The Endangered, Can Art Save Them?

(November 7 through January 8, 2021)

My name is Helen (Dr. Hong Ding), doctor degree in Education, specialization in International Education, and master degree in Fine arts in 2003. Currently I am sailing around the Mid Atlantic Ocean after my 16 years of teaching art programs at International Schools from Southeast Asian to Europe.

I have passion in creating portraits especially strangers' portraits as exploring a new territory where I have never been before. I am a fast portrait painter, a beneficial skill from my hobby of creating my student's portrait in a short class break with limited break time, doing as many portraits as possible for all students. I can't count the number of portraits I have made for my students, colleagues, school leaders, and important leadership such as the Honorable Amir of Kuwait, etc. Most of my portrait artwork is given to the subjects right away after I paint them. Often after these works, I will reproduce another one for myself.

Having me as your selected artist for exhibition or community service, not only can I produce art in action portrait making in a very short period of time of most of the visitors, but share my art work through my sailing journey since July 2019, documenting my experiences through my artworks during the pandemic.

You may also be interested in my Children's book Flower-Kids Can Survive. This is my first written and illustrated book for kids through my own true story. As an add on, my solo exhibition may attract kids to come and listen to my story about how to survive as a kid in school.

I have been teaching the Visual Arts Program since 2003 in China, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, U.S.A., and Sweden. In the past decade as an art educator, my main responsibilities are: Art curriculum design, development and teaching my designated art program; supervisor for after school activities; school exhibition curator and all events organizer and director. I am an authorized IB Diploma Program Visual arts examiner and Art subject Extended Essay examiner since 2005; an adjudicator for University of Art London, U.K since 2006.

I was a practitioner of Chinese folk/classic dance when I was little, and I have always considered myself an artist before teacher. Creating & sharing artworks with my students is my motivation every single day. My determination, passion in portraits, and sharing art has never changed since I was an art educator.

Dr. Helen Ding