Lissa Tyler Renaud – Page of calligraphy

…it combines the decorative arts with poetry– the visual and the verbal; everything about it is both appealing and complex; it has an unusual color combination–see the saturation of that glorious blue; the calligrapher was cherished in his time; it’s from an unfamiliar sensibility, so it expands the visual imagination to look at it. I also hope my vote might draw attention to this relatively quiet piece from Afghanistan–I’m afraid many people think of the country only as a pile of rubble.

Aileen Brasche – The bull Nandi

Pure nostalgia. I remember this bull being in the hallway leading to the Asian Art museum back when it was still attached to the de Young. I would go to weekly art classes, and walk past Nandi any time our class took us into Asia instead of other parts of the world. This sculpture feels so familiar I could hug him! (Don’t worry, I don’t touch the artifacts.)