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Dalton News
Art Farm - DGI Chinese Contemporary Art Trip
On the chilly gray morning of Friday, October 29, a group of 10 Mandarin students and their teachers, sharing a common interest in Chinese contemporary art, embarked on a bus ride for three hours to Salt Point, NY, to Art Farm.
Antonio Lee, Director of Dalton Global Initiatives (DGI) organized the group to help enhance their understanding of Chinese art and culture by visiting the impressive but modest cascading, steel complex of three buildings, design by HHF Architects and renowned Chinese artist/architect, Ai Weiwei. In 2006 Weiwei was awarded the Gold Medal for the annual “Best Architects 10” prize in 2009. Ai Weiwei also won international respect for his consultation on Beijing National Stadium or "Birds Nest" stadium for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.Upon arrival, the group was treated to timely lunch and a tour and of the home of Dr. John Tancock and Christopher Mao, the property on which Art Farm is located. Mao commissioned Weiwei to design a warehouse and exhibition space for his private collection and to act as additional storage space for Chambers Fine Arts, a gallery located at 522 West 19th Street, specializing in contemporary Chinese art.
Dr. Tancock's 30 years of expertise at Sotheby's, where he served as Senior Vice President & Senior Specialist in Impressionist & Modern Art, made the group feel as if they were in the presence of a living treasure. His facile explanation of the work, both within his home and in the Art Farm building, was as focused and articulate as a museum catalog. Their vast collection of Chinese contemporary art illustrates incredible expertise in understanding and acquiring works from the explosive Chinese contemporary art scene, ever since the Chinese government lifted its cultural restrictions about 20 years ago.
After lunch and once inside the Art Farm buildings, David Clements, the soft spoken Director of Chambers Fine Art's NYC gallery, expertly lectured on the individual works and their importance in the collection. He also placed the works in context within the greater trends of Chinese contemporary art. Before the trek back, Dr. Tancock offered several beautifully catalogs to the group and school and invited the students and teachers to visit the Chelsea gallery. Many of catalogs will remain in the Dalton Library collections for future reference.
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