Olympic Art Displayed
New Sculpture Exhibition Co-Sponsored by Mason, New World Bilingual Institute
Staff Writer Asma Chaudhary

As George Mason University students prepared for the end of the semester, the 2008 Olympic Landscape Sculpture International Exhibition rang in the new year early.

The opening event for the exhibition, which was co-sponsored by Mason and the New World Bilingual Institute, took place on Thursday, Nov. 29 in the outdoor space at the intersection of the Fine Arts Building, Mason Hall and the Center for the Arts. About 350 people attended the event, which was open to the public locally and internationally.

Various traditional activities were incorporated, such as lion and dragon dances, a WuShu martial arts performance, a duet performance, including former Miss Virginia, of “America, the Beautiful” and concluded with an official ribbon cutting ceremony.

Despite a slight delay in scheduling, Rick Davis, the artistic director for the Center of the Arts, was able to keep the large crowd informed in his role as master of ceremonies.

“Today was very successful and I am delighted by the massive turnout by the Chinese community,” Davis said. “I am deeply honored by their presence and since I’m into the arts, I enjoyed the traditional dancing very much.”

NWBI dragon dance performers included young students from W.T. Woodson high school in Fairfax.

“It was an awesome experience because we had been preparing for two months every Saturday and Sunday and auditioned to be a part of this,” said high school junior Yangchun Zeng.

The Wong People group, which featured an elaborate lion costume for the dance, also played percussion and cymbals throughout the ceremony. The Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China, Won-Il Cho, presented President Alan Merten with a vibrant Olympic sculpture. 

“We are proud for the connections made possible today,” Merten said. “Our own Mason student, Katie Ziegler will be competing on the U.S. Olympic swimming team. We are proud of our commitments to the arts, Chinese individuals and Chinese institutes of learning.”

Fifteen years ago, Terry Wang was on the advisory board to bring Asian Heritage Month to Mason, during the era of President Dr. George Johnson. With her efforts, the NWBI was established. Recently she worked with Provost Dr. Peter Stearns to bring the landscape sculpture exhibition to the Fairfax campus.

“It was a great honor to invite everyone and to especially see the media here reporting back to Beijing, which included about 10 to 15 from the mainland and from Taiwan,” said Wang.

Mason is the first university in the United States to host the exhibition.

In order to accommodate the 51 monumental statues in the sculpture plaza, the space was cleared and organized a few days prior. Through research and careful setup procedures, facilities technician Ben Ashworth and several sculpture students were able to position the works.

According to the Mason special events website promoting the event, winners were chosen from 90 countries with close to 2,500 entries submitted.

Qiuyi Jiang, a senior accounting major, serves as the president of the Chinese Students and Scholars Association at Mason.

“First of all, the weather was beautiful and second, it was all possible because of Ms. Wang,” Jiang said. “There are about 300 Chinese students that we try to involve and we hope to celebrate an event sometime next semester.”

Before the 2008 Olympic Games begin, 29 sculptures will be awarded gold, silver, or bronze medals. The purpose for awarding medals to 29 sculptures signifies the XXIX Olympiad for the summer games.

The sculptures are made from materials ranging from bronze to stainless steel to raw materials. Each sculpture incorporates the theme of athleticism in honor of the Olympic Games in Beijing. Artistic elements within the works include the official five-ring logo with gestured movements.

In addition to containing a Chinese influence, the works also pay homage back to the origin of the games in ancient Greece. Whether it is depicting 10-foot Confucius or Athenian competitors, the two worlds collide through an aesthetic medium. 

The sculpture exhibition will continue to be shown until Friday, December 7.

“We are at George Mason University, where location, location, location makes our university special,” Merten said. “Where else could you be? Every morning, I wake up to see what unique thing will happen and I am never disappointed, especially with today.”

experience because we had been preparing for two months every Saturday and Sunday and auditioned to be a part of this,” said high school junior Yangchun Zeng.

The Wong People group, which featured an elaborate lion costume for the dance, also played percussion and cymbals throughout the ceremony. The Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China, Won-Il Cho, presented President Alan Merten with a vibrant Olympic sculpture. 

“We are proud for the connections made possible today,” Merten said. “Our own Mason student, Katie Ziegler will be competing on the U.S. Olympic swimming team. We are proud of our commitments to the arts, Chinese individuals and Chinese institutes of learning.”

Fifteen years ago, Terry Wang was on the advisory board to bring Asian Heritage Month to Mason, during the era of President Dr. George Johnson. With her efforts, the NWBI was established. Recently she worked with Provost Dr. Peter Stearns to bring the landscape sculpture exhibition to the Fairfax campus.

“It was a great honor to invite everyone and to especially see the media here reporting back to Beijing, which included about 10 to 15 from the mainland and from Taiwan,” said Wang.

Mason is the first university in the United States to host the exhibition.

In order to accommodate the 51 monumental statues in the sculpture plaza, the space was cleared and organized a few days prior. Through research and careful setup procedures, facilities technician Ben Ashworth and several sculpture students were able to position the works.

According to the Mason special events website promoting the event, winners were chosen from 90 countries with close to 2,500 entries submitted.

Qiuyi Jiang, a senior accounting major, serves as the president of the Chinese Students and Scholars Association at Mason.

“First of all, the weather was beautiful and second, it was all possible because of Ms. Wang,” Jiang said. “There are about 300 Chinese students that we try to involve and we hope to celebrate an event sometime next semester.”

Before the 2008 Olympic Games begin, 29 sculptures will be awarded gold, silver, or bronze medals. The purpose for awarding medals to 29 sculptures signifies the XXIX Olympiad for the summer games.

The sculptures are made from materials ranging from bronze to stainless steel to raw materials. Each sculpture incorporates the theme of athleticism in honor of the Olympic Games in Beijing. Artistic elements within the works include the official five-ring logo with gestured movements.

In addition to containing a Chinese influence, the works also pay homage back to the origin of the games in ancient Greece. Whether it is depicting 10-foot Confucius or Athenian competitors, the two worlds collide through an aesthetic medium. 

The sculpture exhibition will continue to be shown until Friday, December 7.

“We are at George Mason University, where location, location, location makes our university special,” Merten said. “Where else could you be? Every morning, I wake up to see what unique thing will happen and I am never disappointed, especially with today.”