Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, Spring 2021

SPRING 2021 MEMBERS’ MAGAZINE

ASIAN ART MUSEUM Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art & Culture www.asianart.org 200 Larkin Street San Francisco, CA 94102 USA

Non-Profit Organization U. S . Po s t a g e P A I D Asian Art Museum of San Francisco

EVENT CALENDAR

BOGART COURT

IN A NEW LIGHT

VIRTUAL EVENTS Even as the museum reopens, we will continue to offer an exciting array of virtual events. Find all upcoming events on our website at calendar.asianart.org.

Installing Zheng Chongbin’s I Look for the Sky— which “transforms light into a visual language,” in the words of the artist — entailed a complex choreography that spanned continents. The artist worked with a team in his Beijing studio to create scale models and engineer the work before fabricating the final armature, brackets,

AT THE TABLE

and screens. In San Francisco, the museum crew,

Whet your appetite with food history, cooking demos, and new recipes.

guided by Zheng and a 3D computer model, assembled the piece and used five synchronized lifts to raise it high above the floor of Johnson

MEDITATION SESSIONS IN THE VIPASANA OR ZEN TRADITIONS

DIVERSITY AND EQUITY SERIES

Guided meditation calms your mind and body.

Join necessary conversations about how museums must change along with society.

S. Bogart Court.

Photograph by Tung Nguyen

Visit the museum to experience I Look for the Sky and learn more about the installation process by watching Behind the Scenes with Zheng Chongbin, available in the Virtual Member Lounge. Full article on page 24.

CULTURAL CELEBRATIONS

PERFORMING & LITERARY ARTS

FILM

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and Japan Day festivities go virtual.

Be inspired by talented musicians, writers, and dancers.

Global and local independent cinema that inspires and advances dialogue around equity and inclusion.

Thu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1–8 PM Fri–Mon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 AM–5 PM Tue & Wed. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Closed

asianart.org

Zheng Chongbin and the museum preparators installing I Look for the Sky, 2020. Photograph © Asian Art Museum.

@asianartmuseum

#asianartmuseum

ASIAN ART MUSEUM

Visit asianart.org for up-to-date information on museum hours.

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NEW MUSEUM HOURS

IN THIS ISSUE

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18

32

40

FROM THE DIRECTOR

CONTENTS 2

Museum News

34

Exhibition: After Hope

4

Transforming the Museum

36

Exhibition: The Journey

Exhibition: teamLab

38

Events

24

Exhibition: Zheng Chongbin: I Look for the Sky

40

Recent Acquisitions

26

Exhibition: Memento: Jayashree Chakravarty and Lam Tung Pang

42

Behind the Scenes

44

Cha May Ching Boutique

28

Exhibition: Rotations

45

Society for Asian Art

Membership

46

Thank You to Our Donors

Exhibition: Afruz Amighi: My House, My Tomb

60

Event Calendars

18

30 & 43 32

MAGAZINE STAFF Editor-in-Chief

SPRING 2021 VOL. X ISSUE 1 Members’ Magazine

Tim Hallman

Creative Director

Kate Ritchey

Art Director / Graphic Designer

Julie Giles

Writer / Editor

Nina Lewallen Hufford Kevin Candland Chief of Staff

Nada B. Perrone Assist. Director of Membership

Natalie Lankes

STAY SAFE AND HEALTHY!

Jay Xu

BARBARA BASS BAKAR DIRECTOR AND CEO

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Front cover: Reversible Rotation, Flying Beyond Borders—One Stroke, Cold Light, 2019, by teamLab (est. 2001). Sound by Hideaki Takahashi. Digital installation. © teamlab, courtesy of Pace Gallery. Back Cover: Reversible Rotation—Cold Light, 2019, by teamLab (est. 2001). Single-channel video. © teamLab, courtesy of Pace Gallery.

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Museum Photographer

Published by the Asian Art Museum Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art & Culture 200 Larkin Street, San Francisco, CA 94102 415.581.3500 | asianart.org Copyright © 2021 Asian Art Museum of San Francisco

Rarely have I looked forward to spring as much as I have this year. After a dark pandemic winter, rays of sunshine are finally breaking through, bringing the promise of a cultural flowering as Bay Area museums and other arts organizations reopen.

I invite you to greet the new season with a rejuvenating visit to the museum. The East West Bank Art Terrace (opening in May) is the perfect place to take in a lungful of fresh air while discovering the vital voices of artists of our time.

Inside, the soaring installation I Look for the Sky by Zheng Chongbin and new rotations in the collection galleries will lift your spirits. (For information on how to visit safely, please visit our website.)

In July, we will be able to welcome you at long last into the Akiko Yamazaki and Jerry Yang Pavilion to experience teamLab: Continuity, an exhilarating exhibition that encourages you to interact with the natural world in a completely novel way.

I look forward to seeing you in person at the museum or virtually at one of our online programs in the coming months. Authentic experiences with art — and with each other — will be an important part of restoring ourselves and our society as the pandemic eases its grip on the world. n

MUSEUM NEWS

IN MEMORY OF

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NARINDER S. KAPANY We were saddened by the passing of Dr. Narinder S. Kapany, the

life of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, is at the heart of the

“father of fiber optics” and a friend of the museum. Kapany (1926–

collection. A highlight is a suite of lithographs documenting the

2020) sponsored the creation of the museum’s gallery dedicated

Sikh empire in the 1830s by British artist Emily Eden. A helmet

to Sikh art—the first of its kind in the U.S.— which celebrates and

with a distinctive profile — designed to accommodate a Sikh

furthers the study of Sikh history, culture, and religion.

warrior’s topknot—is another standout.

"Prior to Dr. Kapany’s generous gift, the museum did not

“These works are a fantastic resource for visitors and scholars

have any examples of Sikh art. These works help us show the

alike,” says McGill. “Dr. Kapany’s gift gave us a wonderful

rich diversity of South Asian cultural and artistic expression,”

foundation on which to build our Sikh art collection.”

says Wattis Senior Curator of South and Southeast Asian Art Dr. Forrest McGill.

“Thanks to Dr. Kapany, we are able to share Sikh art and culture with our audiences, including the Sikh American

The Satinder Kaur Kapany Gallery houses a rotating selection

community,” says Barbara Bass Bakar Director and CEO Dr.

of the approximately 100 works donated by Kapany in 1998. A

Jay Xu. “His generosity of spirit and adherence to high principles

rare complete set of 42 paintings depicting episodes from the

were an example to us all. We will miss him.” n

The Satinder Kaur Kapany Gallery featuring a Sikh helmet with warrior’s topknot. Photograph © Asian Art Museum. Inset: Dr. Narinder S. Kapany and Dr. Jay Xu, Barbara Bass Director and CEO, at the Maharaja Gala on October 11, 2011. © Drew Altizer Photography.

