The mission of the Hong Kong Arts Centre is to nurture creativity, arts and cultural engagement through its two-pronged approach in promoting contemporary performing arts, visual arts as well as film and video arts and in providing lifelong and life-wide arts education.

Home to artists' bold and creative explorations, the Arts Centre in 2005 featured numerous presentations in various art forms, including film and video programmes such as the 11th Hong Kong Independent Short Film and Video Awards, visual and performing arts programmes and a public art project, New Reading Space at Wan Chai.

Established in 2000, The Art School, which is the Arts Centre's education arm, offers integrated programmes ranging from short courses to associate degree, first degree and post-graduate degree courses in fine art, Chinese art, applied art, media art, arts education, and humanities. The school has been a recognised sub-degree award-granting institution in Hong Kong since 2003.