Guest curator Daniel Greenberg and artist Zhang Xiaoli sit down for a conversation about the making of Block Party!, followed by a reception in the galleries. Friday, September 18, 2026, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
The talk runs from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in University Chapel and covers the themes and working process behind the exhibition. Zhang paints in gongbi, a traditional style built on precise outlines, careful brushwork, and layered color, and uses it to build invented worlds out of interlocking toy blocks and minifigs.
The reception follows at 6:30 p.m. in Watson Galleries, with wine and hors d'oeuvres and time to walk the exhibition itself.
About the work
Block Party! came out of Zhang's 2025 artist residency at the Art Museum. The series draws on the museum's holdings of work by I-Hsiung Ju, the Chinese brush painter who taught at Washington and Lee for twenty years, along with Chinese art more broadly and the landscapes of the Blue Ridge. Zhang returns this fall as the I-Hsiung Ju and Chow-Soon Chuang Ju Visiting Artist to co-teach two courses in Chinese painting and calligraphy.
Admission and registration
Free and open to all. Seats are limited and pre-registration is required. A livestream is also available for anyone who can't attend in person.
Register for the artist talk and reception
Location
Artist talk: University Chapel, Washington and Lee University
Reception: Watson Galleries, Washington and Lee University
204 W Washington St, Lexington, VA 24450
museums@wlu.edu
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