Our Mission
American Society of Shufa Calligraphy Education (ASSCE) serves the needs and interests of educators, researchers, practitioners, students and enthusiasts of East Asian calligraphy (Chinese 書法 shufa, Japanese 書道 shodō, Korean 書藝 seoye) in North America and beyond. Through conferences, workshops, exhibitions, the ASSCE website, and other venues of academic and social exchange, we seek to advance the professional and non-professional goals of its members as well as the general public in the teaching, learning, and understanding of East Asian calligraphy in its traditional and modern forms.
Our mission is rooted in the following core values:
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Integration: We are dedicated to promoting a broad-based, interdisciplinary approach to East Asian calligraphy education. Critical to this approach is effective integration of calligraphic theory, practice, and pedagogy in meaningful humanistic, sociocultural, and scientific contexts.
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Innovation: We are committed to developing new and creative theories, methods, materials, and means of research, teaching and learning in East Asian calligraphy in the digital age.
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Inclusiveness: We are open to engaging a diverse audience interested in East Asian calligraphy and related subjects. Potential topics of discourses include but are not limited to traditional and modern visual arts that employ writing, linguistic and cultural studies pertinent to writing systems, as well as comparative research on calligraphic traditions and practices in East Asia and other regions and cultures.
Our mission encompasses the following major objectives:
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Promote East Asian calligraphy education in colleges, K-12 schools, and local community or cultural centers;
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Advance public interest in and understanding of East Asian calligraphy;
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Provide a virtual forum for East Asian calligraphy artists to exhibit their work to the public;
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Organize and sponsor conferences, workshops, and lectures for East Asian calligraphy educators to present research findings and hone pedagogical skills.
Our Story
American Society of Shufa Calligraphy Education, Inc. (ASSCE) is a non-profit organization dedicated to serving the needs and interests of educators, researchers, practitioners, students and enthusiasts in East Asian calligraphy in and beyond North America.
ASSCE was originally founded by Dr. Tsung Chin (1926-2006) in 1992 as the Calligraphy Education Group (CEG) affiliated with the Chinese Language Teachers Association, USA (http://clta-us.org/). ASSCE is dedicated to promoting Chinese shufa calligraphy education in the United States and fostering international relations between calligraphy educators.
Since 2010, Calligraphy Education Group has become an independent non-profit organization under the new name American Society of Shufa Calligraphy Education.
Among other initiatives, ASSCE has hosted biennale international conferences on calligraphy education since 1998:
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1998 University of Maryland, USA
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2000 California State University, Long Beach, USA
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2002 Beijing Normal University, China
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2004 University of South Carolina, USA
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2006 Yasuda Women’s University, Hiroshima, Japan
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2008 National Taichung Normal University, Taiwan
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2010 Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
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2012 Southwestern University, USA
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2014 Guangxi Art Institute, Nanning, Guangxi, China
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2016 Emory University, USA
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2018 Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
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2021 Online
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2023 University of Oklahoma, USA