We’ll continue to post materials to help prepare for the salon conversations and art cart use during the special exhibition Power and Beauty in China’s Last Dynasty: Concept and Design by Robert Wilson. Videos of various trainings will also be linked on this page.

The arts of the Chinese Qing court rivaled that of Europe’s great kingdoms. This opulence served to affirm imperial power and prestige, and also as stagecraft for the emperor’s leading role as “son of heaven.” “Power and Beauty in China’s Last Dynasty” presents treasures from the museum’s renowned collection of Chinese art, including rare court costumes, jades, lacquers, paintings, and sculpture. Mia’s curator of Chinese art, Liu Yang, has collaborated with celebrated artist, director, and New York-based stage designer Robert Wilson to create an experiential exhibition that engages the senses and evokes the otherworldly, intoxicating—and even dangerous—world of the Qing (pronounced “ch’ing”) court (1644–1912).

Here is the initial press release, announcing the show:

Power-and-Beauty-Press-Release

Here is a PDF of Liu Yang’s article on the exhibition:

Power and Beauty final Liu Yang

Pronunciation guide for article (courtesy of Mingjen Chen):

Chinese pronunciation

and here is the gallery map from that article (but please note, it is not quite final):

gallery plan

Here is the exhibition checklist, with small photos of the objects:

Power and Beauty in China’s Last Dynasty_Exhibition Checklist.docx

Here is the PDF of Matthew Welch’s article:

Power&Beauty_MWelch

Here is the video of the training session with Michael Lapthorn, exhibition designer, on December 13, 2017:

Power and Beauty info session with Michael Lapthorn

Videos of the training session on January 11, 2018:

P&B 1.11.18 1

P&B 1.11.18 2

Video of the training session by Liu Yang, on February 8, 2018:

P&B 2.8.18

Online resources for learning more about Robert Wilson and his work are located in the Resource document at the end of this post.

Here are the scents being used in the galleries:

Scents by gallery

Some refreshers on Daoism and Confucianism:

Daoism refresher

Confucianism refresher

For a refresher on the Ming/Qing Dynasties, here are materials from the last docent class, a recorded video, the PPT for the lecture, and the lecture handouts, including a great handout on Chinese robes!

Video links to Ming and Qing Dynasty lecture

Ming-and-Qing-dynasties

Imperial-Chinese-Court-robes-of-the-Qing-Dynasty-1644

ming-and-qing-handout

For a refresher on Buddhism, here is a PDF of lecture slides, with good information on the origins of Buddhism:

Buddhism Origins_DH

Here is a general overview and best practices for Art Cart facilitation:

110324_Introduction to Art Carts_General

And here are some links (each is a separate document) for additional handouts from art cart training:

1. Inkstone;  2. Silk Worms;  3. Bird cage;  4. Cricket Cage_ Power & Beauty;  5. Dǒugǒng; 6. Lacquer Box with Carved décor;  7. P&B Ancient Bronze Vessel;  8. P&B Calligraphy and Writing Implements;  9. P&B Pair of Jade Carved Ducks and Raw Jade; 10. 8 Daoist Immortals; 11. P&B Imperial Chinese Court Robe; 12. P&B Seated Buddha statue; 13. P&B Cloisonne Vase_ Power & Beauty ; 14. P&B 500 Lohans; 15. Buddha Diagram; 16. P&B Silk Cocoons; 17. P&B porcelain vase

Here are the PDFs with the details of the Imperial Robe symbols. These are from the National Gallery of Victoria, Australia, from an exhibition on Chinese textiles:

Imperial Robe symbols 1

Imperial robe symbols 2

And here is the entire manual for the China art cart, with the new objects:

Power and Beauty Art Cart Manual

Here is the video of the China Art Cart training on 2/17/18:

China Art Cart training for Power and Beauty

Sample questions, pre-visit and post-visit, for Stop And Chat:

Stop & Chat discussion questions

FAQ for Power and Beauty:

FAQ Power and Beauty

Fact Sheet for Docents and Guides:

Fact Sheet for docents and guides

Finally, here is a Resource document, with links to online articles and videos that pertain to the exhibition. We will continue to add resources to this document and post revised versions. If you find an article or video to share, please email information to Kara (kzumbahlen@artsmia.org):

Resources for Power and Beauty 02.27.18