Prof. Gao Minglu, a specialist in contemporary Chinese art, will speak at LSU on Wednesday, April 14 at 5pm in 103 Design. Prof. Gao is Head of Fine Arts at the Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts in China and Research Professor at the Department of History of Art and Architecture at the University of Pittsburgh. He was the curator of the first national exhibition of contemporary art in China, the China/Avant-Garde exhibition at the National Art Gallery in Beijing in 1989 as well as the editor of China's leading art journal, Meishu (Fine Arts) during the 1980s. Prof. Gao was educated at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, and received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 2000. Since then, he has curated many exhibitions and written seminal publications on various aspects of contemporary Chinese art.
This event is free and open to the public. For more information about the lecture, please visit http://www.design.lsu.edu/.
Further information about Prof. Gao's work may be found at the following two sites:
http://tinyurl.com/yeodjvh
http://www.artresearchcenter.org/HomepageEnglish.asp
Finally, a brief history of the development and exhibitions of Chinese contemporary art may be found at the following two links:
http://bigthink.com/ideas/4999
http://fathom.lib.uchicago.edu/1/777777122473/
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
Local Interest: Buddhist Symbols in Tibetan Art
Louisiana ArtWorks in New Orleans will host a presentation by the Tibetan Buddhist monk Venerable Tsering Phunstok on symbols in Tibetan Buddhist art next Monday, March 29 at 7pm. The event is free and open to the public; the suggested donation is $3.
For the announcement regarding the event, see the following link:
http://buddhistartnews.wordpress.com/2010/03/22/buddhist-symbols-in-tibetan-art/
The website for Louisiana ArtWorks, a non-profit organization described as "a nexus for creative work, education, exhibitions and marketing" is located here:
http://www.louisianaartworks.org/
The event does not yet appear on the calendar on their website, so it's probably a good idea to call ahead first. In addition to public events of this type, Louisiana ArtWorks also features exhibitions and a shop selling work by local artists.
For the announcement regarding the event, see the following link:
http://buddhistartnews.wordpress.com/2010/03/22/buddhist-symbols-in-tibetan-art/
The website for Louisiana ArtWorks, a non-profit organization described as "a nexus for creative work, education, exhibitions and marketing" is located here:
http://www.louisianaartworks.org/
The event does not yet appear on the calendar on their website, so it's probably a good idea to call ahead first. In addition to public events of this type, Louisiana ArtWorks also features exhibitions and a shop selling work by local artists.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Pop Culture: New Year's Lion Dance
Today, February 14, 2010 is the Lunar New Year (also called the Chinese New Year), celebrated broadly across Asia in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Malaysia, as well as Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Laos, and Vietnam, Korea, Tibet, Mongolia, and Bhutan. It is also celebrated elsewhere in Chinese overseas communities. One of the most characteristic festivities of the day (besides lots of feasting and merry-making) is the lion dance.
The lion dance is typically performed by a pair of brightly-attired dancers, one of whom wears the lion's head and the other who brings up the rear. (There is also a dragon dance in which multiple dancers make up the winding body of the dragon.) Accompanied by percussion instruments and firecrackers, the movements of the dancers are rooted in the martial arts and the dancers themselves often represent different martial arts schools. The lion dance has different meanings: to bring good luck or to frighten away evil spirits.
Here are some links to YouTube videos of lion dance performances. The last link is an example of an updated hip-hop version of the lion dance.
Happy Year of the Tiger!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Resources: The Asian Art Museum on YouTube
The Asian Art Museum - Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture in San Francisco's Civic Center houses one of the foremost collections of Asian art in the United States and is in fact the largest museum in the United States devoted entirely to the arts of Asia. The museum opened in 1966 with a donation of artworks from the private collection of Chicago industrialist Avery Brundage, who is also known for his tenure as president of the International Olympic Committee from 1952-1972. Over time, Brundage continued to donate works from his collection to the museum; his gifts total over 7,700 objects of the now 17,000 objects strong and growing collection.
Recently, the Asian Art Museum set up its own YouTube channel with videos covering a diverse selection of topics ranging from Chinese calligraphy and Korean ceramics to Buddhist sites in India. The videos are beautifully filmed, narrated by the museum's curators and other professionals and scholars in the field, and are a great way to learn more about Asian art and architecture, art-making techniques and conservation, and Asian religions and history. Some of the videos introduce special exhibits at the Asian Art Museum and are filmed on-site; others are shot on locations in Asia.
