RADFORD – “An eye opening experience,” is how Radford University Art Education professor Richard Bay describes his recent nine-day teaching visit to Shanghai Normal University (SNU). After giving lectures to a variety of audiences, visiting several public schools, and being able to talk and interact with students and teachers, this experience is something he can hardly put into words.

“I was excited that we had permission to visit schools and interact with the students,” Bay said as he talked about his experiences. These opportunities taught Bay that the Chinese teachers and their students have a similar passion to create art. Much of the students work is based on traditions and cultural practices, but Bay found the students eager to talk about their creative ideas and wanting to know if these feelings were typical. “I think the Chinese students in both the university and public schools I visited are seeking permission to try new things and express themselves in media and techniques not normally practiced in their culture.”

Bay’s journey to China actually began in the spring of this year when a group of three faculty members and 12 students from SNU visited RU to share their expertise in the fine and historical arts of calligraphy and watercolor. They were accompanied by Professor Xiaoyin Wang, a professor of Art Education who was enthralled with Bay’s opinions about art education. Wang visited Bay’s home during the visit and became interested in his work with challenged individuals and his views on current education trends. When Dr. Wang returned to China she published an article in Art Review, a Chinese magazine about artists, exhibitions, and related art educational topics. This article became the springboard to an invitation from Dr. Wan Quinhua, the Dean of the Fine Arts College at SNU, formally inviting Bay to visit and share his expertise on curriculum and instruction at the university.

In late November, Bay, accompanied by his wife, traveled to China to present teaching lectures to students (graduate and undergraduate) and art educators, and meet with fellow art education professors at several Shanghai University campuses. Upon his arrival at SNU Bay was informed that he would also be permitted to visit several schools in the Shanghai area and that he had been invited to present a lecture at The Shanghai Art Museum. The Museum asked Bay to speak on his work with museum education and public outreach programs. This invitation was an honor that surprised Bay and also added some pressure to an already busy schedule.

Recognized globally for his personalized and sometimes unconventional art that conveys messages on just about every subject in life, much of what Bay does grows from his own life story, including battling physical challenges for the greater part of his adult life. His methods of teaching and the impact his own art has on different populations has been a strong drawing point for Bay, opening doors of opportunity to educate in unique venues. Bay’s life and teaching experiences have become the rich contextual information that fuels his philosophy. He believes, “All individuals can create art in some way, and given the proper tools and permission to explore their ideas, these experiences lead to greater levels of understanding.”

When Bay accepted Wang’s invitation, he knew there would be challenges due to cultural differences but soon learned that the rewards of seeing the students’ and teachers’ responses to his ideas and working with them in the classroom and lecture halls far outweighed any challenges he would face. The time spent preparing his lectures, and the physical effort of carrying children’s books and art educational resources with him halfway across the world both played a part in creating unique experiences for his audiences. “The old adage that a picture is worth a thousand words was multiplied tenfold when I could present visual images and resources to enhance the topics I covered,” Bay said. “The children’s books that I took became one of the pivotal points in the lectures.” Using lessons his students created at RU, Bay was able to share how these books could be used to not only teach art concepts but strengthen curriculum integration, a concept the Chinese educators took great interest in.

Language would have been a barrier for many – Bay speaks no Chinese – but he was given a translator who excelled in communication skills.

“That, in itself, is what makes this type of exchange possible. Kathleen, the translator, who had an MBA from the University of Massachusetts, would always ask for my notes the day before the lectures. We would go over them and she’d ask me about syntax and if she had other questions, she’d ask me to give her another idea of what I was trying to say,” Bay says. “I really don’t doubt that Kathleen translated my ideas well. I could tell by the responses I got from my audiences, and even some of my jokes and stories drew laughter.” Bay has worked similarly when visiting Africa and Mexico. He said, “Language is so personal and it is so easy to offend an audience when you don’t have the fluency in the native tongue, but having a competent translator like Kathleen makes the situation enjoyable and rewarding.”