MUSEUM NEWS

CHANEL MILLER’S SKETCHES ON VIEW Chanel Miller’s immense creative talents span the visual and the literary, so it is fitting that we are collaborating with the San Francisco Public Library to celebrate her work and her voice.

The playful characters of Miller’s 2020 mural I was, I am, I will be, the artist’s first commission, have been grabbing attention on Hyde Street outside the museum. Now, a selection of her preparatory sketches for the mural are on view in the windows of the library’s main branch, on Hyde and Grove Streets across from the museum.

The library has also picked “Know My Name” — Miller’s National Book Critics Circle Award–winning memoir — as the One City One Book selection for 2021. One City One Book is a citywide literary event that aims to build bridges between communities and generations by encouraging San Franciscans to read the same book at the same time.

We are excited by this partnership, which links words and message. n

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See the mural up close in the Wilbur Foundation Gallery when the Akiko Yamazaki and Jerry Yang Pavilion opens this summer. Photograph © Asian Art Museum. Inset: Get your own copy of “Know My Name” as well as exclusive merchandise featuring Miller's artwork at the Cha May Ching Boutique.

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images across urban space and amplifies Miller’s inspiring

TRANSFORMING THE MUSEUM

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WELCOME TO THE TRANSFORMED MUSEUM

Refreshed Maura and Robert Morey Lobby. Photograph © Asian Art Museum.

TRANSFORMING THE MUSEUM

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— DR. JAY XU , BARBARA BASS BAKAR DIRECTOR AND CEO

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“I think you will find fresh connections between Asian art and the world we share on every visit.”

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TRANSFORMING THE MUSEUM

This summer, we celebrate the completion of the museum’s

of multiple overlapping pathways through the museum and through

transformation project, a multifaceted undertaking that goes

Asian art, history, and culture (see sidebars pages 7–15).

well beyond the construction of a new building wing. Through a

The architectural centerpiece of the transformation is the

series of considered changes — architectural, functional, digital,

Akiko Yamazaki and Jerry Yang Pavilion and East West Bank

curatorial, educational—both large and small, we are deepening

Art Terrace, designed by architect Kulapat Yantrasast and his

the experiences of longtime members and engaging new

firm wHY (page 10). The pavilion increases exhibition space

audiences by telling compelling stories from diverse viewpoints.

by 80%, allowing us to expand the number of engaging

After a visit, you will find that not only has the museum been

special exhibitions we present, and the art terrace gives us a

transformed, but so have you.

new outdoor space for sculpture and two-dimensional artworks,

“With more to explore, including works by contemporary

special events, and reflection on what you’ve seen inside the

and local artists, the transformed museum provides an expansive

museum. Other architectural interventions include improved

experience. I think you will find fresh connections between Asian

wayfinding and functional and aesthetic improvements to the

art and the world we share on every visit,” says Dr. Jay Xu,

Maura and Robert Morey Lobby and the Koret Education Center.

Barbara Bass Bakar Director and CEO.

New experiences of the museum’s world-class collection

Whether you are eager to dig into history, be among the first

reflect a transformation at the museum’s core (page 14).

to discover a hot new artist, or spend a fun afternoon with your

Housing more than 6,000 years of art from across Asia, our

family, the physical expansion of the museum gives you the choice

31 collection galleries have been upgraded with revised wall texts

TRANSFORMING THE MUSEUM

WANT TO MAKE IT A FAMILY AFFAIR? FIND YOUR OWN PATH Visit Reina Take a family selfie with our 3,000-year-old bronze rhino

Family Fun Days Tours, art-making and other activities for the whole family

Shriram Experiential Learning Center Get hands-on and express yourself Lunch!

Head to our cafe for made-to-order meals designed with kids in mind

Art Adventure Pack Line, shape, color and texture for young visitors (pick up in Bowes Court)

Dragon? Turtle? Pumpkin? Mouse?

Find your favorite Japanese miniature carving (netsuke) in gallery 27 Art Cards Track animals in the collection galleries (pick up in Bowes Court)

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Gallery 23, installation view with Moon jar from the Joseon dynasty, 2019. Photograph © Asian Art Museum.

These programs and more returning after the pandemic.

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Sunday Storytelling Myths and tales from Asia come alive at 1 p.m.

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TRANSFORMING THE MUSEUM

On view in the Hambrecht Contemporary Gallery: Personal Space, 2001, by Jayashree Chakravarty (Indian, b. 1956, active Kolkata). Mixed media on paper. Asian Art Museum, Aquisition made possible by Jay and Marshalla Yadav, 2010.326. Photograph © Asian Art Museum.

TRANSFORMING THE MUSEUM

and labels, state-of-the-art lighting, a fresh coat of paint, and

installations. The inaugural exhibition, teamLab: Continuity, is a

new casework. Fifteen of the museum’s most treasured works—

perfect example of how the space can be used for large-scale,

“masterpieces” — selected for their rarity, beauty, historical importance, or cultural impact, have been reinterpreted to enrich your understanding.

immersive, nontraditional art experiences (page 18).

The Sarah and William Hambrecht Contemporary Gallery is now dedicated to showcasing contemporary work from the

Updated digital tools, from our mobile guide to tablets in the

collection (page 26). The Fang Family Launchpad located in

galleries, offer new interpretive lenses and open the museum

the loggia hosts a rotating series of installations that respond to

to more visitors — especially those with disabilities. We have

the surrounding Beaux-Arts architecture (page 32). You will find

redoubled our efforts to connect to diverse audiences by

contemporary outdoor sculptures by artists such as Ai Weiwei on

designing public programs that are inclusive, accessible, and

the East West Bank Art Terrace and murals commissioned from

speak to pressing societal issues. To inspire you to connect to

local Asian American artists on the Lawrence and Gorretti Lui

your inner artist, the new Shriram Experiential Learning Center

Hyde Street Art Wall. As an important venue for contemporary

offers creative, hands-on projects that complement each museum

art from Asia and the Asian diaspora, the museum will make

visit.

meaningful connections to the issues that animate our daily lives,

One of the major themes of the transformation is an emphasis

from immigration to climate change.

on contemporary art throughout the museum. “The transformed

The transformation was supported by the privately funded For

museum allows us to tell the vital story of Asian art from prehistory

All, the Campaign for the Asian Art Museum. Recently concluded,

to the present as an evolving tradition,” says Xu. “The museum

the campaign has raised $103 million dollars to provide support

is a place where you can engage with global issues that inspire

for three areas: the architectural project, ongoing support to

artists working today.”

exhibitions and programs, and the endowment, which ensures

The new pavilion will host special exhibitions of artworks from all periods, but with its column-free expanse and 16-foot-tall

the future financial health of the museum. We are beyond grateful to everyone whose gifts made this transformation a reality.

ceilings, it will be a premier venue for the staging of contemporary

WANT TO CHILL?

