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General News: Folk Artists from China pay Local Visit
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| (L to R): Yang Zhigang, Tong Xiufen, Wang Dongping, Andrew Lattimore, Cody Rounds, Dawn Ansbro, Deputy Secretary General of Chinese Folk Literature and Art Association Mr. Lv Jun, Zhang Baolin, Peter Shi, Liu Bin |
February 26, 2016
from the Orange County NY Arts Council
Chinese Folk Artists Visit With Orange County NY Arts Council
Sugar Loaf, NY – On Friday, February 5th, a delegation of Chinese folk artists led by Deputy Secretary General of Chinese Folk Literature and Art Association Mr. Lv Jun met with the Orange County Arts Council for an exchange of creative ideas at Storm King Art Center in Mountainville.
The visit was initiated by Peter Shi, Warwick resident and CEO of Amosoon Inc., an organization dedicated to fostering US-China cultural and academic exchange. Amosoon has been involved in cultural exchange efforts for many years and has strong connections in both China and the United States.
The Chinese artists discussed their art and the breadth of Chinese tradition and history in which they are founded. They also asked questions about how and where American artists sell their work and how the Arts Council supports them. It was a discussion that was both philosophical and practical. After the meeting at Storm King Art Center, the artists visited the studio of professional portrait artist Andrew Lattimore and had the opportunity to see Andrew’s work and ask him about how he does business.
Led by China Folk Literature and Art Association, these Chinese folk artists also visited the Queens Library in Flushing on January 31 and the Brooklyn Public Library on February 1 to kick off their cultural trip to the US. During their library visits, not only did the artists showcase the unique artworks and handicraft of their respective Chinese art forms, they also explained the history, tradition, and evolution of these arts, fostering a better understanding and improved cultural exchange between China and the US.
After meeting with the Orange County Arts Council, the Chinese folk artists presented their works and handicraft to the Middletown Retirement Home and the Albert Wisner Library in Warwick. They went to the Brooklyn Public Library and the Orange County Chinese School on February 6th to celebrate Chinese lunar new year with their authentic artworks and grateful hearts. Around February 11th, they will also visit Washington D.C. for another round of cultural dialogue.
Mini-biography of five folk artists from China
Liu Bin is a member of Chinese Folk Literature and Art Association. He was born into a family of traditional kite makers and, since childhood, has been making kites alongside his grandfather. After many years of study and being inspired by other artists, Liu Bin has developed his own style of Cao Kite. Having mastered the traditional art of kite making, Liu Bin is now applying modern computer art technology to his kite making so as to integrate the graphic designs of various other arts into his own works. This innovative method has breathed new life into traditional kite-making.
Tong Xiufen, as the only apprentice of Master Tang Jingyao, has exhibited her colored clay sculpture masks in Beijing during many cultural events. In October 2008, she won the gold award at the first expo of Chinese folk arts and crafts, and became a finalist in the Ninth Chinese Folk Literature and Art & Crafts Awards (also known as Shanhua Award). In 2009, her colored clay sculpture mask was recognized by China as an “Intangible Cultural Heritage Project.”
Wang Dongping was admitted to the factory of Beijing Arts and Crafts after her graduation. In 1982, she began to systematically learn the production of snuff bottle inner painting from Liu Shouben, arts and crafts master of Chinese inner painting. In 1989, she began to make snuff bottle inner painting independently. She is extremely adept at creating portraits of traditional Chinese characters and, in 1989, her various works won Awards of Excellence at the Beijing Arts and Crafts Company.
Yang Zhigang studied basic art and painting skills during night school. After 15 years of study and 30 years of exploring, he has developed his own unique characteristics and style in calligraphy and seal cutting. In 2015, Yang Zhigang became a representative inheritor of intangible cultural heritage of Beijing.
Zhang Baolin is a master of Chinese traditional arts and crafts. He has been engaged in the research of dough modeling since 1970. He learned dough modeling of traditional characters, flowers and birds, and animals from Mr. Lang Shao’an. Having made a great many studies, innovations and improvements to the dough modeling formula over forty-five years, the dough figurine can now be preserved for much longer period of time. His sculptures of Chinese Cultural Celebrities in History won the Gold Medal of Shanhua Award.
Sponsored by the Chinese Folk Literature and Art Association and Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in New York, the visits these artists have made to various community libraries, cultural centers, different schools, and research sites enhance the friendship between China and the U.S. and improve mutual understanding through the arts.
The Orange County Arts Council is a private 501(c)3 arts service organization whose mission is to champion the arts, connect artists with audiences and foster the growth of the county’s creative resources. For more information about the Arts Council, visit their website at www.ocartscouncil.org, or find them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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