Seeing Red: Art Amid Turmoil in the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution April 14, 2012

Join us for a special exhibition of art and propaganda from the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. From 1966 to 1976, Mao Zedong 毛澤東 mobilized China’s masses in this political movement of unprecedented size and scope. Get a glimpse into the world as shaped through the arts for the people of Mao's China, a visual world much different from its reality. Experience colorful images of happy families, playful children and military camaraderie - the propaganda used to educate and mobilize the masses. These are impressive and talented expressions of a world that lasted only ten years, a period in which China lost more than it had ever imagined.

The Cultural Revolution was a period of great strife and hardship for many of China’s citizens. Urban intellectuals often were criticized and sent to the countryside to learn the peasant lifestyle. The education system was disrupted, and many people today are still feeling the effects. It was down with the educated and traditional philosophies; historical artifacts and buildings were destroyed in the name of progress, and the simple lives of peasants and factory workers were glorified. But the Cultural Revolution was also a time of new artistic and creative expressions that sought to represent a more modern China.
Special thanks to Todd Cornell, who has generously loaned these artifacts to the museum from his private collection, which he obtained during the 20 years he lived in China.

The exhibit opening will be held in the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Extension building at 328 J Street on Saturday, April 14, 2012 from 1:30 – 3:30 PM. Light refreshments will be served at the reception held in the Chinese garden at 404 Third Avenue. Admission is $4 and free for members and children under 12. Please RSVP at 619.338.9888 or at info@sdchm.org.