From Walter Dudley Cavert, "Remember Now":

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"In the bottom of an old pond lived some grubs who could not understand why none of their group ever came back after crawling up the lily stems to the top of the water. They promised each other that the next one who was called to make the upward climb would return and tell what had happened to him. Soon one of them felt an urgent impulse to seek the surface; he rested himself on the top of a lily pad and went through a glorious transformation which made him a dragonfly with beautiful wings. In vain he tried to keep his promise. Flying back and forth over the pond, he peered down at his friends below. Then he realized that even if they could see him they would not recognize such a radiant creature as one of their number.

The fact that we cannot see our friends or communicate with them after the transformation which we call death is no proof that they cease to exist." (Walter Dudley Cavert, 1944).

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From Will Kuhn, "Odonates in Human Culture":

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"The folklore of many western countries holds that they are snakes’ companions. In America, a superstition was that dragonflies were capable of stitching the mouths, and sometimes the eyes and ears, of lying children, scolding women and cursing men. Satan is often said to have sent dragonflies into the world to cause mischief; in Italy and among the Dakota Indians, the insects are known as witches’ animals. If the witch is the devil’s creature, then, by association, so are dragonflies. This is in sharp contrast to the Orient, where they were never considered evil.

To the Chinese, they are an emblem of summer – but also a symbol of feebleness and instability. In Japan, they are revered and respected, being symbolic of happiness, strength, courage and success. To the Japanese, the dragonfly (Tombo) is an important cultural symbol and was believed to be the spirit of the rice plant and a harbinger of rich harvests. Akitsushmi, which means Dragonfly Island, is an alternative name for Japan." (Will Kuhn, 2001).

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From the Bowers Museum, "Treasures in Gold and Jade- Masterworks from Taiwan":

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"This is an exhibition of twos: two mediums, two artists and a series of cycles endlessly alternating between binaries like death and rebirth. For thousands of years craftsmen have used gold and jade to create decorative and functional objects which often speak to these themes. In the modern day, Taiwanese artists continue to fashion artworks which explore new and evolving ways to use the pure and vivacious mediums. This exhibition showcases two outstanding Taiwanese artists: Wu Ching, a sculptor who shapes intricate carvings in wood which he translates to gold using a mold; and Huang Fu-shou, whose skill for jade carving allows him to create impossibly delicate sculptures.

Together the artists have practiced their crafts for a combined century, producing artworks which resonate with the symbolism of their respective mediums. The gold that Wu Ching works is a malleable, brilliantly yellow metal associated with enlightenment in the Buddhist tradition. The jade that Huang Fu-shou carves is not one but two stones: jadeite and nephrite. The latter was one of the primary interests of Confucius who wrote of its eleven virtues such as its benevolence and musical qualities.

As you walk one of the two paths through this exhibition, keep an open mind for the interplay of gold and jade as competing and, in some cases, symbiotic mediums in the depiction of sensory, environmental, and mortal themes; and discover how both Wu Ching’s gold and Huang Fu-shou’s jade share in creating legacies for their creators." (Bowers Museum, 2021).