Riverland Community College

The James Wegner Art Gallery, in cooperation with the Global Studies Committee at Riverland Community College, is pleased to open The Genesis of Chinese Writing and the Art of  Calligraphy.

The show traces the history of development of written language from pictographic forms (picture-based rather then sound-based expression) in China and elsewhere. Original works of traditional Chinese calligraphy are displayed alongside carefully researched and visually interesting informational material.

Accompanying the opening of the show are complementary talks by the show’s designer, Dr. SuiWah Chan.
He will be speaking today at 9am and 12pm in room A106, West campus, Austin. The show is open to the public and light refreshments will be served.

Dr. Chan will give two lectures in conjunction to the exhibition. The first lecture: The Genesis of Chinese Writing is to highlight the latest findings on the origin and evolution of Chinese writing and shed some light on the extraordinary influence of written text in the broader context of Chinese culture with the help of the exhibition.The second lecture: The Art of Chinese Calligraphy will present different historic scripts and styles in calligraphic brush works to elucidate some of the most outstanding ideas of aesthetics of this unique art form.

Dr. SuiWah Chan is a Professor Emeritus of Michigan State University and an associate of the Confucius Institute of University of Michigan. He teaches History of Chinese Culture and lectures extensively on topics in Chinese writing. The present exhibition was first presented at the UMMA, University of Michigan Museum of Art in May of 2010.