Lei stumbled upon the topic for her exhibit last summer while trying to find a thesis topic in the library of the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. One day, a woman sitting next to her in the museum asked if Lei had ever heard of Taiwanese sculptor Ah Leon. This random introduction to Leon's work eventually led to Lei's thesis topic and her interest in Yixing teapots. She says of Leon, "[His] unusual background gave me the opportunity to examine issues I was already interested in: the relationship between art and craft [and] 'tradition' and 'modernity,' artistic exchanges between China and the West, the globalization of contemporary art, and international and local contexts."
Yixing (pronounced "yee-shing") is a unique ceramic tradition named after the city and county in China in which they were first made. "Yixing is best known for its teapots," said Lei, "for it is believed that the teapot form was invented there in the late Ming dynasty, and even today tea connoisseurs insist that the best teapots for brewing tea leaves are Yixing teapots." Lei had to start from scratch in learning about the art history of Taiwan and the Yixing tradition.
Lei has also gained a greater appreciation for the difficulty of curating an exhibition. The exhibit is the first of its kind to include such a wide range of Yixing and Yixing-inspired pieces, dating from as early as the 16th century to as recently as 2001. An exciting moment was when Lei managed to obtain an artwork by Leon, whose work, in a sense, set off the chain of events leading Lei to this exhibition. When asked what she thinks will interest students about the exhibition, Lei replied, "My gut feeling is that students will be most interested in the boba tea served at the opening reception, but aside from that I hope that they will take the time to admire the great variety of artworks I have brought together."
Bradley's exhibit, which features graphic art and ceramics by Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso, came about in a different manner. She was in charge of choosing pieces to go into the show and doing research in order to write the labels for the pieces in addition to performing other related tasks. Bradley was not familiar with many prints by either artist. "I have learned so much from being involved in this exhibit, from information about the artists to the ins and outs of the museum and how to organize an exhibit," she said. Matisse and Picasso are two of the greatest artists of the 20th century, and Bradley's research has taught her a lot about their lesser-known careers in printmaking, and the aspects of their painting that carry over into their printed works and vice versa.
Bradley also learned about the technical aspects of putting on an exhibition, from consulting with art dealers to the proper storage and handling of art. Her favorite piece in the show by Matisse is called "Odalisque with Bowl of Fruit," which she describes as "the lithograph that is the most developed of his prints-it has a complete environment with extensive patterning in both the clothing of the model and the wallpaper on the walls. The model is looking directly at the viewer in an engaging way." As for Picasso's work, she appreciates "Painter Thinking of a Large Canvas Representing Three Women," which is interesting because "its subject matter is much more ambiguous. It takes more looking to decipher what is going on in the print-a quality I find more engaging as long as the subject is not so abstracted that it is no longer recognizable."
Being privy to the inner workings of an art museum is an opportunity that both seniors spoke of as an amazing experience. From coordinating and organizing all aspects of their exhibits, to obtaining pieces on loan from other museums, to writing the gallery labels, it has been hard work, and neither received pay or academic credit for her efforts. Curating these exhibits has been a rewarding learning experience that both are excited to share with the public.