Spotlight On YAFies: Shek Mei-ting

Shek Mei-ting
Head of Visual Arts, Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation 

What is your role with Standard Chartered Arts in the Park?
I coordinate the art stalls and related activities. This includes conceptualising content, sourcing materials, recruiting artists and youth volunteers, arranging volunteer training, scheduling staff and managing crowd flow.

What three phrases sum up the Standard Chartered Arts in the Park experience for you?
Arts for all, joy, and youth power.

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What’s the most challenging part of organising a large community arts event? 
The weather is a significant factor, especially as Hong Kong is often affected by typhoons. But whether you’re organising outdoor or indoor events, it’s essential to coordinate with multiple partners, staff and participants – sometimes hundreds or even thousands – often on short notice and in unpredictable weather. Being prepared to implement various contingency measures is essential.

You have years of experience working with young people. What do you find unique about it?
The unconventional thinking and vitality of young people from different backgrounds is a constant reminder to maintain a sense of curiosity, optimism, adaptability and a willingness to try. Engaging in work related to youth arts is always full of surprises – it’s given me a deep understanding of the concept of “mutual learning.”

What was your most unforgettable experience at Standard Chartered Arts in the Park?
After the COVID-19 pandemic, Standard Chartered Arts in the Park 2023 returned to the Central Lawn at Victoria Park. The whole team was super excited during the preparation process, but we were also concerned that we might not be as well coordinated as before, and that things might not run as smoothly.

As we were about to finish setting up, standing on the lush green lawn of Victoria Park, looking at the blue sky and white clouds, breathing in the fresh air and the scent of grass, I saw the staff working to get everything done. My colleagues and the team exchanged knowing glances and said, “AIP is back!” It was a deeply touching moment.

Standard Chartered Arts in the Park is not just an annual celebration of youth creativity, it’s a beautiful collective memory shared among colleagues and long-term partners, and the result of years of accumulated experience.

If you weren’t an art administrator, what would you do for work?
I wouldn’t mind being a Pilates coach or a mountaineer! 

If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
I’d like to be able to heal people’s hearts.

What advice do you have for youngsters who are passionate about the visual arts? 
First, never stop cultivating your thinking skills, language abilities and craftsmanship, and develop an aesthetic sensibility – these qualities will guide you throughout your life. 

Learn to be flexible in the way you use technology but understand the foundations of tradition, history and culture.

Knowledge comes from books as well as from experience of the world. Keep an open mind about new and old things, seek out knowledge and learn how to think for yourself.

Last but not least, stay humble, persistent, resilient and flexible, and be bold in your practice and your collaborations.