Museum Runs Asian Events

The Morris Museum is presenting several events along with its ongoing exhibition of Chinese porcelain.

The first is a demonstration of Chinese Brush Painting on Saturday, April 21, from 2 to 4 pm at a cost of $15.

To register call 973.971.3718 or email programs@morrismuseum.org

Zhiyuan Cong will demonstrate the art of Chinese brush painting. Zhiyuan Cong is a professor and the director of the Center for Chinese Art at William Paterson University. He holds an MFA from the Nanjing Arts Institute in China, and his work has been exhibited in the United States and China.

Another special event will be the Clay Day Family Festival: A Celebration of Chinese Arts, Crafts and Culture on Saturday, May 5, from 11 a.m. to 4 p. m.

These is free with museum admission ($7/child; $10/adult) and is an opportunity to Celebrate Chinese arts and culture with a great day of hands-on activities and performances. Attendees can make their own clay pot, decorate a dragon and parade through the museum, make paper dragons and lanterns and join a scavenger hunt.

Drop in from12:30 to 2 p.m. to learn the art of Chinese calligraphy with John (Zhou) Shiling, Ph.D. At 3 p.m., the Celadon Youth Music Ensemble (based in Monmouth County, NJ) will present a one-hour program of Chinese song and dance in the museum’s Bickford Theatre.

A Chinese Brush Painting Workshop with Diana Kung on Sunday, May 6, 1 to  5 p.m. will cost attendees  $90. To register, call 973.971.3740 or email StudioArt@morrismuseum.org

Students will learn the use of ink, colors and simple brush strokes to create images of objects found in nature. Learn the various techniques of this freehand brush work that has been used to create beauty in one of the oldest painting traditions in the world. Diana Kung is an award winning professional artist, and has been an art instructor for over 15 years.

Another Chinese Calligraphy Workshop with John Shiling Zhou will be held on Saturday, May 12,  from noon to1:30 p.m. for a fee of  $65 (plus $10 supply fee).

To register please call 973.971.3740 or email StudioArt@morrismuseum.org

Chinese calligraphy is an art form with a long, rich history. This workshop will start with a short presentation on written characters and their changes throughout Chinese history, as well as calligraphic works from various Dynasties. Participants will learn how to use the tools to practice this ancient art with rice paper, brushes, and the ink stone; and will complete a piece of art to take home.  John Shiling Zhou is an artist specializing in Chinese brush painting and calligraphy. In the past ten years, his work has been exhibited in galleries in the United States, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Canada and his native China.