NEW EXHIBIT AT UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON SHOWCASES ART ELEMENTS OF CHINA'S GRAND CANAL

NEW EXHIBIT AT UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON SHOWCASES ART ELEMENTS OF CHINA'S GRAND CANAL

DAYTON, Ohio — A new University of Dayton library exhibit will feature art elements of the oldest and longest canal in the world, the Grand Canal of China.

“Heritage Today: The Grand Canal of China” runs Monday, Oct. 23, to Dec. 1 on the first and second floors of Roesch Library. The exhibit is free and open to the public.

It showcases the canal’s history through physical and virtual elements, including paintings, photos, designs, audio, animation, text and geographical information.

“The exhibit creates a space for cultural exchanges, where the audience can not only learn about the Grand Canal, but also experience the feelings, emotions and imaginations of people who are living with it,” said Weiping Wang, associate provost and dean of the University of Dayton China Institute, who curated the display.

Sponsored and organized by the University of Dayton China Institute, Jiangsu Arts Foundation, Nanjing Museum, Nanjing University and Nanjing University of the Arts, the Project of Multimedia Database and Platform of Living Cultural Heritage of the Grand Canal of China initiative began conducting research on the canal in 2016. Researchers and specialists in architecture, art, computer science, design, photography, social scientists and statistics worked to represent a virtual image of the Grand Canal of China in the era of modern media. The Grand Canal of China has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2014 for its “outstanding universal value.”

“Our visit to the canal helped me grasp its importance in connecting people, both culturally and economically, a thousand miles away, thousands of years ago,” said Jason Demeter, a senior River Steward who studied abroad in China this summer. “The canal can help visitors understand the importance of often forgotten forces, such as the canal and other waterways, in shaping the lives of people and the development of civilizations.”

The exhibit is open 8:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. It will be closed Nov. 23-25, and offer limited hours Nov. 22 and 26. Free parking passes are available at the visitor parking information center.

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For more information, contact Meagan Pant at mpant1@udayton.edu or 937-229-3256.