Through the Golden Paintbrush Awards, each year the City of Ann Arbor honors art in the community that has demonstrated civic engagement and contributed to public spaces. Judges base their decisions on demonstrated collaboration and look for art that has added, “a bit of magic to daily life.”
For 2025, the Lieberthal-Rogel Center for Chinese Studies and artist partners Zhen Guo, Fangfei Miao, and James Koo have been awarded for their work on the September 2025 event, Dragons Everywhere All At Once. Held at the U-M Museum of Art (UMMA), Dragons Everywhere showcased the magic and myth of dragons in East Asian art through live calligraphy and dance performances, zine-making, drumming, and hands-on activities.
The event served as an introduction to the 2026 Dancing with the Dragon Initiative, an interdisciplinary arts celebration anchored by Zhen Guo together with students participating in classes led by School of Music, Theatre and Dance and Residential College faculty members Raymond Wetzel, Michael Gould, Julie Zhu, and Xiaodong Wei. Along with design contributions also by community artist Jeri Rosenberg and visiting scholar in costume/theater, Xiaoxiao Lu, community driven events and performances are culminating in the creation of a futuristic and sustainable dragon sculpture.
Other Golden Paintbrush winners included PowerArt!, A2AC Murals and Planters, Murals That Bridge, and Corridor of Colors. LRCCS is honored to be listed with such innovative artists and their work.
On the City Of Ann Arbor Facebook announcement, Mary Thiefels, Chair of the Ann Arbor Public Art Commission stated, "It has been incredible to witness the vibrancy of Ann Arbor's public art scene flourish over the years."
The recognition of Dragons Everywhere All at Once through the Golden Paintbrush Awards highlights the profound impact of collaborative art in Ann Arbor and U-M. Weaving together tradition, innovation, and collaboration, LRCCS is grateful to their supporters and visionary partners. To learn more about the Dancing with the Dragon interdisciplinary art initiative, visit the Dancing with the Dragon webpage. With each brushstroke, beat, and dance step, our artist collaborators remind us that art has the power not only to transform spaces, but to unite and enrich the community for years to come.
Visit the 2025 Golden Paintbrush Awards website to view images of the winning projects.
About LRCCS’ Artist Partners
Zhen Guo, artist and curator, was born in Rizhao, Shandong, China and graduated from the Fine Arts Department of Shandong Art School in 1976 and the China Academy of Art in 1982. She has been leading the "Zhen Guo Art Studio" in New York since 1988. Guo is a female ink artist active in the international art world and a pioneer of American Asian contemporary female ink art.
Fangfei Miao, Ph.D., is an international dance theorist, choreographer, dancer, and assistant professor in the School of Music, Theatre, & Dance where she teaches both seminar and physical practice courses. Classically trained at UCLA and the Beijing Dance Academy, her work explores the theme of globalization, incorporating Chinese and East Asian performance studies. As the first dancer from the People’s Republic of China to receive a Ph.D. in critical dance studies in the U.S., Miao is deeply committed to the scholarly and artistic aspects of dance as a means to encourage positive cross-cultural relationships.
James Koo, award-winning percussionist, has dedicated much of his artistry to the study of ritualistic practices. His music is inspired by his roots in traditional Chinese percussion and engagement with the contemporary repertoire of the 20th-21st century. Hailing from Hong Kong, he studied traditional Chinese percussion at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts in addition to The Boston Conservatory and the University of Michigan. He is currently completing a doctorate at the University of California, San Diego.
This article was edited using U-M GPT. The original draft and final review was done by II and LRCCS staff.
