2025-11-28 Inheritance and Innovation of Intangible Cultural Heritage of "Genius Mom"
Recently, the "Genius Mom" Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritance and Innovative Development Academic Salon, sponsored by the China Women's Development Foundation and supported by the Art and Science Research Center of Tsinghua University, was successfully held at the Academy of Fine Arts, Tsinghua University.
The "Genius Mom" project aims to empower disadvantaged women to develop, create new intangible cultural heritage, and contribute to rural revitalization. After 6 years of practice, the project has formed a public welfare model of "building standardized 'dream workshops' and helping intangible cultural heritage inheritors drive rural women's income growth and employment through empowerment training, exchange exhibitions, and order support". The event aims to provide cutting-edge technology and design concept support for leaders of intangible cultural heritage workshops from all over the country through academic exchanges, on-site visits, and thematic discussions, further promoting the innovative inheritance of intangible cultural heritage and rural revitalization.
· Collision between academia and intangible cultural heritage
The event began with a visit to the exhibition of works by art teachers at the Academy of Fine Arts, Tsinghua University. The "genius mothers" were able to appreciate the latest works of art teachers and students up close, and experienced the trend of integrating materials, colors, and technology in contemporary art creation.
Subsequently, at the Color Research Institute Laboratory of Tsinghua University's Art and Science Research Center, the students visited the color system color card, color trend technology template, spectrophotometer, standard light source box, non-contact color measurement equipment, hyperspectral color measurement equipment, etc. They had a direct experience of color collection equipment and color management methods in industrial design, clothing design, interior design and other fields, providing reference for the combination of new materials, new processes and intangible cultural heritage skills, and the modernization transformation of traditional handicrafts.
The Color Research Laboratory of Tsinghua University Art and Science Research Center is the first interdisciplinary color research platform in China. Leveraging Tsinghua University's strengths in design, optical engineering, materials science, psychology, and other fields, it is committed to exploring the integration and innovation of color science and artistic applications. The laboratory takes "designing based on evidence" as its core concept, promoting color research from experience oriented to scientific quantification, and serving the upgrading of industries such as cultural creativity, intelligent manufacturing, and digital media.
During the visit to the History Museum of Tsinghua University School of Arts, Professor Zhang Jingsheng led the students to review the history and representative cooperation projects of Tsinghua Academy of Fine Arts, demonstrating how art and science can form complementary and symbiotic innovative forces in long-term practice.
· Special Sharing: Empowering Intangible Cultural Heritage Innovation with Color Technology
In the subsequent special lecture, Professor Song Wenwen from the Color Research Institute discussed with the students the application methods and prospects of color science in the innovation of intangible cultural heritage products, using the case of Yi embroidery color research on the topic of "New Perspectives on Color". This allowed for the redesign and growth of traditional intangible cultural heritage color language in modern products.
· Looking into the Future of Intangible Cultural Heritage
In his subsequent speech, Director Marseille of the Tsinghua University Art and Science Research Center stated, "The Tsinghua University School of Fine Arts and the Tsinghua University Art and Science Research Center have a deep historical connection with China's intangible cultural heritage. The leaders of the 'genius mothers' intangible cultural heritage workshops inherit cultural heritage with diligence and practice, and pursue beauty and create social value with exquisite skills. The Tsinghua University Art and Science Center is very willing to be your companions. On the path of pursuing beauty and creating social value, we will complement each other, exchange excellence, strengthen cooperation in materials, colors, digitization and other fields, and promote the revitalization of traditional handicrafts in the new era."
Ms. Dong Kui, Vice Chairman and Secretary General of the China Women's Development Foundation, said, "This cooperation with the Arts and Sciences Center of Tsinghua University provides valuable opportunities for intangible cultural heritage inheritors to exchange and learn, and also builds an innovative platform for the integration of industry, academia, and research. We hope to help more female artisans enhance their innovation capabilities through such activities, and enable intangible cultural heritage culture to play a greater role in rural revitalization."
Ms. Xiong Yan, Deputy Secretary General of the Sichuan Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Association, said, "Today's sharing activity has deeply touched me and has given me a deeper understanding of the importance of color in the inheritance and innovation of intangible cultural heritage. Through the integration of art and science, the beauty of intangible cultural heritage can definitely be made more vivid."
As an important component of China's excellent traditional culture, intangible cultural heritage carries the historical memory and cultural genes of the nation. The tools, objects, and handicrafts brought by intangible cultural heritage skills are vivid manifestations of cultural diversity. The synergy between art and science will open up broader space for the inheritance, innovation, and industrial development of intangible cultural heritage.
