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Poetter Hall was purchased by the SCAD founders in March 1979. Classes began in September of that year.  
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The Arts

Students ‘bridge’ gap between Eastern and Western art

“Good Luck” by graduate art history major Robbi Rothwell

“Good Luck” by graduate art history major Robbi Rothwell is on display at Alexander Hall Gallery through May 21.

By Hannah Pittard
Published: Friday, April 18, 2003

Named six years ago by painting department chair Josh Z. Yu’s summer quarter students, “Bridge” is an annual exhibition that showcases the accomplishments of Yu’s Chinese painting class.

This year, 12 students have contributed work they completed during a 10-week study with Yu. “Each student has a different background, major and artistic skill level; some students have never even painted or drawn before,” said Yu. “In this course, each person has to start as a beginner learning new media, tools and concepts.”

Chinese painting was added to the college’s curriculum as an elective seven years ago. According to Yu, his students have created many interesting pieces over the years, resulting in students’ occasional acceptance into the Savannah Asian Cultural Festival Show.

“Chinese painting introduces Oriental subjects that lend themselves to traditional Chinese painting techniques, where the variation in ink, color and texture are all achieved by the Chinese brush stroke,” Yu said.

Although the class covers an introduction to the history and philosophy of Chinese culture, helping students understand and develop the Chinese technique, Yu also encourages his students to incorporate Western styles to create new art. “For this class, I want to open another window for the students,” he said. “I not only asked the students to paint using traditional Chinese techniques but to tackle traditional subjects from a contemporary viewpoint, emphasizing pictorial depth concepts as well as the practical aspects of the painting process. Personal exploration in idea, media, technique and format was open and encouraged.”

According to Yu, traditional Chinese painting techniques take many years to learn, and the work on display in “Bridge” represents only 10 weeks of study. “On the first day of class, I tell my students, Chinese painting is not Chinese people painting. You can learn to do it too,” he said. “I also tell my students one sentence to highlight the essentials of Chinese painting: Learning from nature, painting from the mind.”

“Bridge” is on display at Alexander Hall Gallery, 668 Indian St., through May 21. The exhibition is featured as part of the monthly gallery hop May 9, 5-7 p.m. The Josh Z. Yu Chinese Painting Scholarship winner will be announced at 6 p.m.