by Curator Dr. Meiqin Wang
The exhibition "Tales of Our Time: Two Contemporary Artists from China" opened as scheduled between Aug. 29 and Oct. 8 in 2011 at California State University Northridge Art Galleries with a great turnout. Several members of the CSUN International Educational Council and the CSUN China Institute Executive Committee, among many faculty and administers from the university, attended the Artist Reception on Sept. 9th and visited the exhibition.
The visiting artist Weng Fen gave three very well-received lectures on his art making process and ideas behind his individual artworks. Weng Fen delivered his first lecture in Chinese to a group of Chinese American and Chinese audiences. The event was sponsored by the Cultural Enrichment Coalition, a non-profit organization located in Chatsworth, CA.
Weng Fen’s second lecture took place in the Art Department and the audience consisted of faculty and graduate students from the department. His third lecture was delivered for campus and community-wide general audiences in the Art Galleries, attended by an unprecedented number of more than one hundred and twenty people—many of them had to stand or sit on the floor. The last two lectures were also delivered in Chinese with the curator Dr. Meiqin Wang serving as the interpreter.
Dr. Meiqin Wang gave a Gallery Talk on Monday, Sept. 12th, which was also attended by more than one hundred and twenty audiences. Several professors and teachers from local high schools brought their entire classes to see the exhibit and learn about what was happening in China. It was a great opportunity for understanding contemporary Chinese art and the ongoing social transformations in China, as said by many.
The exhibition was the product of collaboration between Dr. Meiqin Wang and her students in two Exhibition Design courses offered by the Art Department in every spring semester. In addition, the exhibition catalog included two critical essays contributed by two senior art history students who took one of the Exhibition Design courses.
Dr. Meiqin Wang
Assistant Professor
Department of Art
