Art Club

Chinese Palace Lantern - Artist-n-Residence

This week, with the help of Hua Hua Zhang, the Albert Gallatin Art students will be creating Chinese Palace Lanterns. Through the grant via the IU#1 for Artist-n-Residence Program, Hua Hua Zhang will be instructing the history of the lanterns as well as how to recreate them. The project will be taking place in Ms. Sementa's room. Feel free to check out the slide show of the students hard at work and experiencing new art.

Student participating in this project are: Drew McGettigan, Kate Kubina, Jessica Campbell, Nathan Smith, Chasity Durst, Kristie Morris, Tiffany McDonough, Marc Rattay, Brad Ferland, Shawn Smearcheck, Lucy Hlatkey, Michele Kremposky, Andrew Morano, Chelsea Bowlin, Brittany Hileman, Aaron King, Julie Hicks, and George Stull.

Artist-n-Residence - Hua Hua Zhang Biography

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Hua Hua Zhang graduated from the Beijing Performing Art Academy where she was trained as a performer in the ancient art of Chinese puppetry. From 1974 to 1995 she toured nationally and internationally with the China Puppet Arts Troupe of Beijing. She received many awards for excellence in performance and direction.

In the mid-90's, Ms. Zhang worked on the U.S./China joint venture television production, The Adventures of Hua Hua and Morley. Then, in 1996 she joined the international association of the Puppet Artists in Budapest, Hungary. Through her research and contacts, she has helped China to become a member of this international organization.

In that same year, Hua Hua enrolled as a student in the University of Connecticut's School of Fine Arts, the Department of Dramatic Arts, to earn a Master of Fine Arts degree in Puppetry, the highest degree attainable in a production-related field. She studied fine art design, sculpture, puppet construction, direction, production, and many forms of western performance. Hua Hua Zhang is the first and only Chinese to have earned an MFA degree in Puppet Arts from the program. She also received the distinguished University of Connecticut Fine Arts Award for Excellence.

Besides working in the theater, Ms. Zhang has been teaching puppet art at elementary, middle, secondary, and university levels with the intention of using her unique skills, abilities, and visions to enrigh the possibilites of theatrical expression.