FIND YOUR OWN PATH

Meditative Art Audio Tour Find enlightenment on our mobile guide

Contemplative Alcove Purify your mind on the second floor

East West Bank Art Terrace Relax, reflect, refresh Meditate with a Buddha Check the calendar for guided meditation events in the galleries

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Art Terrace Cafe Unwind with a friend over a pot of hot tea or a chilled glass of boba

Updated Collection Galleries Escape to our upper floors to find calm and make new memories

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TRANSFORMING THE MUSEUM

AKIKO YAMAZAKI AND JERRY YANG PAVILION

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AND

EAST WEST BANK ART TERRACE

Jerry Yang and Akiko Yamazaki checking out the Brayton Wilbur Foundation Gallery in the new pavillion. Arthur Kobin for Drew Altizer Photography. Photograph © Asian Art Museum.

TRANSFORMING THE MUSEUM

The museum charged Thai-born, Japan-trained architect Kulapat Yantrasast with the architectural transformation. “He understood our desire to remake the museum for the future without erasing the past,” says Dr. Jay Xu. The formal principles behind architect Yantrasast’s design — opening and connecting — dovetail with the museum’s broader goals for the transformation: to open the museum experience to all and connect people to art, to ideas, and to one another.

Yantrasast saw the existing building as a body on which to practice his “architectural acupuncture.” He tapped into its historical energy and enacted a few key moves to improve flow and circulation. One of the most significant of these interventions was to split the long admission desk in the Morey Lobby into two.

This seemingly minor change restored the symmetrical logic of the building and re-established the connection between the main entrance and the Judy and Brayton Wilbur Grand Staircase.

This west-east axis now culminates in the East West Bank Art Terrace overlooking the city. Yantrasast has also provided entrances to the terrace from the north and south wings, a circulation route that enhances the spatial flow of the building and establishes a cross axis. At the intersection of the building’s

LOVE FINDING THE NEXT NEW THING? FIND YOUR OWN PATH Akiko Yamazaki and Jerry Yang Pavilion Cutting-edge architecture comes to the Civic Center teamLab: Continuity Find out why this international art collective’s Tokyo museum topped two million visitors in 2019 Lui Art Wall See what makes local artists tick

East West Bank Art Terrace Take a break outdoors with works by Ai Weiwei and others

two main axes, the art terrace spatially knits together its three wings into a coherent whole.

“A museum is no longer an isolated temple to art,” notes Yantrasast, “but instead a social hub and urban catalyst, the

Hambrecht Contemporary Gallery Modern and contemporary works from the collection come out of the vault

living room of a city.” With views out over the cityscape, the art terrace is the museum’s new outdoor room for social gathering or solo contemplation, a place where you can punctuate your visit with a breath of fresh air and a cup of tea.

Johnson S. Bogart Court Change your perspective with Zheng Chongbin’s installation I Look for the Sky

Inside, Yantrasast created a seamless flow from the original building into the newly constructed Akiko Yamazaki and Jerry Yang Pavilion through the spacious Yang Family Pavilion Lobby.

At the heart of the pavilion is a raw, flexible, large-scale gallery space for inventive exhibitions. With floor-to-ceiling windows,

Fang Family Launchpad Head to the loggia for installations by contemporary artists

the Brayton Wilbur Foundation Gallery at the east end of the pavilion overlooking Hyde Street offers a place for visitors to pause and connect with the city via panoramic views and a flood The new pavilion is a bridge between old and new, a sensitive addition to the Beaux-Arts building designed by George Kelham in 1917 as the city’s main library that also respects Gae Aulenti’s

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2003 postmodern conversion of the library building for the

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of natural light.

Cha May Ching Museum Boutique Take home the latest trends from artisans and more

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TRANSFORMING THE MUSEUM

museum. By placing the modestly scaled pavilion within the void

dimensions of the low-relief blocks Kelham used on his facades,

of the original building’s U-shaped plan, Yantrasast has completed

but Yantrasast has reinterpreted them as three-dimensional

the building footprint. The pavilion consolidates the museum as

beveled tiles to create a dynamic geometrical surface.

one volume occupying an entire city block and provides a new

Expansive windows dominate the Hyde Street facade and

east facade that defines the Hyde Street corridor for the first time.

open the building to the city, a symbol of the museum’s goals of

This facade acknowledges the grandeur and compositional logic

inclusion and accessibility. Stretching across the entire facade

of the original building, but its extensive use of glass and faceted

and canting around the corners, the windows are faceted in a

tile cladding announce it as a building of today.

way that recalls a kaleidoscope. Projecting triangular panes

Yantrasast visually connects the pavilion exterior to Kelham’s 1917 design by following its tiered composition, geometries and

activate the street in a contemporary take on the classic San Francisco bay window.

materials. The solid granite plinth on the lower level mimics the

Yantrasast’s harmonious intervention respects the historical

base of the original building, while the placement of the main

nature of the original building while establishing a new visual

facade above corresponds to the colonnade of the Larkin Street

identity for the museum, one that is contemporary and open and

frontage. Glazed terra-cotta architectural tiles, in a mottled gray

that connects interior and exterior, museum and city, art and

hue, echo the stone of the main building. The tiles follow the

community, Asia and the world. n

TRANSFORMING THE MUSEUM

“A museum is a social hub and urban catalyst.”

— KULAPAT YANTRASAST, ARCHITECT OF THE ASIAN ART MUSEUM TRANSFORMATION

LOVE TO DIG DEEPER? Masterpieces Loads of new information to expand your understanding

Museum Boutique A handpicked selection of books and catalogues satisfies your need to know more

Online Collection The stories behind more than 10,000 objects Virtual Events Learn from artists, scholars, conservators, and other experts: check the calendar

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Finalizing the construction on the Akiko Yamazaki and Jerry Yang Pavilion, 2020. Photograph © Asian Art Museum.

Elevate Your Membership Benefits of higher levels include Curator’s Choice Lectures, personalized tours, and travel with experts

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Mobile Guide Let our curators lead the way

FIND YOUR OWN PATH

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TRANSFORMING THE MUSEUM

TRANSFORMING THE MUSEUM

COLLECTION GALLERIES Throughout the updated collection galleries, newly designed installations highlight the museum’s most important works and reveal compelling stories about art, history, and culture. By framing these works within multiple meaningful contexts, and presenting them as part of living traditions, this new approach provides deeper insight not only into these particular works but also into the museum’s collection as a whole. n

ARCHITECTURE NERD? FIND YOUR OWN PATH

Beaux-Arts Landmark Check out how our historic building continues to evolve

Akiko Yamazaki and Jerry Yang Pavilion Head over to Hyde Street to see how architect Kulapat Yantrasast created a link between old and new Wilbur Grand Staircase Be inspired by one of the most beautiful Beaux-Arts spaces in the city

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Gallery 14, installation view with Ritual vessel in the shape of a rhinoceros, 2019.

Photograph © Asian Art Museum.

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Samsung Hall This soaring room with its elegantly coffered ceiling formerly housed the library’s card catalogue

TRANSFORMING THE MUSEUM

“Digital technology has the capability to unlock the museum experience for first-time visitors, people with disabilities, and anyone across the globe who cannot visit in person.”

