Author Archives: Mary Ann O'Donnell

What Does Art Teach Us About History?

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In the Republic, Plato argues that the faults of poets are many. In addition to being irrational, they—and this is their gravest fault, he says—“invent” stories about events that never happened. In other words, Plato conflated “story telling” with “telling lies.”

In fact, historians artists approach the past from two different perspectives. Historians are interested in figuring out what happened when and why, while artists explore the past in order to discover future possibilities. Continue reading →

Mutual Gaze: The Longheu Artifacts International Exhibition

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One of the features of the Longhua (Dalang) Sub-venue of the UABB will be an exhibition of artifacts that were taken back to Switzerland, when the missionaries left China in 1948. To learn more about the Basel Mission and their “Chinese children,” please read the rest of the article. The artifacts will be on display at the Longheu P+V Gallery from December 22, 2017 through December 4, 2018.

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Migrations: Stories of Rice

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This past Sunday at the Longheu P+V Gallery, we began the “Stories of Rice,” an art project which explores the meanings of women’s work through history. A warm-up for the “Migrations” exhibition, the project combines stories, old photographs, and embroidery. The project is curated by German artist Katharina Sommer. Interested? If you would like to join us, please subscribe to the Handshake 302 We Chat account to register for the next workshop on Sunday, November 26.

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Join Handshake 302 at the Longheu P+V Gallery

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From December 2017 through February 2018, the P+V Gallery will be the site of the Longhua (Dalang) sub-venue of the 2017 Shenzhen-Hong Kong Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture. The main venue will be at Nantou Ancient City. The theme of the sub-venue is: Migrations—Home and Elsewhere, Rediscovering Hakka History and Chinese-Western Cultural Exchange. The program is curated by Dr. Mary Ann O’Donnell in collaboration with Handshake 302 and the P+V Gallery History Association. The founding of the school and Hakka history are our point of departure for rethinking what it means to be an immigrant. Continue reading →

education through time (sz book of changes, ep 6)

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building possibilities (sz book of changes, ep 5)

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In this episode of Shenzhen Book of Changes, we visit architect Huang Zelin, who’s work is deeply connected to Shenzhen – the city he grew up in. His designs for projects in the city and beyond reflect Shenzhen’s dynamism and great possibility for change.

book of changes ep 1.1

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I forgot to post this short introduction to the redistricting of Bao’an County into Shenzhen Municipality, and subsequently into the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone and its suburbs or outer districts.

book of changes ep. 4

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In this episode of Shenzhen Book of Changes, we’re visiting Ms. Cai, who rents a stall in the Dongmen Textile Market. Several years ago, she migrated to Shenzhen from a small city in northern Hubei to be closer to her daughter. She possessed the tenacity and business savvy to start up a small business in this bustling city of migrants.

playback shenzhen

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Established in 2007, Shenzhen’s Ya Ya Theatre is an amateur troupe that specializes in playback theatre, a form of improv in which audience members tell stories from their lives and watch players enact the story. Ya Ya meets once a week to rehearse and have occasional performances in diverse venues, including Shenzhen’s indie bookstore Feidi (飞地书局), the Yuehai Community Culture Station, and Shenzhen’s Fringe Festival. On Saturday September 23, they brought their program “One Person, One Story” to Handshake 302. What follows are impressions and clips from that program. Continue reading →

entrepreneur dreams in baishizhou

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Episode 3 of Shenzhen Book of Changes is up! Like millions of migrants, Hu Yuefu has come to Shenzhen to make a life and business for himself. We visit Baishizhou – Shenzhen’s largest urban village – to learn his story.