Strong Bodies for the Revolution: Pursuing Health and Power in the People’s Republic of China
This exhibition runs Wednesday, February 16, 2022 through Saturday, May 21, 2022
Opening Reception: Wednesday, February 16, 2022 at 12:15pm
Celebrate the opening of this exhibition in the College of East Asian Studies Gallery. Wesleyan students, faculty, and staff will first view the exhibition in the Gallery, and will then move to the Seminar Room for remarks by Collections Assistant Sam Smith ’20, Assistant Professor of History and East Asian Studies Ying Jia Tan, and Mark Sidel, son of Ruth and Victor Sidel, who originally donated the posters to Wesleyan.
How did the government of the People’s Republic of China mobilize its people to implement public health campaigns and improve the health of hundreds of millions of people? The College of East Asian Studies presents an exhibition featuring a collection of propaganda posters donated by the family of Ruth and Victor Sidel. During their travels to China, the Sidels acquired more than 55 posters, most of which illustrated the underlying principles that governed Chinese public health policy during tumultuous years of revolution. This exhibition, curated by faculty and students, showcases common themes in the posters that contribute to a larger narrative on modern health practices in China. Co-sponsored by the Allbritton Center for the Study of Public Life; the Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program; the Fries Center for Global Studies; the Department of Government; the History Department; the Science in Society Program and Black Box Labs; and the Wesleyan University Library.
The College of East Asian Studies Gallery at Mansfield Freeman Center is curated by Associate Director of Visual Arts Benjamin Chaffee and Exhibitions Manager Rosemary Lennox.
The general public is welcome to view exhibitions in both the Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery and the College of East Asian Studies Gallery at Mansfield Freeman Center. All patrons must adhere to and follow the University COVID-19 safety guidelines. Wesleyan requires all visitors to be fully vaccinated including booster shots. All visitors will need to provide proof of having been fully vaccinated. Masks are required in all University buildings regardless of vaccination status. Indoor performances as well as special events, including opening receptions in the galleries, will be open to Wesleyan students, faculty, and staff. Vaccinated visitors may attend outdoor events and outdoor activities unmasked. Patrons under the age of five are required to wear a mask at outdoor events. Due to current CDC age limits on vaccinations, individuals under the age of five will not be permitted at indoor exhibitions.
RELATED EVENT
Movement Workshop: Yangge Dance and Politics in China with Ellen Gerdes ’05
Friday, March 4, 2022 at 12:30pm
College of East Asian Studies Seminar Room at Mansfield Freeman Center
FREE!
Participants will meet in the College of East Asian Studies Gallery before moving to the College of East Asian Studies Seminar Room for the workshop.
GALLERY HOURS
Open Tuesday through Friday, Noon–4pm
Also open on Saturday, May 21, 2022 for Reunion and Commencement Weekend.
(Closed for spring break: March 12–20, 2022)
College of East Asian Studies, Wesleyan University
Mansfield Freeman Center for East Asian Studies
343 Washington Terrace, Middletown CT 06457
860-685-2330
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Image credit: Eradication of Snail Fever, Courtesy of the Ruth and Victor Sidel Collection.