On September 11th, "9--Exhibition of Faculty Artists from College of Media Arts and Design, Drexel University" opened at the CAFAM Museum.

The Drexel University of America is a private research university founded in 1891 and it has been ranked consistently among the “Best National Universities-Top Schools” according U.S. News & World Report’s annual “America’s Best Colleges List”; China Central Academy of Fine Arts was founded in 1918 and it is the originator of Chinese Modern Art Education. These two well-known universities with over an hundred-year-old history have different cultural backgrounds and modes of teaching which makes their respective faculty artists present significantly different looks. While the differences contain their common exploration and attempts in “artistic innovation”, this is exactly what the exhibition intends to present to the audience.

Nine teachers from the College of Media Arts, Drexel University including Mark Stockton, Jen Blazina, Orlando Pelliccia, Josh Weiss, Lydia Hunn, Anda Dubinskis, Bruce Pollock, Blaise Tobia, Sarah Steinwachs have been present at the press conference and succeeding opening ceremony. Joe Gregory, Dean of Department of Art and History, Drexel University, Prof. Gao Tianxiong, Dean of Department of Foundation Education, China Central Academy of Fine Arts, Prof. Tang Bin, Deputy Director of CAFA Art Museum, Sun Hongpei, Deputy Secretary of Party Committee, CAFA and Su Xinping, Dean of School of Fine Art, CAFA addressed the audience at the opening ceremony.

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“I’m a tutor who teaches art history and also I serve as the Dean of Department of Art and History, Drexel University. Our university is located in Philadelphia, USA. Sixteen months ago for the first time I came in contact with Mr. Wang Huangsheng from the CAFA Art Museum. Then we started with an art exhibition between the faculties of these two universities. Later we signed an agreement of mutual exchange. I think the exhibition today can be taken as the first outcome of our cooperation. At the same time, as a part of the agreement, we will hold an exhibition presenting art works from the faculty artists from the Central Academy of Fine Arts in October, 2013. This program will not only promote the international art exchange, but it will also contribute to the communications and cooperation between these two universities including exchanges between teachers and students,” Mr. Joe Gregory said so in his speech.

Tang Bin, Deputy Director of CAFA Art Museum thought that, “The significance of the exhibition presented by CAFA Art Museum lies in the fact that we always adhere to the broad academic horizons and open atmosphere as an art museum in the academy of fine arts. One of our important tasks is to provide services for the education and communication with the Central Academy of Fine Arts.”

This exhibition features 25 artistic creations by nine teachers from the College of Media Arts and Design, Drexel University, covering a synthesis of painting, photography, sculpture, installations and other creative fields. To some extent it highlights the style, appearance and creative status of American artists nowadays. In addition to the exchange exhibition, nine teachers who have participated in the exhibition will also directly contribute to the education practice at the Central Academy of Fine Arts. They will examine the curriculum, teaching methods in detail with the faculty at CAFA with thorough communication on the teaching paradigm and features. This is undoubtedly a further improvement in the personnel training mode for the Central Academy of Fine Arts, providing good conditions for it to absorb diversified nutrition from different cultural soils.

This exhibition will last until October 14, 2012.