About Cheng Huai Art & Culture Association

Who Are We?

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.

What Do We Do?

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.

Mandate

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.

Name Meaning

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.

Team Members

Current Members

President

Alexandre Dellinger

McGill Univeristy BA Economics & Art History

VP & Technology

Nathaniel Vegh

McGill University BS Physics & Computer Science

Head of Marketing

Sophie Becquet

McGill University BA Art History & Anthropology

Strategic Advisor and Editor

Noam Boussard

University of Montreal BA Economics & Political Science

Events Coordinator and Editor

Annabella Lawlor

McGill Univeristy BA Art History & English Cultural Studies

Events Coordinator

Bilar Mokhtari

McGill Univeristy BEng Software Engineering & Aerospace Engineering

Previous Members

2024 Events

Adele de Vismes

McGill Univerisity BA Art History & Political Science

2020 Founding Team

Adeline (Jiawen) Li

McGill University BA Classics & Conservation Biology

2022 French Translator

Agathe Nolla

McGill University BA History & Hispanic Culture

2022-23 Graphic Designer

Albertine Hua

McGill Univerisity BA Art History & East Asian Studies

2020 Founding Team

Béatrice Langevin

McGill University BA Honours Art History

2020-21 VP & Communication

Caroline Saito

McGill University BA Art History & Marketing

2022-23 President

Fiona Vail

McGill Univerisity BA Art History Honours

2020-22 Graphic Designer

Jessica Gu

Ryerson University BTech Graphic Communications

2023 VP - Communication

Jinwen Wu

McGill University BA Art History & Business Management I McGill University MS of Information studies

2021-22 Copy Editor

Jora Cohen

McGill University BEd Teaching English As A Second Language

2024 Communications

Katherine Du

McGill University BA Economics & Statistics

2021-22 Copy Editor

Kennedy Randall

McGill University BA Art History & English Cultural Studies

2022 VP - External

Kenza Tahri

McGill University BA Joint Honours Art History & International Development

2022-23 Event Planner

Mahalia Diantree

2023 VP - Events

Margrethe Nielsen

McGill University BA Honours Art History & International Development

2023 VP & Editorial

Nicolas Poblete

McGill University Honours Art History | Hunter College MA Art History

2022-23 Copy Editor

Rosa Webster

McGill University BA History & GSFS

2022 Copy Editor

Sidonie Gaulin

McGill University BA Art History & Film Studies

2022 VP & Editorial

Thiora Meegammana

McGill University BA Political Science

2022-23 Co-VP & Editorial

Xingmeng Jing

McGill University BA Economics & Psychology

2020 Founding Team

Yuhan Xiao

McGill University BA Mathematics

2022-23 Copy Editor

Zaynab Ghaïs-Mortada

Artist & Researcher

2022 VP - Communication

Zhuofan Chen

McGill Architecture

Advisory Board

2020-22 Co-President

Huirui Zhang

McGill University BA English : Drama and Theatre & Art History

2020-22 Co-President

Makenna Woodward-Crackower

McGill University BA Art History | Sotheby's Institute of Art MA Art Business

Founders

Founder

Zike Wu

McGill BA Economics & Art History | Harvard MS Information Manament Systems

Co-Founder

Edel Yang

McGill BA Economics & Philosphy and East Asian Studies I Chicago University MA Art History

Co-Founder

Julie Shi

SOASU University of London MA East Asian Art History & Archeology