Sunday, January 27, 2013

A Weekend of China Inspired Reunions...

Paige & Kim
Two great reunions took place in my life this weekend. The Arts in Education 2013 Reunion session and my fabulous weekend with Kim Mitchell, Carnegie Visual Arts Center Executive Director.  I have not seen Kim since we met her during our May 2012 Confucius Institute China adventure.

The Arts in Education Reunion naturally took on an Asian theme this year. My China experience and Jessica Freeland's (Arts in Education Coordinator) honeymoon trip to Japan provided inspiration and motivation to share our knowledge and passion for Asian arts and culture with our grant participants.

Incredibly fortunate timing brought Kim Mitchell to town this weekend to "research" Mardi Gras for the second year of Decatur, Alabama's Mardi-Gras-style celebration: Carnegie Carnival, presented by the Carnegie Visual Arts Center. So in addition to being able to share Mobile Mardi Gras with Kim, she was able to join me in sharing our China experiences with the Arts in Education teachers and students in the reunion workshop Saturday morning.


Paige Vitulli, Kim Mitchell, and Jeannette Fresne
presenting at the Arts in Education Reunion 2013: Asia


Paper lantern production

Kim assisting with lantern construction
Tissue paper adds design and color

Chinese Paper Lantern Resources:
How to Make a Chinese Paper Lantern, Martha Stewart Video

Paper Lanterns Lesson Plans:


Great ladies of Decatur, AL researching Mardi Gras for Carnegie Carnival.
Mobile, AL Mardi Gras



2 comments:

Unknown said...

Your weekend sounds like a blast. Especially the Mardi Gras "research." However, I writing in response to the article you shared from http://upfront.scholastic.com/issues/01_28_13/book#/14. It was an interesting article and the video attached gave some insights into the minds of the students taking the gaokao. Students in the U.S. have no idea how fortunate they are. The video referenced a factoid 9 million students taking an exam that will be the sole determination whether or not they gain entrance to a university. A compelling number since there are only 7 million slots available. Thanks for sharing!!

Unknown said...

Chris,
I'm glad you read that article and found it interesting as well. A more international perspective has certainly caused me to see things differently, and usually causes me to be more appreciative of ways of life I take for granted.