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— DR. JAY XU , BARBARA BASS BAKAR DIRECTOR AND CEO

TRANSFORMING THE MUSEUM

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION While the museum’s physical transformation was taking center stage, a digital transformation was happening quietly behind the scenes. This comprehensive overhaul lives at the intersection of technology, culture, information, and accessibility.

“Putting these digital tools for discovery into the hands of the public supports the transformed visitor experience,” says Xu. We have also updated the museum’s mobile guide with revised content, an improved user experience, and increased

“Our goal is to connect our audiences to what is happening

accessibility, including audio descriptive tours and screen-

at the museum on any given day,” says Barbara Bass Bakar

reader compatibility. You can use the mobile guide on your own

Director and CEO Dr. Jay Xu, “and to open up the museum in new

smartphone (search for “Asian Art Museum” in the iOS or Google

ways. Digital technology has the capability to unlock the museum

Play app store) or on a device borrowed from the information

experience for first-time visitors, people with disabilities, and

desk. On the guide, you will find tours focused on collection

anyone across the globe who cannot visit in person.”

highlights, masterpieces, meditative art, and special exhibitions,

At the museum, digital displays throughout the building help

with more to come.

you navigate and get the most out of your visit. Screens in the

The much-anticipated new website, replacing the 2009

lobby and next to the elevators display practical information

iteration, launched late last year. “We have so much amazing

about current exhibitions, docent tours, and other daily programs.

content, from materials produced by our education team to

This content is dynamically updated so that the most current

curatorial texts about works in our collection, that is now easier

information is always displayed.

to find and use,” Xu says. Improved site navigation allows a visitor

As part of the reinstallation of the masterpieces in the

to find what they are looking for in a few clicks, and searches yield

collection galleries, the museum's digital team developed a

more relevant results. The site also promotes the serendipitous

dedicated app for the discrete tablets mounted near each artwork.

discovery of related content.

Each device holds a range of layered content that encourages

With a continuous scroll and responsive design, the new

exploration. Examples include a diagram explaining the symbolism

website offers an excellent digital experience on small mobile

of the tiers of a Burmese buddha throne and a video of its

devices as well as large desktop machines. The clean look and feel, emphasizing images, mirrors the core identity of an art

how a statue of Shiva would be used in religious ritual; an X-ray

museum. A longer-term goal is to consolidate multiple microsites

of an ancient Chinese Buddha revealing its piece-mold casting

into one platform, resulting in a more unified and intuitive user

construction; and a conservation report on the consecration

experience.

materials recently discovered inside the head of a lion-headed treasure guardian.

“These digital tools connect the museum to our visitors and the world,” states Xu. n

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The Asian Art Museum mobile guide is generously supported by Susan and Kevin McCabe. Photograph © Asian Art Museum.

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assembly; footage of a procession in Madurai, India, showing

EXHIBITION

teamLab:

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SUMMER 2021

AKIKO YAMAZAKI AND JERRY YANG PAVILION

As you step into the Akiko Yamazaki and Jerry Yang Pavilion

in the forest near his home in Tokushima. He remembers being

for the first time, you will find yourself immersed in a complete

completely absorbed in the atmosphere of the surrounding trees,

environment of light and color, with sumptuous, lifelike images of

feeling he was a part of the landscape instead of just an observer.

crows and sunflowers, butterflies and fish streaming all around

That memory drives the work of teamLab, which seeks to create

you, propelling you to wander, to pause, to marvel. The physical

immersive experiences through interactive, interconnected

reality of the gallery space seems to dissolve as you fully enter the

digital installations that dissolve boundaries between artwork

world of the installation. This is teamLab: Continuity.

and viewer, inside and outside, and art and technology. “We are

Toshiyuki Inoko, founder of the Tokyo-based art collective teamLab, often speaks of a profound experience he had as a child

most interested in blurring the border between the self and the world,” Inoko says.

EXHIBITION

UITY

Born From the Darkness a Loving, and Beautiful World, 2018, by Sisyu (Japanese) and teamLab, (est. 2001). Sound by Hideaki Takahashi (Japanese, b. 1967). Interactive digital installation. © teamLab, courtesy of Pace Gallery.

movements and the movements of others in the gallery, you

of animators, architects, artists, engineers, mathematicians, and

become an integral part of the installation. In Forest of Flowers and

programmers. Working together across disciplines, they create

People: Lost, Immersed and Reborn, for instance, vividly colored

large-scale digital projections that plunge you into gallery-scale

flowers bloom and grow when people in the room stand still, but

environments. As a result of teamLab’s dynamic algorithms, the

wither and lose petals when they move. In The Way of the Sea,

lush digital imagery projected onto the walls and floors reacts

Flying Beyond Borders—Colors of Life, the tap of your foot splits

to whomever is in the space at a given moment. You can never

a zooming school of fish into two; in Flutter of Butterflies Beyond

experience a teamLab installation the same way twice.

Borders, Ephemeral Life, lifelike butterflies fall and fade away as you move.

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As each artwork evolves around you in reaction to your

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teamLab, founded in 2001, is a several-hundred-strong group

EXHIBITION

“We believe that there is a borderless, continuous relationship between us and the world.”

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— TOSHIYUKI INOKO, FOUNDER, TEAMLAB

EXHIBITION

The works in teamLab: Continuity interact not just with you, but with one another. Originally created as separate pieces, they are now stitched together into one seamless overarching experience. The boundaries between the works disappear as a school of fish swims throughout the exhibition and crows fly from one artwork into another, triggering changes as they go. For teamLab, this fluidity is emblematic of digital technology’s ability to free itself from physical boundaries and symbolizes the fundamental, if fragile, “borderless continuity of life.”

While taking full advantage of 21st-century digital technologies, teamLab draws its spatial approach and much of its imagery from traditional Japanese art. Flowers, birds, waves, waterfalls, and calligraphy are recurring motifs, and advanced digital rendering technologies allow teamLab to draw them with mesmerizing detail and verisimilitude. The sheer beauty of teamLab’s delicately rendered imagery is astounding.

The spatial techniques of premodern Japanese painting provide teamLab with the guiding logic behind its immersive installations: what it calls “ultrasubjective” space, or the way space was represented in Japanese painting before the introduction of Western Renaissance perspective. These traditional methods include the use of height to imply distance, collapsing multiple moments of time within a unified space, and “blown-roof” and bird’s-eye views that represent macro and micro scales simultaneously.

Most important for teamLab is the technique of using multiple, shifting viewpoints that allow your eye to travel around and through the space of the painting, to be inside and outside at the same time.

Ultrasubjective space, according to Inoko, “enables people to feel that they are actually walking inside the work of art instead of watching from outside.” It heightens the mesmerizing quality of a teamLab installation, where you not only have the sensation of being within an artwork but have the ability to become part of it through your own participation.

