Personal Path, Beijing
October 11 - November 4, 2018
The final iteration of Susan’s touring exhibition, Personal Path, was showcased at the Central Academy of Fine Arts Museum (CAFA) located in Beijing, China. This was the debut of Susan’s work in Asia.
Read the foreward by Fan Di’an.
On October 10, 2018 Susan and a delegation form Utah celebrated a pre-opening reception at PACE Gallery Beijing for Susan’s show at the Central Academy of Fine Arts Museum (CAFA).
The PACE Beijing reception featured works Susan would be premiering for the very first time at CAFA, and was attended by influencers such as Chinese media mogul Yang Lan and representatives from the Utah Trade Mission to China including: Utah's Speaker of the House, Greg Hughes; Miles Hansen, CEO of Utah's World Trade Center; and Scott Anderson, President and CEO of Zions Bank. Dignitaries from the US Embassy in Beijing were also in attendance.
Utah Governor Gary R. Herbert proclaimed October 11, 2018 Utah-China Cultural Friendship Day. The announcement of Herbert's proclamation occurred in honor of the opening of Susan's solo exhibition at CAFA. Mary Anne Huntsman - pianist and daughter of the former Ambassador to China and Utah's former Governor, Jon Huntsman - performed a stunning recital at the opening with famed Chinese violinist Gao Can. The proclamation was read from the stage by Governor Herbert's son, Brad Herbert. An official with Zions Bank, Brad was there with the Utah Trade Mission and won over the crowd of Chinese art figures including CAFA's President Fan Di'an.
Susan pictured with curator Walter Smerling, Utah dignitaries, and CAFA staff.
In the days that followed during her visit to China, Susan participated in a panel discussion for current students at CAFA entitled "Is Abstract Art Universal?"
She was also honored at an October 12th luncheon with US Ambassador to China Terry Branstad, where Scott Anderson gifted the US Embassy in China through the Art in Embassies program with one of Susan's paintings (Shimmering Light, Acrylic on linen, 48x48” 2016) on behalf of Zions Bank and the State of Utah.
Shimmering Light, Acrylic on linen, 48x48” 2016.
Ambassador Branstad and Susan.