ONLINE ONLY: IU graduate returns to lecture, demonstrate Chinese painting and calligraphy

Zhiyuan Cong, professor of art at William Paterson University, will lead a lecture and demonstration about calligraphy, the art of ornate writing, from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Thomas T. Solley Atrium in the IU Art Museum. The event is free and open to the public. \nJudy Stubbs, the Pamela Buell Curator of Asian Art, said Cong's visit is part of the museum's ongoing Chinese art exhibit. Cong, who graduated from IU in 1994 with a degree in printmaking, was also an instructor at IU from 1989 until 1994 while he earned his master's of fine arts degree.\nHis paintings and prints combine traditional Chinese techniques with Western elements, according to the event's press release. \nThe program will be part of the museum's exhibition "Conspiring with Tradition: Contemporary Painting from the Guilin Chinese Painting Academy." The exhibition, which opened to the public Sept. 30, will end Dec. 17.\nCong will be lecturing for about an hour Saturday, followed by an approximately hour--long demonstration in Chinese painting and calligraphy.