The Asian Art Museum's YouTube channel may be accessed here:
And the website of the Asian Art Museum is located here:
Happy viewing!
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Local Interest: Biking and Blogging
Baton Rouge native and Georgetown University graduate Evan Villarrubia has embarked upon a year-long bicycling trip through China. After graduating from Georgetown with a degree in Chinese, he worked in Beijing for an American construction company in order to save money for his trip. There, he met his traveling partners: Andy Keller, a fellow American, and Alexis Lerognon, from France.
Villarrubia's blog chronicles his quest to observe the everyday lives of the "laobaixing" ("LBX"), or common people: children playing in parks, men flying kites, migrant workers, and villagers. Having departed from Beijing, the journey is taking the three along the southeastern coast of China to the southwest, then up through Tibet and Inner Mongolia and back to Beijing.
A recent hometown article about Villarrubia appears here:
http://www.2theadvocate.com/features/80873222.html?showAll=y&c=y
And the link for his blog may be accessed here:
http://www.portraitofanlbx.com/
For anyone wondering exactly how far a degree in Chinese can take you, the answer is more than 7000 miles. True cycling afficionados will also appreciate the discussion of more technical matters!
Villarrubia's blog chronicles his quest to observe the everyday lives of the "laobaixing" ("LBX"), or common people: children playing in parks, men flying kites, migrant workers, and villagers. Having departed from Beijing, the journey is taking the three along the southeastern coast of China to the southwest, then up through Tibet and Inner Mongolia and back to Beijing.
A recent hometown article about Villarrubia appears here:
http://www.2theadvocate.com/features/80873222.html?showAll=y&c=y
And the link for his blog may be accessed here:
http://www.portraitofanlbx.com/
For anyone wondering exactly how far a degree in Chinese can take you, the answer is more than 7000 miles. True cycling afficionados will also appreciate the discussion of more technical matters!
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Newsworthy: Christmastime in China
Many of the Christmas decorations that adorn American homes, shopping centers, and public places are actually made in China (where Christmas exists primarily as a commercial holiday).
A major wholesale market for Christmas goods is located in the city of Yiwu, in Zhejiang Province. The brief article below introduces you to some of the vendors in the Christmas market in Yiwu:
http://www.cnngo.com/shanghai/shop/yiwu-twoandahalf-hours-christmas-889738
This video tour takes you around the market and introduces some of the buyers, who come not only from the U.S. but from around the world to buy Christmas goods for resale in their home countries:
http://tinyurl.com/ybkj3rp
Meanwhile, the manufacturing city of Dongguan in Guangdong Province has seen an upsurge in the demand for Christmas goods which in turn has created a shortage of workers:
http://157.166.224.109/video/news/2009/12/23/n_china_labor_crunch_xmas.cnnmoney/
The situation this year is a far cry from the economic downturn in 2008 which caused massive layoffs in the toy factories of Dongguan:
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1862717,00.html
Happy Holidays and see you back here in 2010!
Sunday, November 1, 2009
5 Questions: Yixuan Chen
Yixuan Chen is the manager of a gallery in New York City that specializes in Asian art and has lived in New York City for 12 years, much of that time as a student or as an employee in the art field. In this interview, we’ll talk to Yixuan about her work and any advice that she has for students who are interested in pursuing careers in the art market and about trends in the Asian art market.
Q: Yixuan, can you tell us a little bit about how your interest in Asian art developed?
I majored in studio art in college in Taipei, Taiwan, spending most of my time learning Western art techniques. My interest in Asian art developed after I began to practice ink painting, an art form unique to China and its neighboring countries. I practiced line drawing using ink and brush on rice paper, learning by making paintings after images such as the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Groove (Six Dynasties, on pottery molded bricks). I think that my early training in art school gave me insight into understanding Asian art forms such as ink painting.
Q: What was your educational background before you started working in the art world? Are there any suggestions that you have for students about what types of classes they should take or whether they should go to graduate school before pursuing a career in the art world?
