Beijing blog, September 24, 2015

I am an art teacher who has been asked to visit Beijing, China to be a keynote speaker at the International Arts Center during Beijing's Design Week.  I will be going along with my former principal, (now retired,) Dr. Mary Evans, who wrote an arts grant and hired me as an artist in residence many years ago.  For about 12 years the school –Cumberland Trace Elementary -had one of the best art programs in our county of Warren, (city Bowling Green,) in Kentucky.  We were even formally evaluated and said to be one of the top 5 schools in the state to have such a quality art program- integrating the arts throughout our curriculum.    I have always taught multi-cultural arts.  I include all artists that I love, plus I like to teach about traditional arts of many cultures and countries.  Romare Bearden has always been one of my favorite artists and he has been most influential in my own work as an artist.  Currently I run my own little art school, where I give art lessons to 45 students, ages 5- 18 years.  I have developed a unit I call The Art of the South, where I teach about Romare Bearden.  An educator from China, affiliated with the local University here, has been bringing her young daughter to me for art lessons for a couple of years.  She and I have talked about teaching the arts and in passing, she knew that my principal continued to ask me to provide in-service training to classroom teachers about integrating the arts throughout the curriculum.  She asked if I would be willing to teach about this to teachers in China.  I said, “Sure,” but  I never really thought I would get a formal invitation.  When the official invitation did arrive, just a short time ago, it sent me scurrying to get my passport and visa.  I leave on October 1, 2015 and will spend more than a week in Beijing before I fly back to the US.  Besides the keynote address to adults, I have also been asked to visit schools and provide art activities to children.  After giving it much thought, I decided my art lesson for the Chinese children would be to teach about Romare Beaden.  In my past experience, working with children, jazz music and Bearden’s art has inspired collage pieces that were beautiful.  Romare Bearden was chosen by the National Endowment for the Humanities to be included in the Picturing America Curriculum, another reason to take him with me to China.  I have always believed that Romare Bearden is quintessentially the great American artist.  He was often inspired by jazz music, which is also uniquely American, so I can think of nothing more important to take with me to China than this representation of my own country’s heritage and art.  Romare Bearden is what I will share with those I meet in China.  I am sure I will learn much more than I can teach.  I have even purchased some Romare Bearden Revealed CD’s  to give as gifts to my hosts and translators when I get to China.  (The Marsalis Quartet composed instrumental pieces, inspired by Bearden’s works of art.) To be honest, I am scared to embark upon the unknown, but feel much more comfortable taking with me the books, music and art that represent someone who seems familiar, like an old friend:  Romare Bearden.  I hope to continue this blog in Beijing.  Sincerely, Teresa