A unique opportunity presented itself when Bay visited The Children’s Palace, which he describes as an interactive learning center and museum. There are five Children’s Palaces in Shanghai where families can take children for activities in the arts (e.g., music, dance, drama, and visual arts) and also science activities. Accompanied by his wife, Patty, and Dr. Wang, Bay was excited by the opportunity to work in an open studio environment with children.  Students wanted to talk to him about their art and this was a chance for them to work on their English skills at the same time. “Patty and I both had tears in our eyes,” Bay said. “ This was an incredible exchange. Children are pure.”

“The Children’s Palace was quite a bit different than the rigor of the other schools I visited,” said Bay. He went on to describe the differences he observed. “The students I met in the public schools were highly accomplished in watercolor, calligraphy, ceramics and printmaking. Education to these children is serious. Just as serious as the students I met at the university. They are diligent at their work. They want to know how they can get better. I told them, ‘You practice. You do more and more work.’ ” Their professors and teachers are very much hands-on and show them techniques that expand their skills, Bay said. However, like the university students the conversation would change and he was constantly asked questions about pursuing their own ideas and doing original expressive work. Teachers, students, and even patrons of the museum were always asking about pursuing their own ideas and how one can accomplish that.

Students asked how they would know they’re headed in the right direction in their work. Bay patted his chest, pointed to his heart and said, “Do you feel it here? You will know when you feel that joy and excitement that comes from creating.” Those things are private things at this point in their lives, he feels; they are not things you can easily talk about in your classes. Bay said he would just tell them, “You do those things because they bring you joy. Maybe you will find that one teacher or professor who you can share your work with then, maybe, at some point, your work can grow from the more traditional techniques you have learned. You just have to keep making things.”

Bay said that one of the biggest questions the teachers asked was how to assess artwork. He shared some of the visual arts curriculum he had written and spoke on ways to do assessment. Simple concepts such as using rubrics were new to these teachers. Bay was able to create some simple examples for the educators showing some ways a rubric could be created. Bay asked them, “What do you want to evaluate? Forming those questions will be the base of your rubric. For example, did the child take part in the activity? Did the child execute the technique?” When I talked about this, it was like opening a door. One teacher said they had a paper on this topic due the following week and I had helped them with that assignment.

“Then, as before, the conversation would change and several of the teachers asked if I believed that art should be for all students,” Bay recalls. He believes art is a subject that all students should have a chance to take as art is a way to express themselves and at the same time expand their knowledge of the world, its people and their creations. In China public education is structured so when a student’s talent is discovered they are placed in classes that will lead to the development of those skills. The rest of their education is supported by rigorous math, science and language courses. Most students are bilingual when they graduate. Bay says the Chinese educational environment is atheistically beautiful and the love of nature and importance of it in the learning environment is visible. Plants, fish tanks, rock gardens and fountains are all part of the school décor. The school walls and halls are a mix of European and Chinese traditional art works as well as examples of student work.  He walked into one school and was greeted by a giant gold symbol which was the Chinese character for Love. Every letter of the alphabet was also represented on walls throughout the school and each letter stood for something important to the Chinese students. Some examples are, T stood for Truth, W stood for Wisdom, and R stood for Respect. Explanations at the entrance to the schools tell visitors the goal of current Chinese education. They say that, these students are the next generation that will guide China to its future. They are highly educated and highly motivated. “They know they are here to learn and that’s what they do. It’s a serious thing to them,” Bay said.

Nine days, four major lectures, four school visits, an untold number of conversations and ideas being shared. There were simple dinners with students and teachers. There were formal occasions like the opening of an art exhibition or a meeting at the museum. The climate would shift rapidly and sometimes without preparation. There was one word, according to Bay, that sums up all these occasions: Curiosity!  “The beauty of such a visit is that we are all learning,” Bay said. “Even though I was the one many times in front of the room or behind the desk, I was as curious of what they were thinking as they were of what I presented. That is what made this trip so successful,” Bay said. “The conversations are ongoing and we are all learning about each other and growing from our experiences.”