Kwang-Wu Kim, former president of the Longy School of Music,
named dean of Herberger College of Fine Arts
After 12 years as dean of the Herberger College of Fine Arts, J. Robert Wills has retired. Kwang-Wu Kim, president of the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, Mass., will replace Wills in hopes to offer new thoughts and bring new energy to the college.
Kim believes current educational approaches in the fine arts encourage the isolation of artists, as opposed to orienting them to find new ways of sharing their gifts in the world and connecting to people and society. "I am concerned because that which gifted young artists have to offer is valuable and necessary, but too often it is not being shared with the world. I tend to think that one of the problems is that something is not right about the educational model," Kim said.
As president of the Longy School of Music since 2001, Kim has worked to discard the traditional isolation and expose students to the outside world. The Longy School of Music, unlike more traditional conservatories, commits itself to preparing musicians to make a difference in the world. While it offers the same level of rigorous training expected of all major conservatories - it is unique in requiring that all students learn to utilize their talents working with non-traditional audiences and in non-traditional settings. This requirement is designed to connect students with the outside world and help them learn about themselves and their relationship with society.
Kim plans to implement this same idea in the Herberger College of Fine Arts when he arrives August 1. "I happen to believe that the arts - whether we are talking about visual arts, performing arts, music or other forms - express our basic humanity and that the experience of the arts will always be relevant. However, in many cases artists, in the way they are educated, are increasingly isolated rather than connected to the world."
Kim's rethinking of purpose and models in fine arts education fits the mission of ASU President Michael Crow, whose New American University vision is reshaping the educational landscape. "President Kim is a first rate intellect who will bring tremendous energy and creativity to the already outstanding Herberger College," Crow said. "In addition he is deeply connected to the broader community and will provide leadership to our social engagement objectives."
His drive for innovation and redesign extends beyond fine arts education. "If the question is about relevance, there has to be discussion about change in the arts that factor in new technologies, new thinking and new understanding of what the world looks like," Kim said. "There has to be a fundamental commitment to experimentation and exploration but also an equally fundamental commitment to clear-sighted evaluation. In a climate in which the new is highly valued, you also want to make sure there is critical judgment being applied to the content, so that it's not only about new surfaces."
Kim's prior experience includes artistic and administrative director positions with El Paso Pro-Musica and the El Paso Chamber Music Festival, which he co-founded. He has held teaching positions with the Longy School of Music, the University of Texas at El Paso, the Peabody Institute and Dickinson College. Kim holds a doctor of musical arts degree from the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University and a bachelor's degree in philosophy, magna cum laude, from Yale University.
Other professional activities Kim participates in includes guest faculty and speaking engagements at Stanford University and the Harvard Graduate School of Education, juror and panelist positions with the International Piano Competition for Young Musicians in the Netherlands, the National Association of Schools of Music, and at the New England Conservatory, the Boston Conservatory and the Boston Arts Academy. A student of legendary pianist Leon Fleisher, Kim gave his debut at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art and was presented at the Marlboro Music Festival by then artistic director Rudolf Serkin. Since that time, he has continued to perform around the world as orchestral soloist, recitalist and chamber musician.
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