Upon graduating from art school, I decided to do something else, partly because I did not know how to build a career as an artist, run a studio, look for an agent, and sell my own art. I also did not feel the urge to make art as a career.
After working for one year as an administrative assistant in a writer’s club in Taipei (somewhat art-related), I came to New York City to pursue a master's degree in Arts Administration. It was just the right kind of training I was looking for—the how-tos of running a not-for-profit art organization: forming a board of trustees, writing a by-law, review a balance sheet, fund-raising, marketing, programming, recruiting volunteers, and working with interns. While learning about management issues, I had a better sense of positioning a visual artist in the art field. It’s much more than making great art for art’s sake.
I think a master’s degree will be beneficial in the long run, if you have the opportunity to work in a large institution, regardless of which department. Careers in education, curatorial, and editorial do require at least master’s degree in art history or literature or education; after a few years you’d find it’s necessary to get a PhD in order to advance your career in the same field. You don’t need a master’s degree to get a gallery job, but after working for a few years, based on your observation in the field, you may decide to go back to school for an advanced degree in art history or MBA or law. Go for a master’s degree only if and when you really want it, and be sure to take advantage of building professional contacts.
Q: What is a typical day at your job? How many employees do you work with, and what type of work does each of you do? Are there certain times of the year when you’re especially busy at the gallery?
Now working in a gallery specializing in premodern Asian art, a typical day would be to follow up with clients, or keeping on top of projects (such as advertising or exhibition catalogues), and dealing with walk-in clients or random phone/email requests. The gallery guarantees the authenticity and age of every item, which is supported by extensive research and connoisseurship. The gallery has a very small staff: another colleague and I work full-time, and the gallery owner works seven days a week. The gallery also has a part-time bookkeeper and a part-time junior staff member. We do all of the research, manage inventory, prepare incoming and outgoing shipments/packing, deal with client and public inquiries, order stationary and supplies, as well as fix the copy machine.
The busiest time of the year is March, over a two-week period when NYC auction houses hold their spring Asian Art auctions. Art fairs are held in two locations in Manhattan, and many overseas galleries rent local gallery spaces to present their special exhibitions at the same time. Our gallery also holds a special exhibition accompanied with an exhibition catalogue. We often see collectors and curators around the world during this intense period of time.
Q: Do you have any advice for students who plan to look for jobs in the art world? Obviously, New York City is a major center for the art world. Is it feasible to pursue a career in the art world outside of New York City?
I think my experience probably only applies to New York City, but as a rule of thumb, networking is extremely helpful in getting a job in the art field. I got my first job through an internship, and my former boss was very generous in referring me to all kinds of freelance opportunities. When I see a job opening within the institution I naturally would recommend the best interns I’ve worked with. There are a lot of art jobs in New York, but there is a lot of competition, too. There are many qualified resumes so it’s better to have someone recommending you and perhaps you’d get an interview.
Art jobs don’t always pay well in NYC, especially not-for-profits like museums. There is an abundant of talent in the job market so art institutions don’t have to offer high salaries to attract competent staff. Similar positions outside of NYC probably pay the same type of salary, but the cost of living is lower.
Q: In light of the current economic recession, what is the market like right now for Asian art? Are there certain areas of Asian art that are especially attractive to collectors right now?
The current recession has no effect on top quality works of art, but the mid and low range items have retained their selling prices and may be harder to sell. At the same time, “provenance” has become a highly political issue in the US, so Asian art from old collections with good documentation have been bringing high prices. The Chinese buying power has been driving Ming-Qing (14th-early 20th centuries) items made for the imperial court to record prices, a significant shift compared to 20 years ago when Japanese buying power was promoting classical Tang and Song (7th-13th centuries) ceramics. Good art does not equal high price tags—trend, taste, politics, and the economy all play a part in the market.
Thank you, Yixuan, for sharing your experiences with us!
Q: Yixuan, can you tell us a little bit about how your interest in Asian art developed?
I majored in studio art in college in Taipei, Taiwan, spending most of my time learning Western art techniques. My interest in Asian art developed after I began to practice ink painting, an art form unique to China and its neighboring countries. I practiced line drawing using ink and brush on rice paper, learning by making paintings after images such as the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Groove (Six Dynasties, on pottery molded bricks). I think that my early training in art school gave me insight into understanding Asian art forms such as ink painting.
