The third “Happy Chinese New Year: Fantastic Art China,” co-hosted by the China Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) and the US-China Cultural Institute, will commence January 23rd, and conclude January 31st, 2017. A vital part of the “Happy Chinese New Year” program, “Happy Chinese New Year: Fantastic Art China” is a series of arts and culture initiatives where traditional culture, modern discourse, and innovative visual arts and creative design meet. The 2017 theme is “Year of the Rooster, Light of Gold”. It invokes the auspicious connotation of light and hope symbolized by the Year of Rooster, and aims to facilitate creative exchange between Chinese and American cultures while paving the way for continued opportunities to collaborate and mutually share in education, arts, and culture.

The program for the 2017 will consist of three modules: “Celebratory Activities”, “Art Exhibitions”, and “Public and Arts Educational Events”. These activities will run through New York City’s many iconic culture venues and landmarks, bringing a series of free arts and cultural activities to fellow New Yorkers.

Celebratory Activities: A Brilliant Feast for the Eyes and Ears
This year’s “Happy Chinese New Year: Fantastic Art China” presents a series of celebratory activities integrating visual arts and music, including the Empire State Building Light Show, Fireworks Spectacular on the Hudson River, the Lincoln Center Public Art Display, and the New York Philharmonic’s Chinese New Year Concert and Gala.

The Empire State Building Light Installation will start at sunset on January 26th and 27th and will change every sixty seconds until morning, adding a touch of Chinese festive color to the New York City skyline. The Chinese New Year Fireworks Spectacular designed by CAFA will begin at 8:30 PM over the Hudson River on January 26th. The fireworks display consists of four chapters: “Wintertime,” “Hundreds of Birds,” “Spring Returns,” and “Phoenix”. The display’s theme of the natural flow of seasons and imagery of “Hundreds of Birds” and “Phoenix” pays homage to the Chinese philosophy that all living things should strive to develop in harmony. The specially designed fireworks display offers a vibrant feast for the senses while conveying ancient festival blessings to the modern world.

As a proud partner, the New York Philharmonic will hold its 6th annual Chinese New Year Concert at 7:30 PM on January 31st at David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center, sounding the close of the nine-day celebration. Meanwhile, the Lincoln Center Plaza will present a public art display incorporating Chinese New Year themes.

“Fantastic Art China” Exhibitions: Works from Top Chinese Art Academy
Four themed exhibitions will go on display at the New York Institute of Interior Design (January 23rd-29th) and the Metropolitan Pavilion (January 26th-29th).
● Abstract Art in Dialogue present the works of young Chinese and American artists. Drawing from their distinct cultural perspectives and diverse artistic approaches, they explore new possibilities in contemporary abstract art.
● Image of the Mind: Contemporary Chinese Art showcases works by sixteen pioneering contemporary Chinese artists, including Shang Yang, Hong Yao, Ma Lu, Su Xinping, Zhan Wang, Lyu Pinchang, Miao Xiaochun, Zhang Fangbai, Xiang Yang, Huang Yong, Qiu Ting, Cai Zhisong, Mu Boyan, Feng Fang, Huang Zhen and Wu Jian’an, who utilize different media and artistic languages to incorporate the expressionistic practice of Chinese ink painting into contemporary art, forming new outlooks on contemporary Chinese art and treading new paths in its development.
● China-America Young Artists Exhibition and China-America Art Students Exhibition focus on cross-cultural dialogue, and showcase the latest works of Chinese and American art students and young artists, presenting concerns, creative perspectives, and varying approaches from new generations of artists.

Public and Arts Educational Events: Promoting China – America Art Educational Exchanges
With the assistance of Beijing Visual Art Innovation Institute and New York School of Interior Design, “Fantastic Art China” will hold a series of public programs to facilitate further dialogue between the higher arts education fields of China and the U.S.. This module includes the Experimental Film Screening, the Panel Discussion on Art and New Urban Culture, and the China – America Art Colleges Collaboration Initiative: Students Visit Program. The “Experimental Film Screening” explores the theme “Art and New Urban Culture,” and takes place January 23rd, 27th and 28th in New York School of Interior Design’s Arthur Satz Auditorium. It features outstanding student experimental film works from Beijing Film Academy and other colleges. This is the first time the “China & America Art Colleges Initiative: Students Visit Program” has invited artist representatives from Chinese higher education institutions to participate.

In addition, the “NYC Lunar New Year Students Day” will be open to the public on January 28th at the Metropolitan Pavilion. It is to celebrate the city’s historic designation of the Lunar New Year as a school holiday for 1.1 million public school students. For more information, please visit www.nyclunarnewyear.org