Section A · Page 6
The University Daily Kansan
Wednesday, July 26. 2000
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Chinese calligraphy exhibit challenges tradition
Contemporary artists push the envelope of time-honored art
By Stephanie Tweito Special to the Kansan
Laura Pasch, Spencer Museum of Art intern, talked about the boom in the traditional art of calligraphy in China at a lecture Thursday night in the Kress Gallery.
Pasch spoke to a small group the exhibit "Brushed Voices: Calligraphy in Contemporary China," which features 60 works by leading contemporary calligraphers in China.
The exhibit represents the recent popularity of calligraphy in China
The modern works combine elements of traditional calligraphy with experimental elements, creating a diverse group of works.
"It is a show that gives a variety of what's out there and what's fresh in calligraphy today," Pasch said.
The works, all completed in the last decade, maintain and expand the boundaries of traditional calligraphy, which has been a respected art form in China for more than 2,000 years, she said.
Pasch said the modern artists either worked within tradition to create their own, unique style or pushed the boundaries of what was considered calligraphy by combining experimental elements.
"One example of how you can push the boundaries of what's considered calligraphy is by combining scripts," Pasch said.
She said there were a number of different scripts in calligraphy, somewhat comparable to the difference between print and cursive writing in the West.
sealed script, an early type of Chinese characters used in seals, and another script in which the characters are almost like pictographs, Pasch said.
The earliest scripts include
"Many characters began as this and have evolved." Pasch said.
Some scripts are very legible and were used by scribes while others, such as cursive scripts, were written quickly and loosely.
Combining these scripts on the same scroll, or on the same piece, is characteristic of the modern calligraphers.
Other characteristics of the works that challenge traditional styles include using different sized characters, veering from the traditional top-to-bottom, right-to-left, reading sequence, altering the structure of the characters and using texts from nontraditional sources.
"They incorporate things that would be considered an error in
classical calligraphy." Pasch said.
The brush techniques used to compose the modern works also veer from traditional methods. The artists use speed in painting the characters, varied saturation of their brushes, dark and light ink, different-sized characters and irregular symmetry.
In many pieces, the emphasis is on the process and composition, not the legibility.
In fact, some exhibit pieces do not have any calligraphy but are paintings.
"The inclusion of painting in a calligraphy show is really not such an odd choice, because painting and calligraphy share the same skills and the same tools: brush, paper and ink," Pasch said.
"Typically if someone is a good calligrapher, you would expect them to be a good painter and vice versa," she said.
The University of Kansas is the
second and final stop for the exhibit before it returns to Beijing. It showed in New York City before coming to the University and will be here until Sept. 3.
The exhibit's curator and organizer, Yiguo Zhang, of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, will offer two calligraphy demonstrations and workshops on Aug. 24 and 25. Pre-registration is required. Contact Kristina Mitchell at 864-0137 or kemitch@ukans.edu. Zhang also will give a public talk on the exhibit in the gallery at 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 24.
Museum hours are Tuesday,
Wednesday, Friday and Saturday
10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday 10 a.m.
to 9 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5 p.m.
Admission is free.
—Edited by Ben Embry
Freshman institute students get inside track on learning curve
By Brandy Straw
Special to the Kansan
The thought of going to college was overwhelming for Leonard Hansen III
But after spending the last month at the Freshman Summer Institute Hansen, Edmond, Okla., freshman, realized that college was manageable.
Students in the institute, which consists of two, month-long sessions in June and July, earn five credit hours, learn how to get around campus and Lawrence and experience residence hall life, said Tammara Durham, Freshman Summer Institute coordinator.
And learning those skills gives institute graduates an edge against other freshmen.
"They feel like upperclassmen in the fall," Durham said.
All institute students take PRE 101, Orientation Seminar, and another threecredit hour class. The classes are reserved for institute students, so the class size is small, which Durham said allowed students
to develop relationships with their professors.
Durham said students also learned how to use KU on Wheels and the location of buildings while most of the student body was on summer vacation, which created a more relaxed learning environment for institute students. Students also said that it was easy to get around Lawrence.
Hansen said that Lawrence offered more things to do than his hometown, which is home to the University of Central Oklahoma. While Hansen wasn't able to see all of Lawrence — he didn't bring his car — he saw the city's residential areas when he ran each evening.
"It's beautiful." Hansen said
Besides how to get around the campus, institute students also learn whom to turn to when they get lost in the academic world. Each institute student is assigned to an academic advisor and is required to meet with them at least once before they attend the New Student Orientation on one Saturday in June or July.
Knowing that they have someone to turn to automatically shrinks the new students' universe. Durham said.
Living in a residence hall also helps to shrink the students' universe — even if it means sharing a bathroom.
"I did not like the idea of a community bathroom," said Marcie Rohleder, Plainsville freshman. "But it was not as bad as I thought it would be."
Rohleder said that she liked that she was able to met a lot of other students while living in the halls.
Students also bond through group and residence hall activities. During the institute's first week, students went to the University's Outdoor Education Center at the Adams Challenge Course, which is an obstacle course that emphasizes teamwork.
Students also talked with professors and advisers at "Grillin' with the Profs," a barbecue where students grilled hamburgers and hot dogs. On one Saturday, the students volunteered in the Lawrence community.
Hansen volunteered at the Humane Society
"It made me feel good to know I helped other people," Hansen said. He said he planned to major in sports management and possibly own a workout facility that rehabilitated injured athletes.
By participating in the institute's activities, students are more comfortable using campus resources and talking to professors when they start in the fall.
and helped build a home.
"I think these students tend to be more involved," Durham said.
Hansen said he hoped he could run track and join a campus or community group this fall.
"This is the best choice of my college career so far," he said of participating in the institute. "I know what to expect in class and out of class now."
By going out of state for college, Hansen said he has learned a lot about what he likes and who he is.
"College is about making decisions," Hansen said.
— Edited by Chris Fickett
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