Q: What was your educational background before you started working in the art world? Are there any suggestions that you have for students about what types of classes they should take or whether they should go to graduate school before pursuing a career in the art world?
Upon graduating from art school, I decided to do something else, partly because I did not know how to build a career as an artist, run a studio, look for an agent, and sell my own art. I also did not feel the urge to make art as a career.
After working for one year as an administrative assistant in a writer’s club in Taipei (somewhat art-related), I came to New York City to pursue a master's degree in Arts Administration. It was just the right kind of training I was looking for—the how-tos of running a not-for-profit art organization: forming a board of trustees, writing a by-law, review a balance sheet, fund-raising, marketing, programming, recruiting volunteers, and working with interns. While learning about management issues, I had a better sense of positioning a visual artist in the art field. It’s much more than making great art for art’s sake.
I think a master’s degree will be beneficial in the long run, if you have the opportunity to work in a large institution, regardless of which department. Careers in education, curatorial, and editorial do require at least master’s degree in art history or literature or education; after a few years you’d find it’s necessary to get a PhD in order to advance your career in the same field. You don’t need a master’s degree to get a gallery job, but after working for a few years, based on your observation in the field, you may decide to go back to school for an advanced degree in art history or MBA or law. Go for a master’s degree only if and when you really want it, and be sure to take advantage of building professional contacts.
Q: What is a typical day at your job? How many employees do you work with, and what type of work does each of you do? Are there certain times of the year when you’re especially busy at the gallery?
Now working in a gallery specializing in premodern Asian art, a typical day would be to follow up with clients, or keeping on top of projects (such as advertising or exhibition catalogues), and dealing with walk-in clients or random phone/email requests. The gallery guarantees the authenticity and age of every item, which is supported by extensive research and connoisseurship. The gallery has a very small staff: another colleague and I work full-time, and the gallery owner works seven days a week. The gallery also has a part-time bookkeeper and a part-time junior staff member. We do all of the research, manage inventory, prepare incoming and outgoing shipments/packing, deal with client and public inquiries, order stationary and supplies, as well as fix the copy machine.
The busiest time of the year is March, over a two-week period when NYC auction houses hold their spring Asian Art auctions. Art fairs are held in two locations in Manhattan, and many overseas galleries rent local gallery spaces to present their special exhibitions at the same time. Our gallery also holds a special exhibition accompanied with an exhibition catalogue. We often see collectors and curators around the world during this intense period of time.
Q: Do you have any advice for students who plan to look for jobs in the art world? Obviously, New York City is a major center for the art world. Is it feasible to pursue a career in the art world outside of New York City?
I think my experience probably only applies to New York City, but as a rule of thumb, networking is extremely helpful in getting a job in the art field. I got my first job through an internship, and my former boss was very generous in referring me to all kinds of freelance opportunities. When I see a job opening within the institution I naturally would recommend the best interns I’ve worked with. There are a lot of art jobs in New York, but there is a lot of competition, too. There are many qualified resumes so it’s better to have someone recommending you and perhaps you’d get an interview.
Art jobs don’t always pay well in NYC, especially not-for-profits like museums. There is an abundant of talent in the job market so art institutions don’t have to offer high salaries to attract competent staff. Similar positions outside of NYC probably pay the same type of salary, but the cost of living is lower.
Q: In light of the current economic recession, what is the market like right now for Asian art? Are there certain areas of Asian art that are especially attractive to collectors right now?
The current recession has no effect on top quality works of art, but the mid and low range items have retained their selling prices and may be harder to sell. At the same time, “provenance” has become a highly political issue in the US, so Asian art from old collections with good documentation have been bringing high prices. The Chinese buying power has been driving Ming-Qing (14th-early 20th centuries) items made for the imperial court to record prices, a significant shift compared to 20 years ago when Japanese buying power was promoting classical Tang and Song (7th-13th centuries) ceramics. Good art does not equal high price tags—trend, taste, politics, and the economy all play a part in the market.
Thank you, Yixuan, for sharing your experiences with us!
(Section from an ink rubbing of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove, 2nd half of the 5th century, from www.metmuseum.org, click to enlarge)
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