In a time when tensions are high between America and China, the Indianapolis Art Center is extending an olive branch. With the IAC's new exhibition of the Shandong College of Arts' fifty-seven artworks, all from the hands of some of China's brightest artistic minds, the Art Center is now home to one of the most outstanding and innovative showcases in the city. Shandong, a province in eastern China, is populated by close to 7 million people, nearly nine times the size of Indianapolis. Compared to China's staggering population of 1.3 billion, Shandong Province might seem an unlikely focus for the art world's eye. However, when you see these amazing pieces of art, all of which display brilliant color and design, you cannot but admire the professionalism of Shandong's artists, as well as the Art Center's vision in bringing these outstanding artists to an Indianapolis audience.

The opening gala for this exhibit was on Saturday, June 28, 2008, and the pieces will be on display through August 23rd. To celebrate the closing of the exhibit, the Art Center's annual event, Artsparkle, will have a theme of "China Blossoms." At this event there will be two of Shandong College of Arts' master artists, who will be giving lectures and providing their expertise during several of the workshops. So if you are an art lover, someone interested in Chinese culture, or just a biker heading down the Monon Trail, be sure to check out this lovely new showcase. As President and Executive Director of the Art Center Joyce A. Sommers says, the Art Center, as a nearly 75 year-old foundation "demands we do more and more" with art from around the world, since both "imagination and creativity are essential for the human race" to continue and to grow.

Becky Fehsenfeld, a long time supporter of the Art Center, is, according to the Art Center's Communications Manager Mary Lee Pappas, the "impetus" for this newest exhibit. More than thirty years ago, Fehsenfeld began lecturing at the Shandong College of Arts, which is in the city of Jinan, China, during an extended expedition around the world. At the time, entrance to China had been blocked due to political reasons. Only after she had been invited as a guest lecturer to Shandong was she allowed admittance. Her experience with Chinese culture began aboard the S.S. Universe, an explorer ship that she worked upon during many of her travels. Being the only American as well as the only woman aboard a ship maintained chiefly by Chinese expatriates, Fehsenfeld had to force herself to learn some form of Cantonese or Mandarin so she could communicate. With her constant exposure to the culture and talented artistry of China, Fehsenfeld sparked the partnership with the Shandong College of Arts and the Art Center. She did this in hopes to show a small part of her home country the great creativity of a small part of a much different country, one in which she found a universal identity in art.

Varying in styles and mediums, the artwork displayed at this exhibit can be appreciated by anyone. From the traditional Chinese technique of Flan Jusheng's "Beauty at the Riverbank" to the modern feel of Ding Xiaodong's "Cool Zone, the wide range of talent created by the nearly fifty artists is something to admire. On Wednesday, June 25th, Sommers voiced her own opinions about the exhibit. Traveling to the Shandong College of Arts less than a year ago, she was amazed at the hospitality and geniality of the Chinese people. She joked that since the Chinese people that she encountered liked both "blonds and old people," she was pretty well off. One of the chief lessons she got from this experience though, is that, in the world of art, "all misconceptions about how different we are melt away and reveal that we are the same." Looking around at all the art on display, Sommers, a fan of abstract art, said of some of these pieces that their "beauty transcends the common preconceptions of abstract art." When observing the splendid blues and greens displayed nearly in every painting, as well as the brilliant strokes of the ever-present calligraphy, one can easily agree.