My name is Muyan Zhang. I am part of the Art Sphere teacher team, responsible for helping teach at the Tzu Chi center. Bilingual in English and Chinese, I’m working to translate and edit the Chinese version of the lesson book “Creating Legacies through Art”. I am also helping create videos demonstrating how to do various projects.
I recently graduated from Saint Joseph’s University and got my Masters Degree.
I really like spending my free time to work at Art Sphere Inc, not only because it’s a good place to meet like-minded partners, but also because it’s a fantastic place to inspire creativity. I still remember when I first came and asked Kristin what I could do at Art sphere, she told me, “just do what you want to do”.
Yes, this is our organization: free and friendly. I also remember when I first began making teaching videos with Candice. She encouraged me a lot and gave me confidence. This kind of friendship makes our institution more dynamic. Kristin mentioned that she became a teacher because when she helped to inspire creativity in children, she could see the enthusiasm in their eyes. I realized this too when I began to be a teacher at the Tzu Chi center. I taught them to create dragons, pizzas, and boxes using construction paper and paper plates. Most of children are 6 years old, they could even do more than what they were taught using their unique ideas. Last class, I taught them how to make a square box. One girl made a bowknot in the box and made it looks like a gift! I was so surprised when I saw it cause I almost didn’t think the idea. Art makes people’s life colorful!
I was born in China and began to learn Erhu (a traditional China instrument) at 7 years old. As a part of art, music had the earliest impact on me. When I was 14 years old, I played “pastoral” written by Beethoven using Erhu in my high school graduation ceremony. The show was so popular and I got inspiration from both eastern and western culture. I think this is what the Art is. I want to find more sparks in the future at Art Sphere Inc.