This exhibit of Chinese peasant folk art comes to the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art eighteen years after it opened at the Beijing Art Museum in 1995. This is the first

showing of these enchanting works in the United States. Given this year’s Gala theme, Asian Fusion, and SAMA’s Monuments & Masterpieces trip to China, this exhibition nicely complements activities at the Museum. Typically, Chinese peasant folk art is created by Chinese farmers or peasant artists. These works tend to focus on everyday life in rural China and/or legendary subjects. Farm work, farm animals, village customs, festivals, deities, warriors, and children are common themes. This is a large and colorful textiles exhibition from the Shaanxi Province in northern China. Chinese style and imagination are reflected in this exhibition, which is presented in grand fashion. The fabrics are primitive in style but brilliantly decorated. The cut-out appliqués are childlike figures presented in vivid colors and exaggerated forms. In many of the pieces, I think you see the influence of Chinese paper-cutting art. In my opinion, this is a fun exhibit that should appeal to young and old alike. A number of the works feature ancient stories of legendary figures. The stories themselves are tribal in nature and date back thousands of years. Warriors, emperor