Hank Foreman:

The Turchin Center for the Visual Arts is located on the campus of Appalachian State University, and is located at the heart of downtown Boone, where the University and the downtown area meet. The Center provides dynamic programming in exhibitions, education and collection management in support of the University's mission.

This Summer, the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts is proud to present Dancing with the Dragon, an exhibition and education outreach program familiarizing people in the community with contemporary art in China. In addition to an amazing exhibit featuring artists from all over the Beijing region, and outside of Beijing in China, the program will bring Zheng Xuewu, a visiting professor here, to teach in our Department of Art and work with our students for a whole semester in the Fall of 2008. His wife, Guo Xin Xin, will also teach here at the University and specialize in Chinese crafts. Both Xuewu and Xin Xin will be working with groups within the local community, from the public schools to the Department of Social Services, to provide them an opportunity of what life is like in China for contemporary artists.

To make this exciting program a reality, a delegation from the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts and Appalachian State University traveled to China in October 2007. The delegation met with artists, gallery owners and educators to bring this plan to fruition.

Dancing with the Dragon, and the other programs presented during July, are a major component of An Appalachian Summer Festival, the University's multi-arts festival presented each Summer right here in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

What's most exciting about Dancing with the Dragon is that it's not just an exhibition. Its many components provide the region a real opportunity to learn more about contemporary art in Beijing and the artists who make this important work.