Hongbing Tang, University of Rhode Island professor of landscape architecture, released an art collection of watercolor paintings depicting landscapes in celebration of the Lunar New Year and Women’s History Month at Green Hall.
The art exhibition connects to Chinese New Year and Women’s History Month because most of the paintings are inspired by cultural memory, personal narrative and retelling stories, according to Tang.
Showing this work during the Chinese New Year allows for honoring cultural heritage and the traditions that shape through landscapes, home and community, according to Tang. The themes of renewal, family and continuity in New Year celebrations resonate deeply with watercolor, which explores place and memory.
“Working with watercolor draws on memory, landscape and personal history to explore themes that resonate deeply with Women’s History Month,” Tang said. “Women play a big role in culture and history, but in the past, they didn’t get a lot of recognition.”
It’s meaningful to highlight the women’s perspective of art, according to Tang.
“Watercolor has long been associated with women artists, in part because earlier generations of women were often excluded from formal academic art training,” Tang said. “By working in this medium, I reclaim and elevate it as a powerful tool for professional expression and cultural storytelling.”
The translucency and layering inherent to watercolor mirror the layered and sometimes overlooked narratives of women’s lives—complex, resilient and interconnected, according to Tang.
Through paintings, she aims to make those layers visible, honoring the legacy of women who used art to claim space and assert identity, according to Tang. She contributes her own perspective as a landscape architect, educator and artist.
“This work is an invitation for others to see how women shape our understanding of place through creativity, cultural memory and lived experience,” Tang said.
The idea for the art collection came from her architectural background, according to Tang. She studied architecture in college and learned how to draw, design and use watercolor to make art. After graduation, she taught watercolor media art at Boston Architectural College before coming to URI.
The theme for the collection was paying homage to Beijing, China, according to Tang.
“I grew up near the Forbidden City, and I really love the very special, unique cultural background,” Tang said. “A lot of [the architecture] are actually demolished due to transformation of city development.”
The creative process involved designating free time to painting, according to Tang. Painting provided a peaceful and quiet place to decompress from a busy day. The artwork are replicas of old photographs taken years ago, painted with watercolor.
Each painting requires thoughtful consideration of how to interpret the original photo and express it clearly through color, detail and composition, according to Tang.
“It’s not [about] your copy of photos,” Tang said. “It’s really the interpretation and with this emotion in it.”
The amount of time it took to make each painting varied, according to Tang. The picture of the red gate located at the entrance of Green Hall was painted during Thanksgiving in 2025. It was easy to complete because watercolor only needs one coat to preserve its translucency.
One thing people should get out of the artwork is the rich culture of childhood memories, according to Tang.
“A lot of the memories no longer exist, so showing the heritage is important, ” Tang said. “Sharing the beauty of every moment is a kind of cultural enrichment.”
The exhibit will remain open until April 30.
