VCU news

By Anthony Langley
Office of Development and Alumni Relations

Wei Dong dreamed of showcasing his work in the United States.

“I was like many aspiring Chinese artists in my generation, and I dreamed that I would be recognized and exhibit in America,” he said.

In a time when fewer than 1 percent of students were accepted into college in China, Dong attended TsingHua University in Beijing, formerly the Central Academy of Arts and Design, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in arts and interior design.

This was the opportunity to follow my passion.

“I was very lucky,” he said. “This was the opportunity to follow my passion.”

China had just opened its doors to the world in the mid-1980s when Dong was ready to attend graduate school, allowing him to apply to colleges in the U.S. Through the strength of his portfolio, he received acceptance letters from many universities, but chose Virginia Commonwealth University because of its location and the personal outreach he received from his future VCU School of the Arts professor Ringo Yung.

“I received a written letter from the interior design department encouraging me to attend, which was a very personal touch,” Dong said.

Standing outside of Richmond International Airport in 1986, two weeks before the semester started, Dong realized he did not have a place to stay and that his stipend wouldn’t be coming until the first day of classes.

“I called my professor, Ringo Yung, and he allowed me to stay with him until the semester started,” he said.

Dong’s professors and classmates welcomed him with open arms, helping him to learn the ins and outs of American culture. When the winter holidays came around, his fellow students opened their homes so he could celebrate with them.

“I remember having turkey for the first time at my first Thanksgiving,” he said. “It is such a rare bird in China that I didn’t know you could eat it!”

In 1987, one year after arriving in the U.S., Dong presented his first solo exhibit at the School of the Arts in a showing that combined classical Chinese and modern Western art practices. Dong, now working as the Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor in the Department of Design Studies at the School of Human Ecology at the University of Wisconsin — Madison, has continued to evolve his art style to this day.

“His creativity and positive outlook are infectious,” said Sonya Clark, professor and chair of the Department of Craft and Material Studies in the VCU School of the Arts. “We worked together at Wisconsin-Madison for many years, and both agree that VCU is a place that fosters the creativity of its students and faculty. Wei is a great example of what VCU can help a student become.”

Since graduating from VCU in 1988 with a Master of Fine Arts degree, Dong has become a published author, has practiced interior design in the U.S. and China and has had his artwork exhibited in galleries around the world.

“The secret to my success is that I always remain thankful and maintain a global, cultural perspective,” Dong said. “I teach my students to do the same.”

Recently he was honored with the Distinguished Achievement Award from the Chinese-American Arts Faculty association and, to mark his 30-year artistic anniversary, Dong presented a 136-painting solo exhibit, “The Journey,” in June at the National Culture Palace of Nationalities in Beijing. He says he would like to bring his art back to Richmond for an exhibit. For now, James Branch Cabell Library is showing his work on the 21-by-24-foot screen that faces Shafer Court through January 2017.

“There will always be a special place in my heart for [VCU],” he said. “If I had the opportunity to go anywhere, I would always come back.”

 

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