A blog post by Director of Learning and Visitor Engagement Ilene Dackman-Alon. To read more posts by Ilene click HERE.
The JMM, Baltimore Jewish Council and Baltimore City Public Schools co-sponsored the first Winter Teachers Institute, a professional development opportunity for area teachers in connection with the exhibit Jewish Refugees and Shanghai. Teachers signed up to participate in the two-day workshop; and this past Sunday, February 10th, we all travelled together by bus on a field trip to Washington, DC.Our first stop was the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the US. Our teachers were invited by the Chinese Embassy to be part of a cultural exchange in connection with the Shanghai exhibit on loan from the Shanghai Refugees Museum. The embassy building is designed by the Chinese architect, I.M. Pei and features a fusion of the traditional philosophies of Chinese architecture and modernity.We were met by Secretary Feng Haonan and his colleague who graciously led the teachers throughout the building which includes an East and West wing, beautiful gardens and large meeting rooms.We loved gathering around the very large conference table.
The teachers enjoyed learning about the impressive art installations throughout the building that fuse together ancient Chinese art and modern Chinese culture. The vibrant colors and designs made each artwork so unique and intricate. Each work was created with such intention.
Our guide shows us a piece called Scholars from Thousands of Years.The wall-sized piece in this photo is Birds Singing in a Jade Bamboo Forest, 2007.Many teachers commented on what a unique experience the visit was, and each teacher was given a gift bag at the end of tour filled with books and tokens to remember the visit.Our next stop was to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. We wanted to provide our teachers with some background information in connection to WWII, and the rise of Nazism in Europe. We also wanted the teachers to see the exhibition, Americans and the Holocaust, as this topic would be the starting point for our second day of the workshop that will take place this coming Sunday, February 17th.
Our teachers returned to Baltimore invigorated and excited for a second meaningful day of study when our focus will be the exhibit, Jewish Refugees and Shanghai and issues of contemporary refugees face in our world today. We are looking forward to another Sunday-Funday!
