Programs and Events
Just as China did during the Ming dynasty, you too can experience the flourishing of the arts. From hands-on studio classes to tours and talks, discover exhibition-related programs designed for all ages at the IMA.
TALK Return to Dragon Mountain with Jonathan Spence
Recognized as one of the foremost scholars of Chinese civilization from the 16th century to the present, Yale University professor Jonathan Spence has written extensively on the role of history in shaping modern China. Spence’s most recent book Return to Dragon Mountain: Memories of a Late Ming Man, chronicles the life of Zhang Dai, a Chinese historian whose life became intertwined with the Ming Dynasty. Join Spence for a conversation on the connections between life and art in the Ming Dynasty.
TOUR Chinese Treasures from the Permanent Collection
To complement the Power and Glory exhibition, the IMA is displaying a special selection of its own Asian treasures by famed artisans of the Ming dynasty. Take a docent-led tour of IMA’s Asian collection. See beautifully painted scrolls and other artworks by ancient masters for this limited time only.
CHILD CLASS AGES 4-5 Clay Creatures
Power and Glory features many representations of animals. Tour the exhibition to gather inspiration and learn about Chinese depictions of animals. In the art lab, carve, sculpt and modify slabs of clay to create your own low-relief sculptures of animals.
CHILD CLASS AGES 5-7 Chinese Brush Painting
Learn basic techniques for creating ink and brush painting in the style of traditional Chinese Art. Visits to Power and Glory and to the IMA’s permanent collection of Asian art give you the chance to see masterworks created by artists of the past.
TALK Art Jolt: Symbols in Asian Art
Want an art history lesson with out a big time commitment? Art Jolt is a program offering an art history course in just 2 hours! In the Western world, the symbol of a dragon is associated with evil, but in Chinese art, the dragon is the ultimate representation of good fortune. This class will spend time in the IMA’s Asian galleries and Power and Glory, discussing objects and pictures that represent concepts from the Chinese culture. Led by IMA docent Margaret Wiley.
ADULT CLASS Silk Painting
Chinese artists have painted on silk for thousands of years. Visit Power and Glory to study examples of this traditional art form. Instruction in the art labs covers basic techniques and materials needed to make your own silk paintings inspired by the works in the exhibition.
TOUR World Language Tours
Take a themed tour of the IMA’s collection offered in Chinese.
CONCERT Virtuosos & Visions
Be the first to experience the new Tobias Theater at this concert featuring internationally renowned artists Cho-Liang Lin (violin) and Xiao-Fen Min (pipa). The performance includes music from both Western and Chinese classical and contemporary traditions. The second portion of the concert is “Ghost Opera,” a five-movement work for string quartet and pipa with special sound effects made by water, metal, stones, and paper. Composed by the boundary-breaking composer Tan Dun, “Ghost Opera” combines European traditions with Chinese shadow puppet theater, visual art, folk music and East Asian shamanic ritual. Co-presented by the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis.
FAMILIES Power, Glory and Art…Oh My!
Drop-in for a short guided peek into Power and Glory: Court Arts of China’s Ming Dynasty and be inspired to make a little power art of your own. All ages welcome.
FILM Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
(2000, dir. Ang Lee, 120 mins., PG-13)
With a ghostly score by composer Tan Dun and balletic martial arts choreography by Yuen Woo-Ping (The Matrix), Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon has been described as “Jane Austen meets Bruce Lee” by director Ang Lee. Set in the early 19th century, the story involves intrigue, theft, revenge, love and action, with potent performances from Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh and Ziyi Zhang. Tiger won Oscars for Best Cinematography, Score, Art Direction, and Foreign Language Film. Stay for a dialogue about Chinese mythology and history after the movie with Lynn Struve, professor of East Asian Language & Culture at IU Bloomington.
CHILD CLASS AGES 4-5 Printing and Painting on Fabric
Fabric has been an important material for artists of many cultures throughout time. Paint, stamp, stain and mark fabric to create works of art inspired by the artwork on fabric in Power and Glory and the IMA’s Eiteljorg Gallery of African Art.
ART-MAKING Chinese Shadow Puppetry
Drop in and learn to make a shadow puppet with Chinese Theatre Works expert puppeteers. Stay for the 2 pm performance in Tobias Theater to follow!
PERFORMANCE Chinese Shadow Puppetry
This production features dozens of figures based on antique Chinese shadow puppets, projected into large, vibrantly colored images with a dual-overhead-projector system. “The Birth of Monkey King” is a shadow puppet adaptation of the Chinese classic Journey to the West. Three expert puppeteers and a live storyteller bring to life the Jade Emperor, the Dragon King of the Eastern Ocean and the Monkey King himself. Performed by New York-based company Chinese Theatre Works.
TALK New Light on Great Brightness: Arts of the Ming Dynasty Then and Now
China experienced a flourishing of the arts during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), brought on by new ideas about pleasure and violence, writing and objects and the private and public realms of life in China. Join Oxford University professor Craig Clunas for a discussion on Ming dynasty artwork and our modern perception of their visual culture.
Supported by the IMA Asian Art Society
