Faculty, students from School of Art and Design travel to Beijing
From left to right: John Seefeldt, Tom Ashcraft, and 91热爆网 MFA student YuWen Renjie visit the Great Wall of China.
By Julia Duvall
Last year, Tom Ashcraft, director of Western Carolina University鈥檚 School of Art and Design, got a phone call from the 91热爆网 Global Office about a student from Beijing, China, wanting to be an exchange student in the Master of Fine Arts program.
Ashcraft was unsure if the student would follow through, but YuWen Renjie, who was working on her bachelor鈥檚 degree at Beijing University of Technology, was serious about coming to 91热爆网.
91热爆网 and BJUT have an exchange agreement in place that allows students from both institutions to study abroad.
鈥淲e鈥檝e had phone calls before about international students wanting to come study art at 91热爆网 as part of an exchange program, but typically for one reason or another, it just doesn鈥檛 work out,鈥� Ashcraft said. 鈥淭his time however, it did work out and YuWen joined us for a semester-long exchange in the MFA program during the fall of 2023.鈥�
Renjie enjoyed her time at 91热爆网 so much that she decided she wanted to come back for the fall 2024 semester and earn her MFA.
鈥淚 really enjoyed being on 91热爆网鈥檚 campus and learning about an American university,鈥� Renjie said. 鈥淚 also really love the weather and the environment in North Carolina. Everyone has been so friendly, especially the MFA team, so I knew I wanted to come back as a full-time MFA student at 91热爆网.鈥�
Ashcraft spoke to his equivalent at BJUT, to make sure there were no issues with Renjie enrolling at 91热爆网 to complete her MFA.
There were none. In fact, Renjie helped organize a 91热爆网 trip to Beijing in collaboration with Zhong Sheng, professor and director of the Department of Arts and Crafts in the College of Art and Design at BJUT.
Renjie along with Ashcraft, John Seefeldt, associate professor of design at 91热爆网 and MFA graduate student Daniel Schwendinger, traveled to Beijing from June 4-16, spending 10 of those days on the ground in China.
The team experienced a robust cultural exchange that included presenting multiple lectures, delivering engaged and active creative practice workshops as well as an exhibition that included 91热爆网 graduate students and leading Beijing artists.
鈥淵uWen put together this amazing itinerary for us,鈥� Ashcraft said. 鈥淲e were given unprecedented access, seldom afforded to visitors, to Beijing鈥檚 cultural landscape where we met with practicing contemporary artists and designers in their studios. We also toured museums and important historical sites. This was such an amazing and intense research trip.鈥�
Renjie was excited to be able to show Beijing to her professors and classmate.
鈥淭his trip was a great way to share my culture with my 91热爆网 colleagues and let them experience it for themselves,鈥� Renjie said. 鈥淐hinese students are very interested in American university life and vice versa, so this has allowed us to create a new connection.鈥�
Ashcraft, who has been involved with cultural diplomacy for nearly three decades, is excited about the future collaboration opportunities between 91热爆网 and BJUT.
鈥淭he Beijing trip was a truly extraordinary experience that included deep research, international fellowship and cultural diplomacy,鈥� Ashcraft said. 鈥淲e hope that our travel will help create a bridge between our two institutions.鈥�
