High school students are used to dealing with “primary sources” so I thought it is a good idea to introduce some of Cai’s own words into the tour:

INVISIBLE POPPY
“Maybe my work, sometimes, is like the poppy flower. It’s very beautiful, yet because of circumstances, it also represents a poison to society.”
What did he mean?
“Gunpowder has always been used for human destruction. But Cai creates beautiful drawings for visual pleasure. He sed the poppy flower as a symbol in his work. The poppy is a beautiful flower to look at, but it can also remind one of the drug trade that is destructive for mankind. Here, the appearance of the flower is nice, but something sinister lurks in the background.”
This picture also lends itself to the question:
Why does Cai call his work paintings?
color, line, positive/negative space, etc.

MONTAGNE SAINTE-VICTORE
“Dragons have symbolized the power of nature on earth and in the universe. They are also an incarnation of the dreams of humans to fly freely through the skies and oceans beyond physical limitations. Now, the fire dragon ascends higher in the sky from the rock slope rising from the earth as an undulation of a dragon, carrying the hope of contact between humans and minds beyond the earth. In addition, it represents an action of the universal spirit of humans seeking a return to the embrace of the universe.”

NON- BRAND
Cai referred to some of the modernist artists (ie Rothko) as developing distinctive “brands” that gained them recognition and in doing so, became commodities.
How would you describe Rothko’s brand?
What other popular figures in our culture have developed brands? 
In response Cai created a new technique to sandwich gunpowder (his “brand”) between a sheet of glass and a mirror. He says, “I used mirrors and glass to create a few large-scale iconic pieces. I deliberately placed their “brand” (referring to another artist) onto them and then used gunpowder to explode them. Actually, gunpowder has become a brand of mine.”
He titled his works “Non-Brand”

When Lonnie told me I had 2 minutes left, I stopped my tour and asked these 3 questions in conclusion:
What are your impressions of his artist?
What do you find most interesting?
If you could meet him and ask him a question, what would it be?

I really dislike the question, “Did you like the tour?”. It is a yes/no question with a predetermined, loaded answer. What is the person supposed to answer? It’s like fishing for complements.

– Used a laser pointer – passed it from student to student as they pointed out things and used it myself to show things.
– Had them carry clipboards and pencils from the beginning – came in handy whenever they would not talk.
– Used slips of paper with each slip having an open-ended question. Folded the slips into fourths so they could not see the questions. Working as individuals or in pairs, they chose a question and shared their answers with the group.
– Encouraged them to do a group photo where they were all reflected in the mirror of Canvas on the Moon.

Figure out how to deal with a group where no one is willing to talk – including to each other.

Started from the courtyard by sketching the “Canvas on the Moon” then went to see Cai’s “Canvas on the Moon”. It seems students on any grade like this sketching. One student shouted out that she see the canvas on Cai’s work.
At the first gallery: we compare “Test 2017.1-1 A (Black Gunpowder)” and “Gunpowder study for October Revolution Centennial” and discuss what black/white and color paintings provide to the audience.
At the “Origins” gallery, students observe the art piece what they see. I explained the history of WWII. We also explained that this was different from Cai’s other works (the artist is delivering clear message instead of the audience perceive the artworks).

I let students stand in front of the large painting in “Japan” gallery and asked what they see, but I rarely get reactions. I need to figure out how to spend time in this gallery.

The groups enjoyed the exhibition. Although students are not conversational, their response is very well thought when they speak out. One student came up with Cai’s work as “creation from destruction”.

Jane and John came up with the idea to have group or pair conversation among the students for them to come up with something to say instead of asking question to each student.

Thank you Jin Sook and Jeanne to follow my tour!

Both groups of Students reacted similarly. They all paid attention to what I said to them and appeared to be very interested; however, I found the responses to my questions were limited mostly to one or two students.

The videos were helpful in explaining how and why Cai creates his art. Also, open-ended questions were asked to the students to pique their interest in specific artworks. Conversations ensued about Cai’s use of gunpowder to tell stories about suffering, art, and life.

I would like to pair students to work out observations and reflections about Cai’s artistry, then I would ask them to present their discoveries to the entire group. More discussion would follow.

Will continue to do more research on the Getty connection to Cai.

The students enjoyed tracking how Cai added something new to his practice with every gallery. They liked being given time to observe and report on questions asked.

Reflection (what would you do differently?) Add another activity.

This was my first tour. I was impressed by the group I had–they didn’t ask many questions but were very engaged.

I started the tour from the gallery next to the store showing the recent works of Cai, AI arts, then went to the 1st gallery. They are interested in the Asian culture, so I included Chinese and Japanese culture here and there, and concluded that many of Asian traditions are similar to theirs (students).

I had a trouble having them engaged in conversation, but when they talk, they have very good answers. I wish I know how to stimulate high school students to talk…

Went well. Good participation. Did a “word share” in front of the Hiroshima piece, and talked on more extensive talk on AI.