Lilllies from the Fass/Deemer Farm

Beautiful hybridized lillies from the Phil Fass and Deb Deemer farm in Parkersburg, IA. The fields are vast and colorful and soul-invigorating! Photos taken 6/26/12 in high sun just before a lovely birthday lunch for Phil.

Esther Cheng Exhibition at HCA

Images from Esther Cheng: New Works in Watermedia at the Hearst Center for the Arts (HCA), Cedar Falls, IA, which runs from May 27 through August 19, 2012. Like the Developing Expressions exhibition I designed and installed this body of work in the main gallery of HCA, an exciting space that's only blocks from the UNI campus. Originally from Tiawan, Esther Cheng is a longtime resident of Cedar Falls who will be relocating to San Diego in the coming months. She will be missed by this community. Bon Voyage Esther! You make beautiful work.

Thanks to the administration at HCA for this professional development opportunity, especially Mary Huber, Luke Vaughn, Gail LeFlore, and the incomparable Abby Haigh.

Images from "Developing Expressions 2012" at the Hearst Center for the Arts, Cedar Falls, IA. I was contracted to design and install this K-12 art exhibition at the Hearst, a beautiful space with a lovely, collegial staff. I had great fun, and I'm looking forward to a future project with them featuring the watercolor paintings of Esther Cheng.

"Sweet Salvation II"

Link to TianWei Studios Vimeo page of this performance:
http://vimeo.com/38664080
Jiawei Gong performed "Sweet Salvation II" at the UNI Gallery of Art between Feb. 9 and Feb. 12, 2012, and the completed sugar painting was on view until Mar. 1, 2012 at which point students from the UNI Department of Art performance art class swept it up and poured into the Cedar River. Lovely work!

"Times, Interludes and Actions" at UNI Gallery of Art

Installation view of

Times, Interludes and Actions:

Performances in Response to the First Decade

of the New Millennium

February - March, 2012 at the UNI Gallery of Art.

Background image includes Joe Meiser's "Become the Gorilla," performed by student Jeff Bast.

Jiawei Gong's Sweet Salvation, composed of natural and refined sugar granules.

Times, Interludes and Actions is an invitational exhibition curated by UNI Dept. of Art Head Jeff Byrd and Asst. Professor of Art at Bucknell University Joe Meiser. Exhibitors include the following: Marilyn Arsem, Eun Woo Cho, A. Jacob Galle, Nestor Armando Gil, Jiawei Gong, Hillerbrand + Magsamen, Jeanne Jo, Kyoung Eun Kang, Jordan McKenzie, Takeshi Moro, Jennifer Seibert, Gary Setzer, Bradly Dever Treadaway, and Jordan Tynes.

The exhibition also features Rachel Rosenthal’s limited edition artist book Soldier of Fortune.

Pyhrrus' Battle

Pyhrrus' Battle, mixed media drawing, 2011.
Donated to "Vault" event at the Des Moines Art Center.

Anticipating Spring