Z.Z. Wei - Shadow Stories

For Immediate Release Press Contact: Tom Shinall, TMP Director of Marketing [email protected] 770-387-2833 Z.Z. WEI: SHADOW STORIESFeatured Artist Exhibition as part of the Southeastern Cowboy GatheringCARTERSVILLE, GEORGIA – “Art begins when words fail,” says Z.Z. Wei. “I communicate with myviewers through emotions I create on canvas. It’s a space for them to rest, to contemplate, to heal andcelebrate; it’s an inner landscape for them to interact and interpret through their own perspective. Theseendless possibilities are what make art powerful. I paint to open those possibilities for myself and others.”Born in 1957, Z.Z. Wei’s formative years were spent in Beijing, China, living and surviving through theCultural Revolution from 1966 – 1976. His perspective of art and nature was deeply influenced by hisfather, a skilled traditional Chinese painter, who taught him that when humans and nature are in balance,there is harmony; this is a principal of the Chinese philosophy Taoism.In 1969 the “Down to the Countryside Movement” was started as a massive campaign to eliminate classdistinction by exposing urban elites to peasant life. Z.Z. was sent to Yanqing and initially given the job ofusing a sickle to weed rows in a planted field. Much to his relief, he was soon sent to herd sheep andmove heavy goods with a horse-cart. These jobs gave him freedom to move around the countrysidewithout a rigid schedule, allowing him to draw and paint at night. At age twenty-one he was sent back tothe city to paint sets for the Chinese National Opera and Dance Drama Company. He found this worklimiting and wanted the freedom to express himself. He enrolled in the Central Art Institute of Art andDesign in Beijing, graduating in 1984.In 1989, through a series of fortunate events, he was invited to the U.S. as part of an artist exchangeprogram. He first worked and lived in Seattle, but in 1991 was asked to serve as a resident artist atWhitman College in Walla Walla, WA. While at the college he met his wife Lin Hsuan-Chun. She workedat the college, was a native of Taiwan and spoke Mandarin Chinese. When Z.Z. was trying to learnEnglish, she admits, “I would get so impatient waiting for him that I would jump in and interpret forhim….I’ve been doing it ever since.”In Walla Walla, he purchased his first car and the newfound freedom allowed him to explore every backroad he could find. He made his way from the wheat fields of the Palouse region in Eastern Washingtonto the vast expanses of the Pacific Northwest. His travels inspire his richly complex work, “Even though Iam categorized as a landscape painter, I am painting people without actually painting people. As human MORE

Page two, Z.Z. Weiactivities unfold upon a landscape, human nature is revealed in those forms. Our culture, spirit and valuesare spoken through the cultivated dirt, the wooden barn, the transportation, and the harvested alfalfa. It’sthe story of humanity and their interaction with nature and the environment.”In conjunction with the Southeastern Cowboy Gathering, on Thursday, March 8 at 5:00 pm, FeaturedArtist Z.Z. Wei will lead a Gallery Walk through Z.Z. Wei: Shadow Stories in the Temporary ExhibitionGallery. Born and educated in China, Wei’s views of America allow us to see the hopefulness of anewcomer through 25 paintings that transport us to a place where time stands still. At 6:00 pm, a Meetthe Artist Reception featuring refreshments will be held in the Lucinda and James Eaton SculptureAtrium. Following the reception, Booth Museum Members and guests are invited to the Featured ArtistEvening Lecture in Bergman Theatre to join Wei as he discusses how he unites his art and lifeexperiences in China with his perspectives inspired by traveling the backroads of America. Theseactivities are free for Booth Museum Members and included with general admission for not-yet-members.On Friday, March 9 from 10:00 am to 12:30 pm, the Booth Artists’ Guild presents a PaintingDemonstration and Conversation with Featured Artist Z.Z. Wei. Moderated by Booth MuseumExecutive Director Seth Hopkins, this provides a unique opportunity to witness and learn from one ofWestern art’s great contemporary artists. Tickets are $30 for Booth Museum Members and $40 for not-yet-members. To register for the artist demonstration, call 770-387-1553.For additional information on the exhibition and activities surrounding Z.Z. Wei at Booth Museum, contactDirector of Marketing Tom Shinall, (770) 387-2833 or [email protected]. Z.Z. Wei: ShadowStories, February 22 – June 10, 2018 in the Temporary Exhibition Gallery at Booth Western Art Museum,Cartersville, GA.About Booth Western Art MuseumBooth Western Art Museum, an Affiliate to the Smithsonian Institution, is a 120,000 square foot museumlocated in Cartersville, Georgia, where guests are invited to See America’s Story through contemporaryWestern artwork, a Presidential Gallery, Civil War art gallery, and Sagebrush Ranch, an interactivechildren’s gallery. Open since August 2003, Booth Museum is the largest museum of its kind in theSoutheast and was named the 2016 Escape to the Southeast Travel Attraction of the Year from theSoutheast Tourism Society. To learn more about Booth Western Art Museum, visit boothmuseum.org. MORE

Page three, Z.Z. WeiMuseum DirectionsBooth Western Art Museum is located at 501 N. Museum Drive, Cartersville, GA 30120. Take I-75 to exit#288 – Main Street, Cartersville. Head West. Follow Main Street (Highway #113 / #61) into the businessdistrict – approximately 2.2 miles. Turn right on Gilmer Street, travel two blocks under the bridge and theMuseum is on the left. Free parking is available in the Tabernacle Baptist Church parking lot on GilmerStreet, across from the Museum entrance.Museum HoursTuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm. Thursday: 10:00 am – 8:00 pm.Sunday: 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm. Closed Mondays, New Year’s Day, July 4th, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.AdmissionAdult: $12 plus tax; Senior (65+): $10 plus tax; Student (with ID): $9 plus tax; Child (12 and under): Free(accompanied by parent or guardian); Active Military Personnel (with ID): Free (½ price regular admissionfor all immediate family members of the active duty person); Booth Museum Members: Free; FirstThursday of each month: Free admission for all between 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm. ###