Typed:Themed museum
District:Hualien Cit
Level:Government-owned facility
Collection Highlights:Works of local and overseas stone sculptors
Opened:2001
Address:No. 8 Wunfu Rd. Hualien City
Inquiries:03-8227121
FAX:03-8235562
Opening Hours:9:00AM ~ 5:00PM
Closed:Open all year round but closed when changing exhibits. Please inquire in advance.
Guided Tours:Book 3 days in advance
Ticket Prices:Adults $20, Concession $10
Entry is free for groups of more than 20, local Hualien County students, disabled people and those under the height of 110cm. No tickets required for Hualien County residents over the age of 65 and those with more than 300 hours of volunteer service. A fee of $20 is charged per visitor from outside of Hualien County.
URL:http://stone.hccc.gov.tw/
Transportation:
Take the Hualien Bus service 105 Harbor Route at the Hualien train station and get off at the Hualien County Cultural Affairs Bureau stop. (Trip takes around 15~20 minutes)
Driving:
- Taipei ¡V Coastal Highway (Taipei-Yilan Highway) ¡V Su-Hua Highway - Hualien
- Kaohsiung ¡V No.1 Taiwan Highway ¡V Fonggang ¡V No. 9 Taiwan Highway (Southern Loop) ¡V Taitung - Hualien
Overview:
The Hualien County Stone Sculptural Museum is the first museum in Taiwan dedicated to stone sculptures. The museum itself is two-storey building built from fair-face concrete and masonry located in Hualien City. Within the modernist exterior are extra high ceilings that allow for the display of large exhibits. A range of stone sculpture art events are regularly hosted at the museum and it has now become a well-know cultural and recreational destination in Hualien City. The biennial International Stone Sculpture Festival in particular is the highlight of the domestic stone sculpture art community, providing sculptors in Taiwan and from overseas with the chance to show off their works and interact with their peers. Many tourists and sculpture aficionados are drawn by the festival as well.
In 1994 the Council for Cultural Affairs (CCA) of the Executive Yuan began encouraging local governments to organize "small-scale international art events" to express their local cultural heritage. At the time, the Hualien County Cultural Center (now the Hualien County Cultural Affairs Bureau) decided to make the county's rich mineral resources and stone sculpting expertise the main cultural themes. In 1996, the CCA gave its approval for the Cultural Center to host the "International Stone Sculpture Festival" on a biennial basis. The festival would gather top local and international sculptors in Hualien County where they can work together creating artworks on-site. This together with exhibits of top international stone sculptures would expand the horizons of the local sculptor community and raise Hualien's international profile. The first festival was held in 1997 and it is now in its sixth year. Apart from drawing large numbers of sculptors and fans, the events have also contributed many fine pieces to the museum's collection.
In the future, the Stone Sculptural Museum hopes to draw on the combined efforts of the industry, government and academia to preserve and develop the stone arts. Art and technology will also be fused to allow the Taiwanese people to learn about stone and how to appreciate stone sculptures through a variety of methods. Additionally, there are hopes that the Museum's management can be outsourced one day to encourage research on the museum's collection and set up a complete marketing model. This will help the museum to become self-sustaining through professional training and support the hosting of different stone sculpture events to expand the space for performances and exhibitions. Apart from becoming an important tourism and recreational resource for Hualien County, the Museum hopes that its vibrant growth will help cultivate local cultural values.
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