Not many people have the opportunity to become international artists, but students at Walpole High School have been invited to continue an international exchange with the Xu Beihong Academy in Beijing, China.
The head of the art department, Mrs. Diana Hampe, has organized the exchange in Beijing with Jao Jun, a doctoral student of art education at Columbia University. Last year, Jao Jun hosted an exhibit of portraits from Walpole High School that was part of his master’s thesis at Boston University. To establish the exhibit as an annual tradition, Jao extended the invitation to Mrs. Hampe to exhibit her students’ work in Beijing. Jao’s mother-in-law runs the Xu Beihong Academy in China where the exhibit will be hosted.
Jao and his wife, a graduate of Rhode Island School of Design, traveled to Walpole to look at the students’ landscapes. They selected 32 pieces from the Juniors in Drawing and Painting II. Among the students honored are Trevor Smith, Katherine Cullen, Olivia Perry, Elissa DeNapoli, Danielle DiBari, Caitlin O’Hear, Olivia Caron, Liz Kenny, Tzu-Lin Wu, Ah-Leigha Coughlan, Michelle Harbor, Morgan Dobry, Teresa Le, Lara Schnurr, Natalie Amaral, and Victoria Maroun.
The pieces consisted of oil pastels of the town forest that is directly behind Walpole High School, watercolor and marker pieces of buildings, and ink landscapes. Right now the artwork is in a gallery in Beijing, and will next be displayed at a college site.
Jao’s mother-in-law invited Walpole High School to take part in a student exchange to learn the eastern traditions of Drawing and Painting. The exchange will take place around June 15th, when school is still in session in China. Walpole art students, who have been taught the Eastern Renaissance styles by Mrs. Hampe, will have the opportunity to learn in the classroom with the Chinese masters. The students will go to China for 10-15 days, where they will travel around the country and attend school.
In February, the Chinese students will travel to Walpole to stay with host families. Jao hopes to continue this international exchange next year, with still-lifes as the subject of the exhibit.
