The Art of Xinjiang Stamp-Printing

Xinjiang stamp-printing (模戳印花) is a 3,000-year-old textile printing process using carved relief blocks that is practiced in Uyghur-inhabited regions of China. Through repeated stamping and dyeing, artisans create patterned textiles that embody regional aesthetics, accumulated craft knowledge, and Uyghur cultural identity. Today, it represents both heritage preservation and contemporary artistic adaptation and is recognized as an important element of China’s cultural heritage.

The Art of Xinjiang Stamp-Printing presents a series of hands-on workshops led by visiting artist JiLei Wu from the China Academy of Art and handicraft kits designed by using the Cultural Heritage Innovation Lab at Beijing Normal University. Accompanying the workshops is an exhibition curated by Notre Dame alumna Yingxin Liu with support from Notre Dame Beijing and Professor Justin Barfield of the Department of Art, Art History, and Design. The project connects Notre Dame students and regional community members to Xinjiang Uyghur culture through experiential engagement while fostering dialogue across printmaking and surface-design traditions.

Credits

JiLei Wu and the Cultural Heritage Innovation Lab at Beijing Normal University

JiLei Wu is an artist and researcher at Beijing Normal University’s (BNU) Laboratory for Innovative Cultural Heritage Revitalization and Communication. She received a Master of Arts in Design with a focus on Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Practice and Research from China Academy of Art and was a Visiting Scholar in the Department of Education at University of Cambridge. Wu has been secretary general for BNU’s Mantianxing Ethnic Culture Communication Charity Fund and is a co-founder and design director of the Bianyuan Mantianxing Ethnic Culture Innovation Revitalization Project.

Research and planning for the workshops and exhibition as well as development of teaching materials for this project are supported by the Cultural Heritage Innovation Lab at Beijing Normal University. The Cultural Heritage Innovation Lab conducts field research by working directly with ethnic communities and heritage practitioners to learn authentic crafting techniques. These traditional practices are translated into contemporary educational formats through the development of standardized handicraft kits and curriculum, making the techniques scalable and accessible with the goal of bringing traditional craft practices into urban and community settings.

Notre Dame Beijing

Notre Dame Beijing is part of Notre Dame’s global network across nine countries worldwide. These global locations create unique opportunities for Notre Dame to engage with the world and for the world to engage with Notre Dame through scholarly collaboration, undergraduate and graduate studies, and cooperative programs with governments, foundations, corporations, alumni, parents, and friends of the University.

As an ancient world capital and one of today's megacities, Beijing is a leading center for politics, business, and higher education. Located in Genesis Beijing, a community development project focused on serving the common good, Notre Dame Beijing provides proximity to the Central Business District, foreign embassies, and universities, and ensures faculty and students have access to leaders in business, government, and academia.

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Justin Barfield and Notre Dame’s Department of Art, Art History, and Design

Justin Barfield is a printmaker and Associate Professor of the Practice in Studio Art in Notre Dame’s Department of Art, Art History, and Design. Barfield’s work articulates a long love and deep concern with the environment.

The Department of Art, Art History & Design (AAHD) is a multidisciplinary department offering undergraduate and graduate programs in studio art, art history, and design. Under the guidance of a talented and diverse faculty, students acquire the technical skills necessary to work creatively, develop the ability to think critically, and cultivate the discipline to reflect thoughtfully on the world and our place in it.

Justin Barfield Discover AAHD

Funding & Support

This is a partner program of the 2027 Notre Dame Arts Biennial, supported with funding from the Notre Dame Arts Initiative.

This project is also made possible with funding from Notre Dame Beijing, the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures, and Cultural Heritage Innovation Lab, School of Journalism & Communication at Beijing Normal University. Venues, exhibition materials, and staffing support provided by Notre Dame’s Department of Art, Art History, and Design, La Casa de Amistad, and South Bend Museum of Art.