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Imagine having someone around that inspires creativity with action. At The Children’s Museum, we turn that imagery into a reality with our Artists-in-Residence program. In partnership with the Confucius Institute at Indiana University-Purdue University, we have two artists on-staff to share cultural knowledge and history at the museum every day in Take Me There: China!
We’re happy to welcome Kate Xu and Cherie Cao as our new Chinese Artists-in-Residence. Kate and Cherie come from Sun Yet-sen University in China and will be with the museum for a whole year! These artists will teach a variety of creative subjects including calligraphy, music, Tai Chi, and more! The artists will also be developing future programming for the museum. Let's get to know Kate and Cherie...
Kate Xu hails from Fuijan Province, China. She studied Japanese in college and is currently in a masters program for teaching English. English is her third language, and she hopes to one-day be able to teach it as a second language to many non-speakers. She came to the museum to teach calligraphy to visitors and to understand the dynamic of family learning in the United States. Kate likes to paint, play badminton, and watch sports. She’s excited to watch the 2016 Summer Olympics at a decent hour (in China, it doesn’t air until around midnight), and catch a few Indiana Pacers games!
When asked about her first culture-shock in the U.S., Kate said that, as soon as she stepped off the plane, she was immersed in the English language. “The only thing I heard was English. I hope to speak it better by the end of the year!”
Cherie Cao is our Chinese Artist-in-Residence focused on musicianship. She is from Hubei, China, and plays the guzheng really well! Cherie has been studying English for fifteen years and even received her undergraduate degree in Business English. She is now on her way to get her masters in English Linguistic Literature! She noted Sylvia Plath as a favorite poet and Mark Twain as a favorite writer.
Cherie wants to experience new things while she’s here by visiting and attending many places and events like The Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Covered Bridge Festival in Indiana!
These artists will be in the building year-round. Stop by Take Me There: China, start a conversation, and learn something new!
