About Grinnell
June 1, 2010 - 4:41pm
Our lodging is at the far end of Nanjing University campus. The campus is divided into the dormitory area for the students (and we live in this part of campus) and the academic and teaching area. Hankou Road runs through the middle of campus and divides the two sections. Several times a day we walk through the dorms and see the students going about their daily lives.
This campus of Nanjing University is for post-graduate study, so all the students have completed their... Read More...
May 31, 2010 - 7:37pm
In the U.S., we often hear about the scale of projects and economic growth in China, but from a distance and with only our own scale of reference, it's difficult to grasp. Even here in central Nanjing, with new skyscrapers and shopping malls under construction in seemingly every block, the feeling is similar to that of redeveloping areas in Chicago, or New York, or L.A. It's impressive, but woven into the fabric of the energy of a city at perhaps a hyper-level from what we have come... Read More...
May 27, 2010 - 10:19pm
This week, our host department, the Office of International Cooperation and Exchanges at Nanjing University, provide a full-day tour of Nanjing, complete with driver and guide. Our guide was a Nanjing native, a 25 year-old masters degree candidate in Linguistics named Yuan Yuan, but who asked us to call her Vivian. Most Chinese students whom we have met have an English name, which Vivian says they typically adopt in middle school as they are learning English. So one of the... Read More...
May 21, 2010 - 6:24pm
After days of hearing of all the accomplishments and accolades accorded to the esteemed Professor Wu, seeing his studio and examples of his work at Nanjing University, and anticipating the moment, we were invited to a luncheon on Friday with the man himself. He had just returned from Hong Kong, where he received an honorary degree from Hong Kong University. Professor Wu is officially Don's host at Nanjing University, but his assistants, Mr. Chen and Mr. Qian (pronounced "chon") have being... Read More...
May 19, 2010 - 12:56am
Today is day 4 in Nanjing and we are beginning to know our way around. We are staying in the Nanyuan Conference Center of Nanjing University, which is essentially the hotel for the school. (For those of you who are former Nanjing fellows from Grinnell, we are not in the foreign scholars house, as it was full.) Since this is a hotel, the rooms are not designed for a long stay. They are well appointed and comfortable, but not very big, so they have given us two rooms. We... Read More...
May 15, 2010 - 5:59pm
For the last two days, we have been hosted royally in Hong Kong by friends and colleagues. They have given us glimpses of Hong Kong we would likely never have found on our own. And they have shared their friendship which is always welcome when traveling.
On Friday, Shing-wai Chan, chief curator for conservation of the Leisure and Cultural Services department of Hong Kong, took us on a tour of three major museums. In the process, we had a chance to see some of the neighborhoods on the... Read More...
May 13, 2010 - 5:07pm
It's early on Friday morning, May 14, as I write, though it's still Thursday in the US. We arrived yesterday evening right on schedule after a 14+ hour flight, which United informs us is one of their longest. We flew the polar route, almost due north over Canada and the west side of Hudson Bay, along the northern edge of the North American continent, still snow covered, but the water at the shore has melted for the season, and back over land at Siberia. Siberia was amazing--track-less,... Read More...
May 11, 2010 - 4:47pm
Tomorrow we board a plane for a 15 hour flight to the other side of the world. I won't be able to read the language, unless it's been translated into pinyin, and I won't understand a word. This is both deliciously tantalizing and terrifying. 10 years ago, the Faulconer Gallery did an exhibition of contemporary Chinese art based on Chinese characters. Some of it was actual Chinese language. Some of it was by Chinese artists playing with the language. While I understood those concepts... Read More...
May 8, 2010 - 8:01am
Most days find me at my desk at the Faulconer Gallery at Grinnell College. Currently I am preparing to travel to China as part of a long-standing faculty exchange between Grinnell and Nanjing University. Faculty from Nanjing come to Grinnell to conduct research and to instruct our students in Chinese language. Faculty from Grinnell travel to Nanjing to conduct research and to teach in their areas of specialty. The exchange is over 20 years old and has forged strong ties between Grinnell and one... Read More...
May 7, 2010 - 3:53pm
As director of the Faulconer Gallery in Grinnell, Iowa (population 9100), I feel a deep commitment to the art and artists of the Midwest region. But--perhaps as a result--I also love to travel and discover the ways in which artists are connected to their places all over the world. In 5 days, I leave for Nanjing, China (population 6 million), where I will be teaching at one of the premier Chinese universities--Nanjing University--and exploring the art worlds of China. Stay tuned for... Read More...
