Hi, My name is Max Egna and I’m a junior and managerial economics major here at Union. I am from Long Island, NY and some of my hobbies include tennis and skiing (I am on the Men’s Varsity Tennis team at Union and am also a member of the Union College Ski and Snowboard Club).

As a managerial economics major, this topic vastly differs from my previous coursework. Although I have never taken an art history course, I am eager to broaden my knowledge on this subject. I am very excited to learn about modern Chinese art during the communist era, and more importantly, how the country’s art has served as an effective vehicle for change.

My name is Jiamin Zhou and I am from China. I am senior and economics major. This is my last semester at Union. I hope I can have the happiest time with you. This course covers culture, characters and policies of my country so I am really excited to listen. I am not sure that I know everything about this course because I did not read many books about those aspects. This is the chance to expand my knowledge about my country’s culture, characters and policies. I have not backed to my country because of the high risk of the plane. I am in California right now. This is family graph was taken before I first came to United States.

Hello! My name is James Traficonte. I am a senior here at Union and I’m a History major. Some of my hobbies include soccer, basketball, and skiing. In terms of academics, I’ve always been interested in social and political disturbances/changes in history, which is why this course grabbed my attention. For instance, for my thesis I’m researching about the Staatliches Bauhaus, commonly known as the Bauhaus, which was a revolutionary German art school that started after World War I that combined fine arts through crafts from 1919 to 1933. This art school was immensely influential and introduced modernity to the general public by combining industry and art. I’ve taken Arts of China last year and developed an interest in the history of Chinese art. I’m really looking forward to this course and learn more about the visual culture of communist China and its influence on society.  

Hi! My name is Jeremy Rausch and I am a double major in Chinese and Political Science. I have taken Chinese language courses since freshman year of high school and have traveled to China on three separate occasions for varying reasons. I never have taken a course on Chinese art prior to this and I believe art provides unique insight into China’s expansive culture that literature often is unable to delineate. Also, I was originally supposed to be enrolled in a 6-month long study abroad program in Beijing until July of this year, yet due to obvious circumstances I was forced to come home early but am certainly happy to be safe. This picture is one of me and my Chinese host family mother at the Spring festival dinner enjoying a delicious 年夜饭 （I am the one on the right when you are looking at the picture).

Welcome to the course!  While my research focus is on the archaeology of early China, I spent a lot of time in grad school studying modern and contemporary Chinese art so that I could teach this course one day, and now it’s one of my favorites.  This is my 9th year teaching at Union.  I’m originally from Chicago, but have lived in Hong Kong and China, and spent many years in Pittsburgh for grad school.  My husband is from France, so I also feel privileged to visit that beautiful country often. Above is a photo of me doing a cartwheel in the Forbidden City, Beijing, when I was about your age.