PREVIEW
"East Meets West" opens this Friday, April 6, at the Dana Gallery, at
246 N. Higgins Ave. An artists' reception is from
5-8 p.m. The Dana Gallery will host a painting exhibition by three of
the artists in the show - Zhiwei Tu, Diane Hynes, and Scott Powers -
from 10 a.m.
to 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 7.
Oh, he knew he would be immersed in a completely new culture, see places he'd never imagined, and hopefully snap a few good photos when he headed off to China last year as part of a traveling group of artists.
But he didn't realize that, halfway around the world, he would be welcomed as a full-fledged celebrity.
"It was unbelievable, just really so unexpected," Dana said. "We were giving autographs, treated like royalty. I kind of didn't want to come back home."
The story of how Dudley Dana and his wife, writer Candace Crosby, ended up being tailed by paparazzi, escorted by police, and feted by dignitaries in China began almost a year ago, when the Oil Painters of America brought its 15th annual national juried exhibition to the Dana Gallery. Over the course of the show, Dana and Crosby, who own the gallery, became acquainted with a number of the artists from the nation-wide organization. One of those artists was the OPA's then-president, Zhiwei Tu, a Chinese-born painter who currently lives in Chicago.
At the time, Tu mentioned to Dana that he was planning a trip to China with several other artists.
"I told him that sounded like a great trip," recalled Dana, "and he said we should come along."
Dana and Crosby took Tu up on the offer. In mid-October, the two left Missoula, convened with the six other artists in Chicago, and flew off to China.
"The first inkling we had of what was in store was when we were met by a film crew at the McDonald's in Guangzhou," said Dana.
As it turned out, Tu is a nationally celebrated artist in China. An entire wing of the museum in Shiaoguan is permanently devoted to Tu's artwork.
Over the course of 21 days traveling throughout the Guangdong province, Dana, Crosby, and their fellow artists found themselves constantly followed by gawking kids and camera-toting adults, some of whom had never seen an American in person before. Despite the distractions, the painters constantly plied their craft, often painting for six or eight hours a day. Crosby sat behind the painters and watched them work, writing about what she observed (see accompanying story). Dana shot photos and soaked it all in.
After it was all over, Dana proposed that he host a show of the artwork created on the trip and in its aftermath. In response, he got a gallery full of art, and commitments from all six artists to come to Missoula for the show's opening.
"It was the trip of a lifetime," said Dana. "I can't even begin to tell you how intense is was. So I think it's going to be an amazing show."