The Art Museum at W&L Presents ‘Zhang Xiaoli/Block Party!’ Opening Sept. 2, Zhang Xiaoli’s exhibit depicts imaginary worlds that blend traditional Chinese brushwork with playful, contemporary elements and pay homage to the enduring legacy of the late I-Hsiung Ju.

Nadeen Kharputly, The Art Museum at W&L
August 25, 2026

The Art Museum at Washington and Lee University presents “Zhang Xiaoli/Block Party!,” an original collection of paintings that depict invented worlds using a combination of traditional Chinese brushwork and contemporary elements such as modular blocks and miniature figurines.

The exhibition will be on view from Sept. 2 through Dec. 12 in the Watson Galleries. Zhang and Daniel Greenberg, assistant professor of Asian art at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, will host a discussion at 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 18 in University Chapel, followed by a reception in Watson Galleries at 6:30 p.m.

The exhibit and reception events are free and open to the public, and pre-registration is required for the Sept. 18 lecture. Greenberg will also host 30-minute guided tours of “Block Party” on Sept. 17. Tours will begin at 9, 10, and 11 a.m., and pre-registration is required.

Zhang is a multidisciplinary artist who blends classically inspired landscapes, ancient games and science with cosmology, physics, alchemy, biology and Chinese philosophy. As W&L’s second artist-in-residence, Zhang arrived in Lexington in the summer of 2025 and worked with the Art Museum’s permanent collection, studying I-Hsiung Ju’s artwork and exposing her to a broader collection of Chinese art. She also used historical records and W&L’s natural surroundings to reimagine 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 way to bridge generations, geographies and cultures.

“One of the things that resonates for me about Zhang’s practice is how she creates a dialogue between the past and present,” said Emma Steinkraus, visual artist and associate professor of art at W&L. “Her work helps us see historical Chinese paintings as living documents and spaces in which to encounter past minds at play, while also introducing new imagery like Mobius strips, mazes, veins and metronomes that speak to the uncanniness of time.”

During her residency, Zhang created the pieces for “Block Party!” and reflected on the legacy of the late professor of art emeritus I-Hsiung Ju, who is considered a pioneer for his blending of traditional and modern techniques in his landscape paintings. W&L currently houses the largest repository of Ju’s work in the United States, and the feature exhibition “The Legacy of I-Hsiung Ju” will be on view in the Reeves Museum of Ceramics, highlighting the work that inspired Zhang’s residency and spotlighting Ju’s contributions to and teaching of Chinese art on campus and in the community.

“It has been a pleasure and honor for the Center for International Education to work with the Art Museum on the work of Professor I-Hsiung Ju, and to witness his influence on Chinese artists today,” said Mark Rush, director of international education and the Stanley D. and Nikki Waxberg Professor of Politics at W&L. “We celebrate Zhang Xiaoli’s work, which honors Ju’s legacy, and the opening of “Block Party!”

Two W&L students, Katie Lawson ’26 and Sylvia Churchill ’27, participated in Zhang’s residency as apprentices to the artist, learning about Chinese painting, calligraphy and mounting techniques, and developed their own projects under Zhang’s tutelage. Zhang will expand on the pedagogical aspects of her residency and return to campus this fall to co-teach an undergraduate art course with Steinkraus called “Magical Creatures: Chinese and Western Approaches to Painting the Fantastical.”

“Xiaoli is precisely the artist to carry forward Professor Ju’s legacy, introducing his work with adoration to a new generation of students and patrons, while bringing her own distinctive, charming, and playful style to the role,” said Isra El-beshir, director of the Art Museum. “I am thrilled she is joining us this fall to continue engaging our community in Chinese art forms, both on campus and in the Lexington community.”

“Block Party” is guest curated by Daniel Greenberg, assistant professor of Asian art at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, and is made possible thanks to the support of W&L’s Center for International Education and the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation.

The Reeves Museum and Watson Galleries are open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday. To learn more about the exhibition, visit the Art Museum’s website.

About the Artist: Zhang Xiaoli is a contemporary ink painter who transforms classical Chinese painting traditions to create playful yet contemplative landscapes that bridge past and future. She trained at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Central Academy of Fine Arts and has received numerous awards, including the Liu Kuo-sung Ink Art Award in 2023. Her “Block Landscape” series substitutes traditional motifs with contemporary elements to create dialogues across cultures and visual traditions. Represented by Fu Qiumeng Fine Art and Alisan Fine Arts, she has exhibited internationally, and her work has been collected by the Rhode Island School of Design Museum, the Mark H. Reece Collection at Wake Forest University, the Harn Museum of Art at the University of Florida and the Zhejiang Art Museum in Hangzhou, China.

Additional Programming
Several workshops and events on campus will accompany Zhang Xiaoli’s “Block Party!” All programs are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted.

Art Museum Block Party at Watson Galleries Front Lawn | Sept. 4, Noon-3 p.m.
Celebrate the start of Fall Term with an Art Museum block party extending from the northern end of the Colonnade to Watson Galleries, featuring lawn games, museum swag, complimentary refreshments and a seal carving workshop led by visiting artist Zhang Xiaoli. This event is open to the W&L campus community.

This program is supported by the Center for International Education and the Division of Student Affairs.

Chinese Seal Carving Workshop at Watson Galleries | Sept. 4, 1-2:30 p.m.
Join visiting artist Zhang Xiaoli during the Art Museum block party to explore the art of Chinese seal carving and discover a creative way to design and carve your initials. All materials will be provided; seating is limited, and pre-registration is required.

Curator-Led Exhibition Tours of “Zhang Xiaoli/Block Party!” at Watson Galleries | Sept. 17, 9-11:30 a.m.
Guest curator Daniel Greenberg, assistant professor of Asian art at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, will host 30-minute guided tours of the exhibition “Zhang Xiaoli/Block Party!” on Sept. 17. Tours will begin at 9, 10 and 11 a.m., and pre-registration is required.

The Legacy of I-Hsiung Ju Alumni Panel at Watson Galleries | Sept. 18, 2-3 p.m.
An alumni panel will discuss the remarkable life and enduring legacy of professor of art emeritus I-Hsiung Ju, beloved master Chinese brush painter and teacher. Panelists will explore Ju’s journey before W&L, his contributions to the artistic canon, his distinctive teaching philosophy and the profound impact he left on generations of students at W&L and beyond. Pre-registration is required.

This program is presented in partnership with the Office of Alumni Engagement’s Five-Star Festival and the Center for International Education.

Chinese Fan Painting Workshop at Watson Galleries | Nov. 2 and Nov. 9, 10 a.m. to noon
Join the Art Museum for a two-part hands-on painting workshop with visiting artist Zhang Xiaoli. Participants will learn how to paint autumnal themes on silk fans and create their own hand-painted Chinese fan. Pre-registration is required.