Community Response: Join the Dialogue

June 22 - October 7, 2007

The Frist Center is pleased to present two exhibitions of Chinese art featuring traditional Chinese painting and contemporary photography. Lyrical Traditions: Four Centuries of Chinese Painting from the Papp Collection features magnificent paintings, fans, scrolls, and albums produced in the Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644–1911) dynasties. The works in Whispering Wind: Recent Chinese Photography document and symbolically convey the impact of the massive cultural, political, and technological changes that have been recently transforming China.

It is a long-standing tradition within Chinese culture for a painting's owner or a famous scholar to write a personal response on the artwork, sometimes even centuries after the painter’s death. In keeping with this idea, the Frist Center invited a group of Nashville’s Chinese community members to provide personal reactions to artwork in the exhibitions Lyrical Traditions and Whispering Wind. These responses address Chinese folktales, explore cultural qualities, and provide personal commentary related to the Chinese experience.

We would like to hear your thoughts about the artworks, the community responses or the other visitors' responses. Click on a thumbnail below to begin.