Led by the Center for the Art of East Asia’s Visiting Scholar (2023-2024) Sherry (Yijia) Wang, the Center supported the production of a 10-day project, Yuan Asian Art Festival, as a creative way to celebrate the Lunar New Year. In the month of February, Professor Wang and her four team members, including Rudradutt Randade (animator, writer and visual artist), Yimei (Emair) Zhu (interdisciplinary artist), Yuheng (Peter) Deng (MA student at the University of Chicago), and Yiwen Wu (PhD student at the University of Chicago), ran a series of workshops culminating in a final community showcase at the Louis B. Nettlehorst Elementary School, a Chicago Public School located in the city’s East Lakeview neighborhood. The project featured digital archival materials of Longmen Binyang Central Cave, which is part of the Center’s research of the Dispersed Chinese Art Digitization Project. Participants in the project explored the story behind the Empress Procession relief in the cave, from its creation, destruction, rediscovery to restoration. Employing a variety of techniques, including animation, painting, puppetry, and physical movements, participants engaged in an immersive experience to connect with Chinese art and cultural heritage.

To prepare for the project, Professor Wang and her team piloted a performance for the Logan Center Family Puppet Cabaret in January, which was part of the Chicago International Puppet Festival held at the University of Chicago’s Logan Art Center. It attracted approximately 100 attendees from the public. Based on that experience, the group presented the Yuan Asian Art Festival to the Nettlehorst’s seventh-grade students via four segments:

1. 1. Puppet Animation Workshop – Participants designed their own 2D puppet with moving joints by using scrap newspaper, magazines and/or printed images to craft a story


2. 2. Performative Painting Workshop – Participants used rocks as a tool to create free-style ink painting


3. 3. Shadow Play Workshop – Using props and role play, participants explored the history of the destroyed relief of the Empress Procession in the Longmen Binyang Central Cave, then played the role of different characters from the history and re-enacted the drama.


4. 4. Final Showcase Performance and Celebration – Over 50 attendees from the school’s community combined aspects from earlier workshops, including paper-cut window grilles, calligraphy, traditional costume cosplay, and more, to learn about the richness of the Chinese culture. Accompanied by live music, a final performance was staged in the school’s auditorium.

We were pleased that the project was received positively. When asked about their favorite aspects of the workshops, a student responded, “I liked doing the shadow stuff with my friends. It was fun instead of just sitting there and listening.” Another student noted that she “learned about the different ways [someone] can use the body to tell a story.” Theater art engages the whole body and mind. Not only can the Interdisciply nature of the project enhance their engagement level, but it also helps them understand more about the story being told. It is our hope that layering the story around historical objects and allowing students to embody the characters in it creates a memorable learning experience that might last a lifetime.