A group of American students from San Francisco learn to play Chinese drums during their study trip to Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, on Wednesday. (Provided to China Daily) While many are dismayed by the currently tarnished China-US relationship, artists and community activists are using arts to address estrangement between people in China and the United States through exhibitions, seminars and paintings. Song Min, president of the US-China Culture &Communication Association, headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, believes in the important role that storytelling through art has been playing in facilitating goodwill and dialogue between people.
Last fall, he led eight American artists to visit Xianning, Hubei province, and joined nine Chinese artists there for an activity — "Chinese in the Eyes of Americans — Telling the Story of Xianning, Hubei with a Paintbrush." During the week, "artists mingle with each other through paintings and artistic expressions", said Song. "Together, they toured scenic spots, visited schools and museums, checked street vendors, talked to locals and captured moments of significance.
They reflected their findings on canvas through brush strokes and colors." The collective works of Chinese and American artists, 27 pieces in total, were first on display in Xianning before they were shown at an exhibition in late May at a public library in Cupertino, California, which has been in a sister-city relationship with Xianning since 2018. Sheila .