Conference Artwork (2024)
“Divergent Blooms, Converging Minds: Nurturing Dialogue of Difference in Education”
Featured in this year’s Program Booklet!
The theme of the ݮƵ 2024 Graduate Student Research Conference, “Despite and Because of Difference”: Cultivating Critical Conversations for the Future of Education,” underscores a commitment to addressing the challenges posed by diversity in education while recognizing the immense growth potential that arises when differences are embraced and leveraged in critical conversations.
In my artwork, “Divergent Blooms, Converging Minds: Nurturing Dialogue of Difference in Education,” I illustrate how various
thoughts, embodied by different blooms, branch out or diverge from two distinct sources represented by the two heads. The selection of flowers reflects the broad spectrum of cultures, beliefs, and experiences within the educational realm. The facing heads symbolize individuals engaged in a meaningful conversation where, despite their differences, their minds converge into a constructive dialogue, allowing them to understand and embrace their differences and celebrate their similarities. The intertwining branches extending from the minds create a bridge between the two heads, portraying the continuous flow, evolution, and interconnectedness of diverse ideas in nurturing a dynamic educational environment.
The deliberate arrangement of overlapping branches emphasizes that despite differences, harmony and strength emerge through collaborative exchanges of ideas. This integration of varied botanical elements symbolizes openness, tolerance, and mutual respect, encouraging viewers to appreciate the beauty arising from diverse educational perspectives. It implies that, just as different flowers can coexist and enhance the beauty of a garden, various ideas can converge to create a richer and more comprehensive understanding in the context of education.
Crafted with flowers and leaves collected from different parts of Ontario, this artwork embodies my passion for Oshibana, the art of pressed flowers. I find continual inspiration in the visually striking and thought-provoking images it enables, providing a unique and powerful means to convey messages with depth and resonance.
In conclusion, “Divergent Blooms, Converging Minds” is a visual metaphor for the transformative power of critical conversations that embrace diversity, illustrating how education can thrive despite and because of our differences.
I am a graduate student enrolled in the Adult Education and Community Development (AECD) program at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (ݮƵ), where I also serve as the Chair of the Alumni Association Student Advisory Committee. I am committed to enhancing the student experience on campus by volunteering in various events at ݮƵ. In recognition of my contributions, I was honoured with the UofT Graduate Community Development Fund (GCDF) Award for 2023.
In addition to my academic pursuits, I am a program facilitator for adult learners in a community organization. In this capacity, I assist community members in honing their skills and accomplishing their personal and professional objectives. I identify as a community volunteer, consistently seeking opportunities to support those in need.
During my leisure time, I enjoy exploring historical, cultural, and religious sites, all while trying diverse cuisines. Beyond this, I am a self-taught artist, and I enjoy expressing my creativity through various mediums, including painting, jewelry making, and pressed flower art. My passion for these forms of artistic expression fuels my dedication to continually refine and expand my skills in the world of visual arts.
“Toward a Better Future”
Featured in this year’s Creative Common Corner!
Inspired by the vision of 2024 GSRC, titled “Despite and Because of Difference”: Cultivating Critical Conversations for the Future of Education, my artwork submission to the conference aims to emphasize the importance of unity and solidarity
building across disciplines, cultures, and diverse communities beyond physical boarders while we, as educators, researchers, and creators move toward our collective (re)imagination of a more just future.
As someone who constantly moves, teaches, and creates in different global locations, I consider the practices illustrated in my artwork to be essential to my dreaming of an education for social justice. The submission is a digital illustration made of nine panels, each conveying a unique theme that includes community building, solidarity, life, growth, hope, dreaming, relationality, art-making, and transformative actions. However, when viewed together, these nine panels are connected by a continuous line that forms a heart shape. The images thus quilt a vision of a future built on care, intimacy, and love – values that are often overlooked in discourses of power–echoing GSRC’s dedication to bridging communities and celebrating the resistance power within differences.
Qichun Zhang is a second-year PhD student at ݮƵ’s Social Justice Education department. She has an MA in Multicultural and International Education from the University of San Francisco and a BFA from California College of the Arts. She is an interdisciplinary artist, art educator, and novice researcher with many years of experience in visual design, bookmaking, self-publication, teaching, and curriculum design for K-12 students in the United States. Her research interests include transnational feminism, art-based approaches in research and education, and digital activism under censorship.
