纽泽西美术学院在美建校已有近30年的历史。也培养了众多的优秀的青少年艺术家。大多数孩子七．八岁便跟随我学习绘画，并以绘画艺术做为特别专长，考入全美常春滕名校，目睹着她们成长过程我内心充满喜悦，因为我知道绘画将伴随她们一生，并给予她们自信和力量去追寻美好生活。 学习绘画的历程，是一个磨练和成长的过程。也是一个孩子在经历了美的教育后，审美趣味不断提高，再加上通过绘画技巧和造型能力的提升，更激发了对美好世界无穷的创造力的过程，她们考入哈佛，耶鲁，普林斯顿大学，等世界一流大学，毕业后依然保持联系，相互学习，共同进步。 在美国大学录取大学生的标准是多方位的，不仅看孩子的学习成绩，也看学生训练多方面的专长，如艺术专长，体育专长，尤其是绘画艺术更为直观，更能整体反映学生的整体素貭和水平。这30年来我教了上千名学生，并把600多位学生送进哈佛，耶鲁，普林斯顿，布朗，哥伦比亚，斯坦福，麻省理工学院，康乃儿，纽约大学，罗德岛设计学院，芝加歌美术学院，马里兰艺术学院，密西根大学，华盛顿大学，等全美著名大学。我很看重艺术教育的两个重点，其一是绘画基本功的训练，其二是绘画的想像力和创造力的训练这两者缺一不可。我很鼓励学生参加每年高中生的艺术AP測试，参加全美国会美术大𡧳和每年的scholastic的绘画比𡧳以提高学生的创作能力，和集累更好的作品为申请大学的特别专长做好作品的申请准备，通常做好24张作品。 当然随着时代进步和发展，以及AI的横空出世也对艺术家和艺术教学提出新的要求和目标。也要求艺术家以更加包容的艺术创作心态取Al之长，补己之短，再用艺术家所长一独特的想像力，加上Al提供的特别信息，有如为艺术家加上一双翅膀，任意遨翔。下面我选择了一些代表性的绘画作品展示于众，一是看到孩子们的创造力和技巧的完美结合，二是让更多的孩子相互学习，把中国的绘画精神于西方的绘画元素有机结合，创作出更多更美的积极向上的，不负于时代的美好作品，祝福。 一周勇
The New Jersey Academy of Fine Arts has nearly 30 years of history in the United States. It has nurtured numerous outstanding young artists. Most of the children began studying painting with me at the age of seven or eight. Taking visual art as their special strength, they gained admission to elite Ivy‑League universities across America. Witnessing their growth fills my heart with joy, for I know painting will stay with them throughout their lives, granting them confidence and strength to pursue a wonderful life.
The journey of learning to paint is one of discipline and growth. Through art education, children continuously refine their aesthetic taste. As their painting techniques and modeling skills improve, their boundless creativity for a beautiful world is further stimulated. Many of my students have been admitted to world‑class universities including Harvard, Yale, and Princeton. We remain in touch after their graduation, learning from one another and progressing together.
Admissions at American universities are holistic. They consider not only academic grades but also diverse specialized strengths such as artistic or athletic talents. Painting, in particular, offers an intuitive reflection of a student’s overall quality and competence.
Over these 30 years, I have taught thousands of students. More than 600 of them have been admitted to prestigious American institutions: Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Brown, Columbia, Stanford, MIT, Cornell, New York University, Rhode Island School of Design, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Maryland Institute College of Art, the University of Michigan, the University of Washington, and many others.
I emphasize two core pillars of art education: solid foundational painting training, and the cultivation of imagination and creativity. Neither can be neglected. I strongly encourage my students to take the AP Art exam for high‑school students each year, and to participate in the National Congressional Art Competition and the annual Scholastic Art Awards. These opportunities sharpen their creative abilities and help them build portfolios of roughly 24 artworks — essential for applying to universities with art as a specialized strength.
Of course, as times evolve, the advent of AI has set new expectations and goals for artists and art educators. Artists need to embrace an inclusive creative mindset: drawing on the strengths of AI to compensate for personal limitations, while bringing to bear their own greatest asset‑‑unique imagination. Combined with insights generated by AI, artists gain a new set of wings to soar freely.
Below I present a selection of representative student artworks. On one hand, these pieces showcase the perfect fusion of youthful creativity and technical skill. On the other hand, they enable more young people to learn from one another. May we organically integrate the spirit of Chinese painting with Western artistic elements, creating uplifting, remarkable works worthy of our era.
Best wishes.
— Zhou Yong
