The ancient Silk Road that began in Xi'an, China and wound its way across deserts and mountains to ultimately reach Europe, the Middle East and Africa has long been a subject of intriguing and exotic interest. The 2,000-year-old route was the means for the interchange of both goods and ideas that changed the world in its time. Although it has been a remote tourist destination and a place of great interest for scholars of history and archeology, the area has taken on new importance in the light of recent world events, and the provinces of Western China have been targeted for development by the Chinese Central Government.

Meridian International Center, in cooperation with the China International Exhibition Agency in Beijing, is organizing an exhibition of contemporary art from the area. Although a number of exhibitions have been developed around the ancient artifacts along this route, Ancient Threads, Newly Woven brings to light for the first time little known contemporary art from these distant and multi-cultural provinces.

The final list of 80 works is the result of two extensive trips to the area by the "Silk Road Team," which included Nancy Matthews of Meridian, independent curator Pamela Bailey and Madame Xu Hong, senior curator of the National Museum of China, two other experts from the Exhibition Agency and one from the Ministry of Culture. During their journeys to these distant areas, the Team visited universities, art academies, cultural centers and individual artists in search of representative work. The Chinese members of the group were as excited about the results as the Americans, not having previously seen much of this work. Final selections were made by the three curators at the end of the second trip. They include oil painting, pen and ink, watercolors, woodcuts and gouache works and were chosen from each of the areas visited: Kashgar, Urumqi, Dunhuang, Lanzhou and Xian.

Ancient Threads, Newly Woven presents the work of contemporary artists living and working in China's Silk Road. The focus is on ways in which the art being produced today reflects the influence of the many cultures that have traversed the route in both directions over the centuries. Beginning in Xian and traversing high mountains and punishing desert terrain, two main routes led to the western borders of China, where they continued to Iran, Rome, India and Russia. Only in the early 20th century did some of the most amazing remnants of these civilizations come to light, when the so-called "foreign devils" discovered and took away paintings and sculptures centuries old and manuscripts that had been hidden for thousands of years. Western China remains distant both geographically and culturally from the rest of the country. Areas explored by this exhibition include Xian, Lanzhou, Dunhuang, Urumqi and Kashgar; most build up around oases in the enormous desert terrain that surrounds them. The stunning quality of the art will surprise many viewers, as it profoundly differs from what is usually thought of as Chinese painting. Sense of place and a culture born from multi-ethnic roots have inspired these artists and the results are beautiful, fresh and unique - and full of brilliant color.

New! Online Teacher’s Guide (.pdf format): This guide contains information about the exhibition, children’s book illustration, art terms and techniques, and provides teachers and docents with educational activities for classrooms and museums.