The exhibit was collected in and around the revolutionary capital of Yan'an, Shaanxi Province in northwestern China. Yan'an, a remote and poor rural area, was the location of the communist base camp for thirteen years (1936-1949). As in other parts of China there is a strong artistic tradition in Yan'an. However, Yan'an is unique because of its rich revolutionary tradition. Local art reflects elements of local folkart and the historical significance of the area.

The exhibited pieces are the work of a group of local artists under the direction of Beijing artist Jin Zhilin, who went to Yan'an in the midst of the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), and Song Ruxin, a local Yan'an artist. Following the Maoist dictum of learning from the masses, Jin Zhilin required his students to go to the countryside and study local folk art with the peasants. He also brought peasant artists to the Yan'an Masses Art Academy to study printmaking and painting. Jin's students incorporated Shaanxi folk art influences, such as paper cutting, into their wood block prints. The artiss created pieces in varying mediums, woodcuts, watercolors (shuifen or gouache), and on occasiona, oil Woodcuts and water-based paints were common because oil painting in the countryside was impractical.

All the pieces are from the latter-Cutural Revolution and the post-Cultural Revoultion period (1971-1983) and the reflect the mood of the time. Following the Cutural Revolution, artist began producing ast that reflects more traditional themes and aspects of classical Chinese art, reflecting the relative freedom of the post-Cultural Revolution period. Nevertheless, the artist also continued to se the art as a medium to promote Communist Party policies such as agriccultural modernization and economic liberalization. The pueces also betray their location. Geographic landmarks such as the pagoda, and Mao's residences, are visible in many works. The headdress of the local Shaanxi peasants is also common.

This collection is original. In the case of the woodcuts, making only a few copies of a print was common, after which the wood blocks were shaved clean and used for new prints. At most, they produced five (5) copies. They did not sell the pieces and they had no commercial value. Instead, art was didactic and used for social and political puposes. usually the artists were not even sure what happened to their work once they turned it over to local authorities to be reviewed and exhibited. As a result, most of all the pieces are the only know copies that survive.

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