Next up in our season of blogs introducing our new Arts Ambassadors is MA Fashion Marketing and Branding student Doria Wang, where she gives us an insight into her many experiences of theatre in China, and what inspired her to apply for her role.
My name is Qianzhi Wang, but you can also call me Doria. I am doing my Master’s degree at Winchester School of Art to study Fashion Marketing and Branding. Before I came to England I studied in the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts which is a famous art school in Beijing.
It was a wonderful four-years of study (In China, people have to study four years to finish their bachelor degree). My major was International Cultural Communication which has equipped me with a broad training in art and culture from both domestic and international perspectives, and exposed me to management expertise of the art and culture industry. For the duration of my tenure, I organised many art festivals, especially the two brand festivals of my university: Youth Art Festival in May and the Opera Festival in December. In Southampton I am actively involved in rich and colourful intramural activities.
I have taken various internships during vacations. For the summer of 2016, I interned at the Production and Operation Department of Qingdao Grand Theatre. During the internship, I had a variety of responsibilities, including performance planning and preparation, budget planning, receiving performing ensembles, liaising with each department and making settlements for the expenses. Working in such an esteemed organisation, I gained valuable knowledge in the general operation of a large theatre, including its organisational structure, fundraising, marketing, budgeting and day-to-day operations.
Despite what I have already done, I wanted to become an Arts Ambassador mainly because I want Winchester and Southampton campuses can have more connections. Most Winchester students think they are the only ‘art part’ of the whole university, when really that is not true! At Highfield Campus, we have Nuffield Southampton Theatres, concert hall Turner Sims and John Hansard Gallery (soon to be relocating to the city centre), and we also have lots of students studying music here, alongside many performing arts societies! In Winchester, we also have fashion show and lots of exhibitions but people who study in Southampton don’t necessarily know about them and so don’t go.
As an Arts Ambassador, I aim to help Arts at University of Southampton establish a WeChat platform to let more students, especially Chinese students, participate in our arts activities. Also, I hope we can hold a small concert in Winchester, maybe on the grass or in our café where students can perform. And it would be wonderful to explore ideas of how we can bring the creative and unique work of WSA students to Southampton’s campuses.
I feel this is the best opportunity for me and all Chinese students to get involved in our University’s arts activities and hope I can improve my English with our lovely team.
Arts Ambassadors is a paid opportunity, supported by the Careers and Employability Service’s Excel Southampton Internship programme, University of Southampton.
Cover photo: Doria with violinist Ning Feng (right) and his pianist Thomas (left) after their show at Qingdao Grand Theatre.
