Exhibition commemorates expansion of exchange between ISU Design and Chinese university

AMES, Iowa - Artwork by faculty from Lanzhou Jiaotong University (LZJTU) in Lanzhou, China, will be on display at the Iowa State University College of Design from Jan. 31 through Feb. 16.

"Intersections, Symbolism and Imagery: Lanzhou Jiaotong University and Iowa State University Exchange Exhibition" will open with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 31, in the College of Design's Gallery 181 and Lightfoot Forum. A formal program will begin at 5:30 p.m.

"The Lotuses," watercolor by Caixia Zhang.

Speakers are Elizabeth Hoffman, ISU executive vice president and provost; Luis Rico-Gutierrez, ISU dean of design; Enen Ren, LZJTU president, and Guangtian Shi, dean of the LZJTU School of Art and Design. The program will include a ceremonial signing of a new memorandum of agreement between Iowa State and LZJTU that expands the existing agreement to include all disciplines in the College of Design and their counterparts at Lanzhou.

The focal point of the exhibition is "Flying Apsaras from Dunhuang Grotto of Gansu," a nearly 100-foot by 3.5-foot resist-dyed banner by LZJTU art professor Lansheng Guan and 30 art students.

Detail of 100-foot banner.

Resist dyeing is a term for a number of traditional processes for dyeing textiles that "resist" or prevent dye from reaching certain areas of the fabric, thus creating a pattern and a ground.

The show also features 17 smaller resist-dyed textile artworks by Guan and eight watercolor and traditional Chinese brush paintings by four other LZJTU art faculty: Changqing Ding, Diansheng Guo, Caixia Zhang and Yue Xu.

The Lanzhou delegation also includes Guan, Qicai Wang, chair of the civil engineering department; Guozhen Zhang, chair of the environmental engineering department; and Dianjian Wang, director of the university's International Cooperation Office. They will meet with administrators and faculty at Iowa State to explore additional opportunities for collaboration and exchange.

The "Intersections, Symbolism and Imagery" exchange exhibition is coordinated by ISU College of Design faculty Chiu-Shui Chan, architecture; and Ingrid Lilligren, Teresa Paschke and Cindy Gould, integrated studio arts. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays, Feb. 1-16, or by special arrangement. Gallery 181 is located on the first floor of the College of Design building on the west side of the Iowa State campus. Admission is free.