While there is something of an event quality to a teamLab installation, it can also be a meditative experience. Myriad slowly unfolding details reward close looking. For teamLab, technology is a means rather than an end: the work is no more about technology than Van Gogh’s Irises is about oil paint. At teamLab: Continuity, your experience is not about the digital realm but instead about the natural and your place in it.

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Crows are Chased and the Chasing Crows are Destined to be Chased as well, Transcending Space, 2017, by teamLab (est. 2001). Sound by Hideaki Takahashi. Interactive digital installation, 4:20 min. © teamLab, courtesy of Pace Gallery.

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world, portrayed as a pulsing, transforming, interconnected ecosystem,

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EXHIBITION

EXHIBITION

teamLab’s focus on flora, fauna and nature’s life cycles, combined with the surprising ways that the works respond to our movements, encourage us to think about our relationships to one another and to the natural environment. At a time when the changing climate is visibly altering the world around us in often terrifying ways, teamLab: Continuity reminds us that we are a part of nature and that our actions have direct consequences for the natural world. After immersing yourself in teamLab’s interior world of sublime wonder, you might want to go outdoors to seek similar experiences in the natural landscape, to shrug off the boundary between yourself and the world around you. n

teamLab: Continuity CATALOGUE AVAILABLE IN THE CHA MAY CHING BOUTIQUE Members | $35.95 Non-Members | $39.95

TICKETING Timed tickets are required for entry to teamLab: Continuity; reserve at about.asianart.org/ticketing.

Email us at members@asianart.org for information about special viewing hours just for members.

Please note the exhibition space is dark and has amplified music.

All necessary measures will be in place to ensure a healthy and safe experience. teamLab: Continuity is organized by the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. Presentation is made possible with the generous support of Bank of America; CB2 Builders; Karla Jurvetson, M.D.; Puja and Samir Kaul; Nion McEvoy and Leslie Berriman; Diane B. Wilsey; and an anonymous donor. Additional support is provided by Ann and Paul Chen, Sakurako and William Fisher, Beverly Galloway and Chris Curtis, and the W.L.S. Spencer Foundation. This exhibition is a part of Today’s Asian Voices, which is made possible with the generous support of Salle E. Yoo and Jeffrey P. Gray.

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Image: The Way of the Sea, Transcending Space—Colors of Life, 2018, by teamLab (est. 2001).

Sound by Hideaki Takahashi. Interactive digital installation. © teamLab, courtesy of Pace Gallery.

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Sustained support generously provided by the following endowed funds: Akiko Yamazaki and Jerry Yang Endowment Fund for Exhibitions Kao/Williams Contemporary Art Exhibitions Fund

EXHIBITION

ZHENG CHONGBIN

I LOOK FOR THE SKY

I LOOK FOR THE SKY NOW OPEN

BOGART COURT

STATE OF OSCILLATION

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ASIAN ART MUSEUM

NOW OPEN

OSHER FOUNDATION GALLERY

art at the San Francisco Art Institute, Zheng brings a singular approach to contemporary art.

His installation in the Bernard Osher Foundation Gallery, State of Oscillation — comprising ink paintings, videos, and a chamber made of translucent material—heightens our awareness of our bodies moving through space. Navigating through a translucent chamber suffused with overlapping projected video

How do artists think about space? That question animates a

imagery, we catch glimpses of Zheng’s paintings and other works

new two-part exhibition by Marin County–based artist Zheng

mounted on the perimeter wall. As a complete environment,

Chongbin (b. 1961). In dialogue with the museum’s transformation

State of Oscillation manipulates our perceptions of presence

project, I Look for the Sky explores how artistic interventions

and absence, solid and void, immersion and circulation.

can profoundly change our perception of architectural space.

In Johnson S. Bogart Court, panels that vary in transparency

As an artist trained in classical Chinese figurative painting

and pattern are suspended below the skylights, directing the flow

who went on to study performance, installation, and conceptual

of natural light and manipulating visual sightlines to create a novel

EXHIBITION

spatial experience. Zheng describes this installation, I Look for the Sky (which lends its name to the exhibition), as “specific yet elusive.” A related site-specific intervention at the Ryosokuin Temple in Kyoto, Japan, Liquid Space (2019), focused attention on the body’s relationship to the surrounding architectural context.

Both projects use transparency and natural light as mediums to explore how ephemeral changes can alter our ideas about permanence. to your environment. “Experiencing the world is a cognitive journey,” says the artist. n

Senior Associate Curator and Head of Contemporary Art

Images: The artist in his studio. Inset: I Look for the Sky, installation view, Bogart Court, 2020. Photographs © Asian Art Museum.

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Curated by Abby Chen

Sustained support generously provided by the following endowed funds: Akiko Yamazaki and Jerry Yang Endowment Fund for Exhibitions, John S. and Sherry H. Chen Endowed Fund for Chinese Art and Programming, Arlene Schnitzer Endowed Fund for Chinese Art, Kao/Williams Contemporary Art Exhibitions Fund

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I Look for the Sky invites you to bring a new awareness

Zheng Chongbin: I Look for the Sky is organized by the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco.

Presentation is made possible with the generous support of East West Bank, Lucy Sun and Warren Felson, and an anonymous donor. This installation is a part of the Asian American Experience, which is made possible with the generous support of Glen S. and Sakie T. Fukushima, an anonymous donor in memory of Ambassador and Mrs. Sampson Shen, and Claudine Cheng.

EXHIBITION

THE CONTEMPORARY COLLECTION FINDS A HOME

MEMENTO: JAYASHREE CHAKRAVARTY AND LAM TUNG PANG NOW OPEN

HAMBRECHT CONTEMPORARY GALLERY

The Sarah and William Hambrecht Contemporary Gallery,

furls and unfurls, establishing an architectural presence in the

formerly used for special exhibitions, has been transformed

gallery. As viewers circle the work in a futile attempt to chart a

into a dedicated space for a rotating selection of modern and

course through the chaos of streets, signs and natural landmarks,

contemporary works from the collection.

they experience the alienation and confusion typical of modern

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“Having a place to spotlight these works demonstrates the

urban life.

museum’s commitment to the ongoing story of Asian art,” says

Hong Kong–based artist Lam Tung Pang (b. 1978) shot the

Abby Chen, head of contemporary art. “It will bring a multitude

videos for the installation A day of two Suns (2019) in the months

of new narratives to our audiences.”

leading up to the anti-extradition protests that erupted in summer

The inaugural Hambrecht Contemporary Gallery installation,

2019. Unsynchronized images from four projectors combine

Memento, includes two works, one newly acquired, that speak

with shadows of museum visitors on both sides of a suspended

to contemporary global issues of urbanization and political

diaphanous paper screen, inviting us into an emotional landscape.

uncertainty.

Personal Space (2001), a layered, dreamlike painting by

“This work is prophetic and nostalgic,” notes Chen. “It documents a city, and a system, in the process of fading and awakening.”

