There are several area events celebrating Chinese New Year and the Year of the Snake. Plainsboro Chinese School celebrates at Millstone River School on Saturday, February 2. Huaxia Plainsboro Chinese School celebrates at High School North on Sunday, February 10. West Windsor Library presents a lunar new year festival on Saturday, February 2, at 2 p.m.
The art gallery at Plainsboro Public Library will celebrate the Chinese New Year with an exhibit spanning three generations of artists opening on Saturday, February 2. Choi-Ying Chui, her daughter Allison Kwok, and her granddaughter Grace Kwok present their creative talents and crafting skills in the variety of artworks which include beading, Chinese knotting, and paper cutting.
The trio of artists will be honored at a reception on Saturday, February 23, from 1 to 3 p.m., the same day the library will be hosting its annual Chinese New Year celebration, complete with performances, games, refreshments, and artists who will demonstrate traditional brush painting and calligraphy. The art exhibit will run through February 27.
Choi-Ying Chui, born in Ningbo, China, has lived in the U.S. for 30 years. An expert in tailoring, sewing, knitting, and beading, she once exhibited “The Dragon of Spirits and Virtues,” a sculpture made with Swarovski crystal which featured a beading technique called right angle weaving. Now in her eighties, Chui, who believes in “enjoying life while she can see, and exercising her brain while she can still think,” approaches everything precisely and wholeheartedly.
Her daughter, Allison Kwok, is a wizard of Chinese knotting and paper cutting. She was born in Shanghai and raised in Hong Kong, where she was a registered nurse. Kwok teaches art and mathe concepts such as symmetry, shapes, and proportion through the mediums of paper folding, beading, and knotting. An avid recycler, Kwok shares eco-friendly advice in her art workshops.
Kwok has taught at Dutch Neck School and has been a volunteer at Plainsboro Library arts and science programs since 1994. In 2005 she was awarded the 2005 “Community Artist of the Year” by Plainsboro Township. She lives in Plainsboro with her husband, Huckman Kwok, and their children — Brian, Cosmo, and Grace.
Grace Kwok, the third generation of the artists represented in this exhibit, is a junior at Pratt Institute of Art, where she is pursuing a degree in industrial design. She will be exhibiting art produced in her college programs, as well as the traditional bracelets with Chinese Knotting.
Grace has accompanied her mother to Plainsboro library programs since she was six years-old. She learned to assist at workshops — and eventually supervised them. She also teaches at various community functions, including events at Rutgers University and the Grounds for Sculpture.
While still in high school, Kwok attended art classes at Mercer County Community College and was inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa honors society. She has received numerous community service awards, including Plainsboro Township’s “Community Artist of the Year” and a certificate of honor from Mercer County’s Board of Chosen Freeholders. She also received the Rosalie Pratt Memorial Scholarship and the Pratt Institute Presidential Merit Scholarship.
Art Exhibit, Plainsboro Public Library, 9 Van Doren Street. Friday, February 1, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. First day for “Three Generations,” an exhibit spanning three generations of artists. Choi-Ying Chui, her daughter Allison Kwok, and her granddaughter Grace Kwok. The exhibit features beading, Chinese knotting, and paper cutting. The reception is Saturday, February 23, in conjunction with the Chinese New Year celebration of performances, games, refreshments, and artists. On view through February 27. 609-275-2897. www.lmxac.org/plainsboro.
