Chinkin Residency: For Upper-Level Students, Art School Participants & Adults

For more advanced participants or those seeking deeper immersion, this extended track explores pattern development, surface control, engraving rhythm, and cultural-historical connections across Chinese and Japanese lacquer traditions. Students will work toward a complete engraved gold-inlay artwork with greater design autonomy and technical fluency.

Natural lacquer materials are used throughout, including black baseboards prepared with traditional Chinese lacquer and Japanese-style roiro finish to ensure optimal surface for carving. Chinkin tools (specialized engraving needles and soft applicators) will be provided for shared use during class but are not included for take-home. This workshop is ideal for students age 16 and above, particularly those interested in printmaking, slow craft, East Asian aesthetics, or meditative making. 

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  Zhiheng Gong is an interdisciplinary artist, designer, and educator specializing in the fusion of traditional Chinese lacquer techniques with contemporary artistic expression. He holds a BFA in 3D Design from the University of Iowa and an MFA in Interaction Design from Cranbrook Academy of Art. Now based in the United States, his lacquer studio is in Long Island City, New York, where he explores the potential of lacquer in contemporary art and spatial practice.

  Zhiheng Gong