Kolkata-based artist Jayashree Chakravarty (b. 1956), is an

Works in Hambrecht Gallery will rotate every three to 18

imaginary map built up from painted strips of paper. At eight

months. Stop by on every museum visit to encounter new artists

feet tall and more than 30 feet wide, the scroll-like painting

and new ideas. n

EXHIBITION

“Having a place to spotlight these works demonstrates the museum’s commitment to the ongoing story of Asian art.”

— ABBY CHEN, HEAD OF CONTEMPORARY ART

Sustained support generously provided by the following endowed funds: Akiko Yamazaki and Jerry Yang Endowment Fund for Exhibitions Kao/Williams Contemporary Art Exhibitions Fund

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Image: A day of two Suns (2019), 2019, by Lam Tung Pang (Hong Kong, b. 1978). Mixed-media installation with projected video. Asian Art Museum, Museum purchase, Frederick S. Whitman Trust Acquisition Fund, 2019.69. © Lam Tung Pang. Photograph © Blindspot Gallery.

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Memento: Jayashree Chakravarty and Lam Tung Pang is organized by the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. This exhibition is a part of Today’s Asian Voices, which is made possible with the generous support of Salle E. Yoo and Jeffrey P. Gray.

EXHIBITION

OUT OF THE VAULT ON VIEW THROUGH SUMMER 2021 Did you know that the art in the museum is often in motion? We regularly refresh (or “rotate,” in museum parlance) the works in the second- and third-floor galleries, taking some off display and replacing them with others from our 18,000-strong collection, so there is always something new for you to see.

"The number one reason we rotate works is to control light exposure," explains Head of Conservation Sheila Payaqui.

Textiles, paintings, and works on paper are the most sensitive to degradation through exposure to light, although lacquer, ivory, and mixed-media objects are also affected. Hanging textiles and other suspended objects are periodically removed from display to mitigate physical stress. “Rotating artworks is preventative conservation," says Payaqui, "which is a more sustainable approach to preservation than conservation treatment of damaged objects.”

“What new stories can we tell?” That is what Associate Curator of Himalayan Art Dr. Jeffrey Durham asks himself when presented with the opportunity to change out the paintings in the Himalayan gallery. “What other remarkable Tibetan paintings do we have that can help us build bridges between cultures?”

For the Himalayan gallery rotation this spring, Durham selected seven paintings of arhats, those who have realized nirvana but have not reached buddhahood. “They look exhausted— they have worked so hard for enlightenment. I think at this moment, we can all relate,” explains Durham. “These images let us know that it is okay to relax, to take your time. After all, it took

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these arhats three quadrillion years to reach enlightenment.”

The Japanese, Korean, South Asian, Southeast Asian, and West Asian galleries will also be rotated this spring. Come see what treasures we have taken out of the vault and discover the stories they can tell us about art and life. n The Buddhist elders Kanakavatsa, Vajriputra, Kanakabharadvaja, and Bhadra (detail), approx. 1800–1900. Tibet. One of seven images, colors on cotton. Asian Art Museum, The Avery Brundage Collection, B62D40. Photograph © Asian Art Museum.

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MEMBERSHIP

LECTURES GO VIRTUAL

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Can’t make it to the museum to peruse the collection galleries?

from the museum collection, as well as fashion and pop culture.

Planning a visit but want a preview of can’t-miss artworks?

Our two summer lectures look at the museum collection from

Looking for something more intellectually stimulating than Netflix?

the vantage point of religion. Timeless Traditions: Expressions of

Then our Virtual Lecture Series is for you! Through the

the Divine in Indian Art examines the art of the Indian subcontinent

magic of the internet, you can welcome an expert into your living

through the prism of its four major religious traditions: Hinduism,

room for a lively multimedia presentation that will expand your

Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism. In July, we continue the theme

understanding of Asian art and culture. Attend the lectures in real

with Seeking the Divine, which considers how religions across

time and participate in the Q&A or tune in at a later date via the

Asia have visualized the divine and how images of deities invite

Virtual Member Lounge to watch on your own schedule.

connection and spirituality. n

This spring, we are offering a two-part lecture that explores the nine aesthetics of Japanese culture through close analysis of folding screens, scrolls, ceramics, baskets, netsuke, and textiles

Find the schedule of lectures on our website calendar or drop by the Virtual Member Lounge to view past lectures.

Tea-grinding stone mill, approx. 1740–1768. by Hakuin Ekaku (Japanese, 1685–1768). Ink on paper. Asian Art Museum, Gift of Jeanne G. O’Brien in memory of James E. O’Brien, 1993.34.

MEMBERSHIP

Docent with student visiting the galleries. Photograph © Asian Art Museum.

VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS WORTHY OF YOUR SUPPORT

“Go big!” Now that our field trips have moved to Zoom, our

“This revised approach prompts students to actively engage

dedicated storytellers and docents have been learning new

with the material, rather than passively watch,” notes Yee.

techniques to get kids excited about art. “Taking a cue from acting,

Teachers also wanted the livestreamed tours to incorporate more

we encourage our storytellers to ‘use the whole Zoom box,’” says

movement, so our storytellers are asking the kids to join in with

School Programs Education Assistant Jennifer Miller.

hand movements and sound effects.

Transforming on-site field trips into virtual offerings has

While shifting to virtual field trips wasn’t easy, many of the

allowed our school programs team to deepen its collaborations

lessons learned — theatrical teaching techniques, incorporating

with docents and storytellers, as well as with teachers. “These

movement, and a literacy component — will persist when we can

partnerships with our stakeholders are making our programs

once again welcome groups back to the museum.

stronger,” says Manager of School and Teacher Programs Margaret Yee.

We want to partner with you! Support the development of these innovative new programs by making a fully tax-deductible

Since the museum closed in March 2020, the school

gift to the Museum Fund today. Your gift will enrich the lives

programs team, which also includes educators Nina Gray and

and minds of schoolchildren near and far for years to come. To

Pamela Low, has developed an impressive collection of virtual

make your gift, fill out and return the attached envelope or go to

tours for grades pre-K through college. Teachers can opt for

give.asianart.org. n

livestreamed tours or video and lesson plan packages that they can work through at their own pace. to provide feedback on the new online offerings. Teachers asked for vocabulary lists, which adds a literacy component to each tour.

Another key takeaway was the need to break prerecorded tours discussion questions and art activities.

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into shorter segments, interspersing the video with interactive

Major support for the Asian Art Museum’s school programs and resources is provided by the Dhanam Foundation; The William K. Bowes, Jr. Foundation Education and Research Fund; and Daphne and Stuart Wells. The Asian Art Museum Virtual School Tour program is supported by Alaska Airlines.

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In September, the team recruited a group of Bay Area teachers

Know a teacher who wants to participate? Go to education.asianart.org for available tours and registration information.

