary art history and museum studies, offering a valuable methodological reference for the writing of regional art history and the development of academic systems within art museums.