Studio Instructors

Sungsook Setton, widely acclaimed author of the “Spirit of the Brush,” was trained in brush painting and calligraphy under Chinese and Korean masters. Sungsook also studied Western art in Germany, U.K., and U.S., where she obtained a BFA at Stony Brook University and MFA at Goddard College. Sungsook has had 22 solo and over 170 group shows internationally.  She has received more than two dozen awards for her work, including three times Best of Show at the National Juried Exhibition by the Sumi-e Society of America. She has taught Chinese brush painting classes at the China Institute since 2004, from introductory to advanced content, including techniques, materials and key genres such as landscapes as well as birds and flowers. Sungsook regularly conducts workshops around the US. In 2010, she represented the U.S. at the Third International Biennial of Modern Ink Painting in Taipei. She currently serves on the faculty of the China Institute in Manhattan and the Art League of Long Island.

Jiaxuan Zhang started practicing Chinese calligraphy at 8 years of age. At the age of 13, two pieces of his calligraphy work were selected for an exhibition in his hometown Tianjin, China. Mr. Zhang has been teaching calligraphy at China Institute for over 30 years. His calligraphy pieces have been used for various books and magazines and Mr. Zhang was also included in THE WORLD ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CALLIGRAPHY (2011) and the 100 NEW YORK CALLIGRAPHERS (2015).

Mr. Zhang earned a B.A. in cinema & photography from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and an M.A. in cinema studies from New York University.

Jim Zhang is also a film critic and a photographer, currently teaching two courses (Chinese film and Chinese drama) at Queens College.

Viviane Chen Awarded “Outstanding Educator of the Year 2017”, Ms. Chen is a devoted practitioner and teacher of TaiChi and Spirituality. She has trained with leading instructors in the United States and Asia, including Master Ping Zhen Cheng (founder of Taichizen -“Enlightened Living”), Master Alex Dong (fourth generation of the renowned Dong family of Taichiquan), Grandmaster Dr. Ye Rui-Chun (disciple of YeDa Mi-founder of Ye style Taichi) and Grandmaster Chen Xiaowang (the nineteenth-generation standard-bearer of the Chen Family Taichiquan.)

Ms. Chen has also studied meditation with Tibetan Master Tsoknyi Rinpoche and received holistic well-being training from numerous institutions. In so doing, she has developed a unique approach to the teaching and practice of these disciplines, integrating key elements of various traditions and creating space to apply them within our fast-paced modern lives. She believes that a peaceful mind, a compassionate heart, and a healthy body are the keys to a fulfilling life.