EXHIBITION

AFRUZ AMIGHI

MY HOUSE, MY TOMB SUMMER 2021 FANG FAMILY LAUNCHPAD, LOGGIA Born in 1974 in Iran of Persian Zoroastrian and American Jewish ancestry, Brooklyn-based Afruz Amighi uses light as a medium.

Like much of her work, My House, My Tomb, the inaugural Fang Family Launchpad installation, is inspired by monumental religious architecture, in this case the Taj Mahal.

Resembling a pair of delicate chandeliers dangling from the ceiling, My House, My Tomb is a sculptural diptych “drawn” with industrial materials, including chains and fiberglass mesh. With one hanging structure made from clear two-dimensional fiberglass panels and its twin constructed from black mesh, Amighi evokes a history that never came to pass: the pairing of an all-black mausoleum for Shah Jahan with the white Taj Mahal built as his wife’s tomb.

My House, My Tomb was originally exhibited in 2015 at a New York art gallery, but Amighi has modified it for the Launchpad in order to respond to the site of the museum loggia. Illuminated by strong light, the hanging sculpture casts dramatic shadows on the surrounding Beaux-Arts style vaults and columns. Viewed in this setting, the work provokes questions about the relationship between Islamic and Western architecture.

Amighi’s Launchpad installation is part of the transformed

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museum’s new emphasis on making encounters with contemporary art — and the issues of our time —part of every visit. n Afruz Amighi: My House, My Tomb is made possible with the generous support of lead sponsors Tina and Hamid Moghadam.

This exhibition is a part of the Asian American Experience, which is made possible with the generous support of Glen S. and Sakie T. Fukushima, an anonymous donor in memory of Ambassador and Mrs. Sampson Shen, and Claudine Cheng.

Image: Afruz Amighi in her studio with My House, My Tomb, 2019. Courtesy of the artist.

EXHIBITION

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EXHIBITION

AFTER HOPE VIDEOS OF RESISTANCE THROUGH JUL 12, 2021 LEE GALLERY & ONLINE AT AFTERHOPE.COM How does hope propel us to imagine, represent, and create new worlds? Although often associated with naivete, hope can also be a driving force for real change and meaningful engagement with the world.

After Hope is a multifaceted project that investigates hope as an aesthetic and embodied experience. It brings together artists, scholars, curators, and activists from across the world to consider what it means to “go after” hope, as well as what comes after hope.

The project is designed as a set of three interrelated programs.

In Lee Gallery, After Hope: Videos of Resistance is an eclectic selection of more than 50 short videos that explores the role of hope in contemporary art and activism. A series of workshops and events invite you into the discussion of what comes after hope.

An online platform, afterhope.com, documents this entire project and features additional reflections on hope from participants and the public.

After Hope is the first in the TRILOGY series, produced in collaboration with outside curators and institutions, that aims to foster artistic pollination across communities, practices, and perspectives. For more information about these artists, visit

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afterhope.com. n After Hope: Videos of Resistance is organized by the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco.

It is co-organized with Padma D. Maitland, assistant professor of architectural history and theory at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

Support is provided by the Taiwan Academy in Los Angeles, Ministry of Culture of Taiwan.

Sustained support generously provided by the following endowed funds: Akiko Yamazaki and Jerry Yang Endowment Fund for Exhibitions, Kao/Williams Contemporary Art Exhibitions Fund Selected works from After Hope: Videos of Resistance. Video stills. Courtesy of the artists.

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EXHIBITION

EXHIBITION

“The mural captures the energy of San Francisco at a moment in history."

— ARTISTS SHAGHAYEGH CYROUS AND KEYVAN SHOVIR

VILLAGE ARTIST CORNER

THE JOURNEY

In The Journey, the 2021 Village Artist Corner (VAC) mural, a

Just as last year’s VAC mural, Goddesses and the Art of

majestic crowned hoopoe bird leads us on an odyssey of self-

Compassionate Wrath, was inspired by the exhibition Awaken: A

discovery through a landscape that comes alive with the styles

Tibetan Buddhist Journey Toward Enlightenment, The Journey is

and colors of Persian miniature painting. Shaghayegh Cyrous

an extension of After Hope: Videos of Resistance (page 34). “We

and Keyvan Shovir, who studied art in their native Iran before

are being intentional about connecting mural commissions with

emigrating to the U.S. in 2011, made the mural both with and for

exhibitions, to bring what is going on inside the museum to the

the residents of the Fulton Street Safe Sleeping Village adjacent

world outside,” says Allison Wyckoff, associate director of public

to the museum, to encourage healing through self-knowledge.

and community programs.

The artists were responding to a call to action from Lena

Cyrous and Shovir, who both participated in After Hope,

Miller, founder and CEO of Urban Alchemy, the nonprofit that

say that the exhibition’s themes resonated with them: “With The

oversees the Safe Sleeping Village. “Our vision is that the village

Journey, we wanted to explore the actions that come after hope.”

will be a healing space that uplifts the spirit and calms the soul,”

Their intention is to spark change by connecting us to the

she wrote in an open letter to the city. “It can be a place where

humanity of our unhoused neighbors. “With art, we can bring

we invest love, art, and beauty into those who are suffering.”

everyone to one common place. We want to show what is

Inspired by “The Conference of Birds” by Sufi poet Attar, the mural is organized around the journey of a hoopoe through seven

happening on our streets, so we can move toward solutions,” says Cyrous. n

valleys—quest, love, unity, wisdom, detachment, wondering, and nothingness—that represent the stages of each individual’s inner journey toward truth, or mindfulness. The artists asked the Safe images, which they then incorporated into the mural, giving voice to those who are often not heard.

This metaphor of a journey resonated with Miller. “So many of our residents need to go through these stages —a refinement

Image left: The Journey (detail), 2021, by Shaghayegh Cyrous and Keyvan Shovir. Above top: Shaghayegh Cyrous. Above bottom: Keyvan Shovir.

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of the soul— especially after coming through trauma.”

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Sleeping Village residents to reflect on these steps in words or

The Village Artist Corner is funded through the generosity of The Family of Tania Vonelleese Seymour. Founding program support was made possible by Housing-Related Parks Program from the State of California, facilitated by San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department; The Hearst Foundations; California Arts Council; and The NFL Foundation and 50 Fund, the legacy fund of the Super Bowl 50 Host Committee.

EVENTS

CELEBRATING ASIAN FUTURES WITH VÂN-ÁNH VÕ AND FRIENDS “The deep roots of Asian culture can inspire artists to express strength, resilience, and positivity."

— VÂN-ÁNH VÕ

THURSDAY, MAY 27

ONLINE

In honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, Bay Area–

American Non-Governmental Organization (VANGO) Network,

Võ joins in a musical conversation with artists of Japanese and

Võ partners with longtime collaborator Jimi Nakagawa to present

Khmer heritage. Together, they explore traditional artistic practices

a daring work of transnational musical communication, with Võ

ASIAN ART MUSEUM

and propose new forms of musical solidarity.

