We are pleased to share that artist Zhang Xiaoli (b. 1989, China) is concluding her participation in the Washington and Lee University Art Museum and Galleries’ Artist-in-Residence program, which has been underway from July 1 to August 31, 2025.
© Courtesy of the Artist
Initiated in 2023, the Artist-in-Residence program extends an invitation to contemporary artists to undertake projects inspired by the museum’s permanent collection. Residents are provided with curatorial guidance, research support, studio facilities, accommodation, and a stipend. They engage actively with students, faculty, and the wider community through workshops, lectures, and collaborative endeavors. Each residency concludes with a public exhibition.
© Courtesy of the Artist
Throughout her residency, Zhang has been cultivating a new body of work that reflects upon the legacy of the late W&L art professor Ju I-Hsiung. Her practice, rooted in classical Chinese painting, examines visual translation, cultural continuity, and the migration experience. Drawing inspiration from the museum’s permanent collection, historical records, W&L’s natural environment, and her personal lived experiences, Zhang reinterprets the poetic line “千峰云影，万壑泉声” (“Clouds cast shadows across a thousand peaks; spring echoes through ten thousand valleys”) as a metaphorical bridge connecting different generations, geographies, and cultures.
© Courtesy of the Artist
Her residency will culminate in a public exhibition at Watson Galleries in September 3, 2026, presenting the new works created during this period.
