Shanghai is a wasteland?

I remember reading in the 2008 Lonely Planet that Shanghai is devoid of art and culture.  If I had our guide book now, I'd quote what it said because it did not paint a pretty picture.  So, with this post I will show you how devoid Shanghai is of art and culture.  Especially, how devoid my school and colleagues are of art and culture.  Whoa is me...

 

 Two colleagues performed downtown in a Tango concert.

 I went to a musical instrument expo and explored 6 store rooms full of interesting musical possibilities. I ended up buying a classical guitar for $30 and a saxophone for Loren for little over $100. 

  

Loren and I went to a jazz festival in the park to watch our Middle School jazz band perform and then stayed on to watch some of the other impressive acts while we nibbled on tasty food and enjoyed the company of long lost friends.   

 

I went to the Shanghai Biennale at the Shanghai Art Museum with my co-worker the week after he had an opening for his own show in which he displayed many painting and photographs.

 I've been quite busy lately because at the beginning of the year I volunteered to help design a set for the Middle School Musical.  Little did I know what I was getting into when I said yes.  I put in hours and hours of time for the project but am very happy I did. 

 
Here are the humble beginnings of our set.   

 

Here it is built!  Now it's just waiting for me and 2 other people to put on the finishing touches such as wall paper, cobwebs, painted shutters, fabric draping, a fog machine, glowing red lights, a sparkling sign among other things. 

 

Yes, that is a slide.  Yes it was used in the show.  Notice the box like structure to the left, it is on wheels and it rotates.  The underneath is full of hidden doors for the actors to pop out of and sneak into.    

 

The middle school band accompanied the actors in the pit.  

If the writer for the 2008 Lonely Planet would have talked to any of my colleagues, they may have written a different story about the arts and culture scene in Shanghai.  It may be harder to see the fine arts here; they may be hiding in under advertised establishments, or may not be the center of hype for this city, but I'm happy to say that I've found the arts here and they are not hiding far beneath the surface.