Founded in 2017 by a diverse group of McGill University students and young professionals, Cheng Huai is a non-profit organization based in Montreal, Canada.
Our focus is on embracing and supporting emerging interdisciplinary practices in contemporary art, responding to the evolving landscape of aesthetics and challenging conventional boundaries.
Driven by the belief that innovative approaches to creation, understanding, and existence arise from deeper interactions between the arts and broader sectors, our collective merges artistic philosophies with cutting-edge disciplines. This synergy cultivates a symbiotic relationship that enriches both theory and practice across diverse fields, encouraging collaboration and fostering growth within and between various domains. We respond to these aesthetics with ongoing dedication to the philosophical root of "Cheng Huai" - wholeness between subject and object.
We strive to build an interdisciplinary collective that will expand the future of art at McGill, Montreal and beyond. Through projects, happenings, and our workshops, we bridge theory and practice, creating a lab for experimentation that fosters innovation, collaboration, and transformative experiences in the artistic landscape.
By Students, For Students
Cheng Huai is a platform created by students, for students—offering opportunities to engage with the art world and gain hands-on experience. Through initiatives that challenge, explore, and deepen the understanding of contemporary art, we aim to support emerging artistic practices and their evolving creative journeys.
A Laboratory for Ideas
Cheng Huai acts as a creative laboratory—an open space for experimentation, dialogue, and bold ideas in the arts. We move beyond the familiar and the conventional, embracing curiosity and critical perspectives to explore new artistic frontiers.
Fostering Interdisciplinary Connections
We promote collaboration across disciplines, encouraging dialogue between diverse fields and backgrounds. Through these intersections, we cultivate a holistic understanding of art that bridges gaps and sparks innovation at McGill, Montreal, and beyond.
Non-Profit
As a non-profit initiative, Cheng Huai is powered by fee-levies, grants, and grassroots fundraising. We are committed to accessible, community-driven programming shaped by student voices.
Leaving a Lasting Footprint
Through our website, we document and archive each of our initiatives at Cheng Huai, preserving contributions for future students and audiences, forging a legacy that aims to inspire and inform the next generation of students.
The name "Cheng Huai" (澄怀) is drawn from the texts of tenth century Chinese aestheticist and philosopher Zong Bing.
It professes a metaphysical disposition wherein the subject and object become a whole in aesthetic appreciation, and the self soars in its transcendence of physical experiences.
Carrying the spiritual message of "Cheng Huai" with ourselves, we hope to embark on an elevated journey wherein we, through intimate contact with art and the spaces which create it, might also ascend into an aesthetic appreciation which unifies, transcends, and renders whole.
McGill Univeristy BA Economics & Art History
McGill University BS Physics & Computer Science
McGill University BA Art History & Anthropology
University of Montreal BA Economics & Political Science
McGill Univeristy BA Art History & English Cultural Studies
McGill Univeristy BEng Software Engineering & Aerospace Engineering
McGill Univerisity BA Art History & Political Science
McGill University BA Classics & Conservation Biology
McGill University BA History & Hispanic Culture
McGill Univerisity BA Art History & East Asian Studies
McGill University BA Honours Art History
McGill University BA Art History & Marketing
McGill Univerisity BA Art History Honours
Ryerson University BTech Graphic Communications
McGill University BA Art History & Business Management I McGill University MS of Information studies
McGill University BEd Teaching English As A Second Language
McGill University BA Economics & Statistics
McGill University BA Art History & English Cultural Studies
McGill University BA Joint Honours Art History & International Development
McGill University BA Honours Art History & International Development
McGill University Honours Art History | Hunter College MA Art History
McGill University BA History & GSFS
McGill University BA Art History & Film Studies
McGill University BA Political Science
McGill University BA Economics & Psychology
McGill University BA Mathematics
Artist & Researcher
McGill Architecture
McGill University BA English : Drama and Theatre & Art History
McGill University BA Art History | Sotheby's Institute of Art MA Art Business
McGill BA Economics & Art History | Harvard MS Information Manament Systems
McGill BA Economics & Philosphy and East Asian Studies I Chicago University MA Art History
SOASU University of London MA East Asian Art History & Archeology