CCES Hosts Renowned Visiting Artist from China

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Ceramicist Zhang Ling Yun with some of her blue and white ceramic pots.

On Friday, February 3, at 7 p.m. in the Art Gallery and Commons at the Upper School, a special reception and exhibition of Chinese artwork will be the grand finale for a month-long visit by renowned Chinese ceramicist Zhang Ling Yun. In addition to samples of her own work, the exhibition will feature scrolls hand-painted by other Chinese artists and brought by Ms. Zhang from China, as well as student work produced by Ms. Zhang during her residency in the CCES Lower, Middle, and Upper Schools.

Ms Zhang demonstrates the proper hold to prepare this seventh grader for
his first attempt at Chinese brush painting.

Dr. Peter W. Kwan, President of Pacific Gateway Capital Group, will be on hand to speak at the reception about Ms. Zhang’s visit and the opportunities it provides for cultural exchange between Greenville and China. The exhibition is free and open to the public.

An instructor of ceramics at Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute in Jingdezhen, China, Ms. Zhang is now serving as artist-in-residence at CCES for four weeks, teaching students the arts of calligraphy, paper-cutting, Chinese style painting, and “blue and white,” the traditional form of Chinese painting on ceramics. In addition, she will conduct a day-long residency for students at the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities.

Ms. Yun met CCES Middle School Art Instructor Alice Munn in the town of Jingde. They
found they shared similar views on their view of art, especially in using nature as their inspiration.

Ms. Zhang’s creations are inspired by the harmony of nature and also by the rich and long history of China. She states: "Our culture provides endless sources of knowledge. It is the greatest treasure in the world." In a personal statement she wrote, “It is my goal to introduce Chinese culture and traditional arts during my visit…. The other goal of this visit is to enrich my own knowledge of the arts and gain more experience in the field."

The results of Ms. Zhang's tutelage on the second day of her visit to CCES.

Through the efforts of CCES art teacher Alice Munn and Middle School Director John Walter, and through funding by the CCES Arts Guild, it has taken more than a year to bring Zhang Ling Yun’s residency to fruition. The plan began when Alice Munn was studying at the Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute during the summer of 2004 on grants from the Metropolitan Arts Council and CCES and first met Ms. Zhang. Recognizing that women artists in China rarely have opportunities to conduct residencies abroad, Ms. Munn was determined to help Ms. Zhang obtain a visa to visit CCES and the Greenville community.

This emphasizes the commitment at CCES to encourage students to think critically and participate actively as citizens of the world. Ms. Zhang’s visit offers an extraordinary opportunity to illustrate that commitment and at the same time to share an international cultural exchange that can benefit the entire Greenville community.