Purdue University Calumet Professor Spreads Culture through Art in 2015

Purdue-University-Calumet-Professor-Spreads-Culture-through-Art-01A professor from the Communication and Creative Arts department of Purdue University Calumet has had several artistic works displayed in exhibitions across the country in the past year, including his most recent watercolor Nostalgia.

Yueqi Zhang, an associate professor for the Communication and Creative Arts department who has his Master of Fine Arts, recently was awarded the Gold Level Richeson Award for his work Nostalgia at Pikes Peak Watercolor Society’s International Watermedia 2015 Exhibit in Colorado Springs.

Zhang said Nostalgia communicated the complexity of a spiritual world by conveying a subject of harmony between humanity and nature. He said he expressed a hint of sadness through a creation of romantic atmosphere through the painting.

Purdue-University-Calumet-Professor-Spreads-Culture-through-Art-02As a professor, Zhang said he views his works as research to present new material to his students so they could develop as artists. Seventeen of Zhang’s works have been displayed in 2014 and 2015 from California to New York.

“I would like to know the thoughts of the students about the different cultures,” Zhang said. “I’m so glad to see culture come together.”

Zhang also recently was a participant of the Purdue Global Research Abroad Program of 2015 where he visited Taiwan. He presented the use of the Chinese character structure to create different ways to present information.

He also visited Chinese Cultural University where he said they have opportunities to do research with color psychology and other aspects of art.

“I would like to send Purdue students to Chinese Cultural University and invite teachers to our university for short term teaching,” Zhang said. “It should be a great opportunity for both sides to understand different cultures.”