Visiting Art Scholars to Speak at December 5 Art Crawl in Boone
Zhend Xuewu and Guo Xinxin explain Chinese painting, printmaking and crafts

The Turchin Center for the Visual Arts will hold a special event as part of the December 5th Boone Downtown Art Crawl. The center invites the community to celebrate our visiting scholars Zheng Xuewu and Guo Xinxin. Zheng was a participant in the recent exhibition Dancing With The Dragon: Contemporary Art From Beijing and has been a visiting scholar with the Department of Art this semester teaching printmaking and traditional Chinese painting. 

Guo is an historian who specializes in the history of Chinese craft and has been teaching with the Department of Foreign Languages and Literature. Together with their daughter, Zheng Shang- a student at Hardin Park Elementary, the visiting scholars will soon be returning to their home in Beijing, China.

Hank Foreman, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Arts and Cultural Affairs said, “It would have been impossible for us to achieve the level and depth of quality in our recent exhibition and education program focused on contemporary Chinese art without the help of Zheng and Guo. They worked diligently with a Turchin Center delegation traveling in China in October 2008 to research and secure artists and provide an overview of the Beijing art scene. The center is planning an April 2009 trip to China for enthusiasts who wish to learn more about the culture and its amazing art world.  Zheng and Guo, as part of our extended Appalachian family, will be an integral component of this program. This reception is a way for us to honor these important scholars, and wish them well as they travel back to China to share stories of their time at Appalachian.” 

Collaborations continue with the offer for Foreman to serve as Artist and International Curator for the contemporary gallery China Space in Beijing.  

Department of Art faculty member Scott Ludwig notes, “Over the past several years, the Art Department has been fortunate to host several, talented, international visiting artists. This semester, Zheng Xuewu, from Beijing, has been instrumental in enlightening the university community to the incredibly progressive art scene in China. What’s most remarkable is his versatility in various mediums including printmaking, painting, and sculpture; his presence in both the printmaking and painting areas has exposed our students not only to some of the traditional aspects of Chinese art but also how these traditions are synthesized into a unique contemporary perspective that defines what Chinese art is today. It has been such a pleasure working with Xuewu and we will continue to nurture this relationship with future projects.”

The Turchin Center

The Turchin Center for the Visual Arts supports the mission of Appalachian State University through regionally significant exhibition, education and collection programs. Underlying the center’s mission is the belief that the arts play vital roles in the development of creative and critical potential, and in experiencing, interpreting, understanding, recording and shaping culture. The center provides a place to investigate these roles by implementing programs that engender and strengthen Appalachian community participation in and ownership of the arts. An emphasis is placed on partnerships with the university’s academic areas. Through its programs and partnerships, the center supports the university’s role as a key regional educational and cultural resource, and offers a dynamic space where participants experience and incorporate the power and excitement of the visual arts into their lives.

The Turchin Center is located at 423 West King St., in Boone. Hours are 10am-6pm, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, and noon-8pm, Friday. The Center is closed Sunday and Monday and observes all university holidays. There is no admission charge, although donations are gratefully accepted.