Chinese opera on display

Xichen Xu (right), director of A Celebration of Chinese Opera and a graduate student in Savannah College of Art and Design; and her father Jianhua Xu display the art works for an upcoming exhibition in Washington on Monday. The exhibition will be held from August 22 to 29 at the Katzen Arts Center. Andi Zhang / for China Daily

Most Americans don't know much about Chinese opera, but now there's a chance to change that.

A Chinese graduate student will stage an exhibition on Chinese Opera at the Katzen Arts Center in Washington, DC, from Aug 22 to 29.

"Chinese opera is an innovative concept for Americans, and there are practically no exhibitions about Chinese opera oriented to common people," Xichen Xu, designer and organizer of the event, told China Daily.

"I collected artwork inspired by the theme of Chinese Opera from across US, and selected the top ten in terms of quality," Xu said.

She also included a collection of masks, costumes, photography, paintings and more.

Xu, originally from Sichuan province, has played the erhu, a traditional Chinese stringed instrument, for more than 17 years and has made it her mission to present Chinese culture to the public.

Her opera exhibition, 10 weeks in the making, will serve as her final project for her Master's degree in arts administration at Savannah College of Art and Design.

"It will be a great opportunity to merge my final project with my aspiration of enriching traditional Chinese culture," she explained. "And for those artists who provide the artwork, it is a good platform to showcase their talent as well."

After earning a bachelor's degree arts management at the China Conservatory, Xu decided to study abroad, going to Savannah College.

"I think art programming should cater to the community," she said. "If more common people participate in events and raise their interest, society would attach more importance to art education."

For Xu, the essential duty of an arts administrator is to trigger the interest of the audience.

"The colorful artworks provide the audience with direct perception of the concepts of Chinese opera through senses," said Xu.

Before her Chinese opera show, Xu successfully ran a student workshop sponsored by the Washington International School, which taught kids how to create opera masks. "If we raise children's interest in art, their parents will become interested as well," she said.

Directing her new project has been a formidable task. "My original plan was a performance, but considering how little Americans know about Chinese opera I thought an exhibition would be more effective," Xu said.

"I have only been to DC once, so it is completely new for me, I have to do everything myself - connecting with the media, promotion and seeking sponsorship," she added.

Though the project is beset with challenges, Xu says it has been a valuable experience. "Never be afraid to take the first step," she said.

Jianhua Xu , her father, has been in Washington since June to be with her. "My wife and I are really proud of her," he said. "The whole family is behind her."

"Although I am not familiar with her field, I still help as much as I can, like transporting and placing the artworks," he said. "Sometimes Xu is so focused on her work she forgets everything else."

Patrick Kelsey, professor of arts administration at Savannah College and Xu's mentor on the project, said, "I have thoroughly enjoyed having Xu in the classroom as her positive can-do attitude helps both her peers and me."

Kelsey hoped Xu would do the project in Savannah where she would have had a large network of friends and faculty to help. But Xu was determined to go to DC and do it on her own.

Andi Zhang contributed to this story.