Northside parent and artist Xiumei Zhang Velasco has donated "Beholder's Eye", an un-framed oil on canvas measuring approximately 3 feet by 4 feet. 

Xiumei's Artistic Statement:

"I was born in Shanghai, China in 1961 in the midst of the Cultural Revolution when worlds were colliding with one another. I studied the moods, feelings and romance of European artists while China's historical reserves, artifacts and art were being irreparably devastated.

I survived, as did China. Mao Zedong, in my formative years, was a symbol of complete repression. I have chosen that same symbol both to liberate and expand my view of China in today's world.

Since immigrating to the USA in the 1990's, I have become an American citizen. I wonder at all the beauty that surrounds this country; and, at the same time, I seek to examine the foundation of that beauty in terms of its cultural icons."