Two Roads, One Journey: Jewels in the Canyon

Driving down the 241 highway, one sees nothing but rolling green hills of California brush and field for long stretches of road. As one pulls into Santiago Canyon College in the City of Orange, the languid scenery is interrupted by the school’s neatly manicured lawn and its array of bright modern buildings gleaming like jewels nested in the canyon. But there is another jewel hidden within the school’s Lorenzo A. Ramirez Library, the Two Roads, One Journey exhibit produced by MOTAL. Santiago Canyon College, or SCC, is the latest site to house the traveling exhibition about how similar and dissimilar an average young student’s school day is in the United States and China. The exhibit has been shown and presented at Cal State Fullerton, the Fullerton Arboretum, Fullerton Banc of California, and Mount Saint Mary’s University Library in Los Angeles, enjoying a mobile circuit throughout Southern California. Now in Orange, the exhibit has been able to reach and inspire a new swath of community members who frequent the Lorenzo A. Ramirez Library.

Unlike the usual paintings-hanging-on-a-white-wall museum exhibits that one is accustomed to, the Two Roads exhibit is playful and interactive. The exhibit is composed of several double-sided, 6’ x 6.7’ informational panels arranged in a sequential order in a semi circle. Each information panel is colorful and draws in the viewer with myriad information, keeping the reader engaged. They are fitted with gorgeous wooden frames designed by Gonzalo Mendez, whose design pays tribute to Chinese architecture and woodwork.

The exhibit prompts the viewer to start from one end, and make their way through the sequence of panels in chronological order. Upon reaching the other end, the viewer finds an alternative route on the backside of the panels and does the circuit in reverse. There is no correct or appropriate way of viewing the exhibit, and one is encouraged to just choose a side and go. In each direction, are the stories of Ping and Sam, and their respective daily routines in Chinese and American elementary schools. Ping’s road is red, while Sam’s road is blue, given each child and country their respective color to distinguish. Both of their stories are evenly paced, starting in the morning as they wake up and prepare for school, and going over the type of classes and education they receive, recreational activities, meals, and the minutiae of their days. One is also encouraged to interact with the exhibit, answering quiz questions and also being able to see inside the backpack of each student and compare their materials. While one ambles through the displays, they are greeted with interactive activities that may be foreign to an American audience, including practicing using chopsticks and practicing Chinese calligraphy. In navigating the exhibit, the viewer is given the opportunity to witness and analyze the similarities and differences that unite both of Sam and Ping’s educational experiences, while also highlighting what makes them distinct.

One key distinction I noticed from each route was the difference in educational philosophies and approach between American and Chinese schools. In the United States, students are educated with an underlying goal for them to become self-supporting adults, embodying values of knowledge and innovation. However in China, children are guided to grow to support themselves and their parents, with values of morality and discipline.

These philosophical distinctions are also reflected back in the material conditions of each student’s school day, as evidenced by the materials they bring to school, the books they read, the social environments of their classrooms, and the pedagogical styles they are influenced by. While Sam and Ping may not be real children, they serve as archetypes for what a typical school day looks like for an American and Chinese child. However, the exhibit also relates personal stories from American and Chinese students, touching upon what growing up is like in their own respective countries and schools. What this exhibition does well is that it does not privilege one approach, model, or “road” over the other, but rather highlights the positives of each and what can be gleaned from understanding how others learn and approach education in a school setting. It is clear that there is not one correct approach to education and that there are several. One can’t help but imagine how much there is to learn from diverse models and methods of education beyond just China and America, as well. In the end, the exhibition encourages the audience to be curious, open minded, empathetic and respectful of others. In times of cultural polarity and divide, these messages could not be any more relevant and necessary, and when they are delivered in such a friendly, playful and interactive way, they become impossible to ignore.

I visited the exhibit with the rest of the MOTAL team to survey its performance and reception at Santiago Canyon College. One discovery we made was how physical promotion of the exhibit could be improved, in order for more people to be made aware of its presence within SCC’s library, something we will keep in mind and work on in future iterations. Two Roads, One Journey will continue to be at Santiago Canyon College through August 3, as the MOTAL team embarks on a search to find a new home for it, so that new communities can feel inspired by its information and messages. As a Doll Scholar, I am happy to report that I learned much about exhibit design, marketing and promotion, and how important it is to be passionate about subject matter in what you are working with. This was the first of MOTAL’s exhibitions that I got to see and that I had the pleasure to review. I look forward not only to see what else MOTAL has worked on, but to take what I’ve learned and apply it into future exhibitions. The exhibit is a delight, and it would be a shame for people to miss out on seeing it just because they did not know it was there. While it’s at Santiago Canyon College, I highly recommend seeing it if you get the chance, and if not, keep an eye out for its next home where it will continue to inspire and educate about education.


Submitted by Oscar Guerrero
MOTAL Doll Scholar