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For this virtual concert, copresented with the Vietnamese

based Vietnamese composer and multi-instrumentalist Vân-Ánh

on the dan tranh and Nakagawa on taiko drum. Cambodian royal

“Particularly during challenging times such as these,” says

dance master and vocalist Charya Burt also joins Võ to preview

Võ, “the deep roots of Asian culture can inspire artists to express

their work-in-progress on the cultural connections along the

strength, resilience, and positivity.”

Mekong River, which runs through China, Myanmar (Burma),

Võ, a renowned performer of the 16-string dan tranh (zither)

Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam.

and an Emmy Award–winning composer, has collaborated with

Following the performance, the artists join in conversation

Kronos Quartet, Alonzo King LINES Ballet, and Yo-Yo Ma and has

with ethnomusicologist Alexander M. Cannon to explore the

performed at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and the Houston

richness of Asian musical traditions as well as the power of new

Grand Opera.

composition. n

Vân-Ánh Võ with her one of her instruments, the t'rung 4. Photograph by Tung Nguyen. Thursday Nights are supported by Wells Fargo.

EVENTS

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RECENT ACQUISITIONS

RECENT ACQUISITIONS HIGHLIGHTS

The Asian Art Museum collection is never static. Each year, we enlarge it through strategic purchases and generous gifts. Here are a few recent additions that illustrate how we continue to expand the breadth and depth of our holdings, adding new layers of meaning

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to the evolving story of Asian art.

An early handwritten Qur’an from China, this rare manuscript,

with a short inscription in Chinese. The opening and closing pages

dated 1498 and made in Xi’an, adds to our understanding of

are wonderfully decorated in reds, greens, yellows, and oranges

the spread of Islam in China. The Arabic text of this beautifully

with design motifs from Chinese art, including clouds, plum

illustrated volume is rendered in a calligraphic rhythm and marked

blossoms, and peonies.

Qur’an manuscript, 1498 (Rajab 903AH), by Qawwam al-Din bin Ahmad al-Sini (probably Chinese). Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Ink, colors, and gold on paper. Asian Art Museum, Museum purchase, 2020.1. Photograph © Asian Art Museum.

RECENT ACQUISITIONS

River (1975), by Kay Sekimachi (b. 1926), exemplifies this Berkeley-based Japanese American artist’s pioneering role in the fiber art movement. Evoking light reflecting on a flowing body of water, River is a hanging work made of nylon fishing line—a relatively new material at the time—wrapped around plastic beads and dowels. Sekimachi studied at the California College of Arts and Crafts (now CCA) after becoming interested in art while incarcerated in Japanese American concentration camps during World War II. The acquisition of River — Sekimachi’s favorite piece to date — represents the museum’s commitment to collecting signature works by important, under-recognized Asian American artists.

River, 1975, by Kay Sekimachi (American, b. 1926). Nylon monofilament, beads, and plastic dowels; card-woven. Asian Art Museum, Acquisition in honor of Akiko Yamazaki made possible by Yogen and Peggy Dalal, Fred Levin, The Shenson Foundation, Gorretti Lo Lui, Ken and Ruth Wilcox, and Salle E. Yoo and Jeffrey P. Gray, 2020.17. Photograph © Asian Art Museum.

The 1920 woodblock print East Gate Seoul by Scottish painter Elizabeth Keith (1887–1956) powerfully captures the architectural profile of this fortified city gate, originally constructed in 1398. Keith arrived in Korea in March 1919, just a few weeks after the beginning of the March First Movement against Japanese colonization, and she recorded her observations of this tumultuous period in both writing and watercolor. East Gate Seoul is one of the prints

to join the museum collection. n

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East Gate Seoul, 1920, by Elizabeth Keith (British, 1887–1956). Japanese colonial period (1910–1945). Color woodblock print. Asian Art Museum, Museum purchase, 2019.5. Photograph © Asian Art Museum.

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she subsequently made from these watercolors in collaboration with Japanese print publisher Watanabe Shosaburo. This is the first work by a non-Korean artist on a Korean subject matter

BEHIND THE SCENES

A CONVERSATION

WITH NEW HEAD OF CONSERVATION SHEILA PAYAQUI We are thrilled to welcome Sheila Payaqui to the Asian Art

fluorescence spectroscope] that allows us to identify and quantify

Museum as the new head of conservation. She grew up in

the component elements of an object, giving us more information

California and studied studio art at UC Santa Cruz before earning

not only about how it was made but also how it might deteriorate.

her M.A. in art conservation at the University of Delaware. Her career has taken her to Washington, D.C.; Santiago, Chile;

How do you approach the conservation of contemporary

Brisbane, Australia; and, most recently, Richmond, Virginia,

artworks?

where she served as senior conservator and head of sculpture

When working with living artists, it is essential to make sure

and decorative arts conservation at the Virginia Museum of Fine

the work is cared for in a way that is true to the artis’s vision.

Arts (VMFA).

It involves conversations with the artist during the acquisition or commissioning phase. When possible, we try to capture the

What led you to art conservation?

artist’s material choices and manufacturing methods. At VMFA,

I was an undergraduate intern in the curatorial department at the

I was a part of the planning team for the installation of Kehinde

Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. As an art major, I was

Wiley’s Rumors of War on Richmond’s Arthur Ashe Boulevard.

interested in how things are put together. In Chicago, I became

We took a preventative conservation approach, anticipating the

interested in how things fall apart.

care the sculpture and its base will need in the future. We learned from Wiley that he wants the surface of the sculpture to remain

What is the role of a conservator at a museum?

a sleek black, so I worked with an outdoor sculpture conservator,

Conservators are the voice for the art. We advocate for its long-

who is also a master patinator, to determine how the metal would

term safety: we are charged with thinking not only about how a

oxidize over time.

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work can be exhibited safely today but also about the life of the object generations into the future.

What are your initial goals in your new role at the museum?

We are planning for the Carlos Villa exhibition [opening summer

Are there any new technologies that have changed the way

2022], which includes works from other collections that

you work?

incorporate bones and feathers—those can look like a delicious

We usually adapt tools from industry, so I am excited about

buffet for pests! I am also hoping to post more of our research

microfadometers, which were developed by conservation

online: our team produces documentation — imagery, analysis,

scientists to determine how much light an object can endure

written reports — that is important to share with colleagues in

during its lifetime. There is also a new generation XRF [X-ray

conservation, as well as curators, scholars, and the public. n

MEMBERSHIP

Evelyn Raimundo at an event celebrating the unveiling of the refreshed third-floor galleries, May 14, 2019. © Katelyn Tucker Photography. Courtesy of Asian Art Museum.

JADE CIRCLE

FINDING HOME

Meet Evelyn Raimundo, docent and Jade Circle member. Her first

What is your favorite museum experience?

home was in Manila, where Evelyn and her husband Crisanto

The first Sunday in October, when the museum celebrates Filipino

met at a graduate school of business. Political turmoil in the

American History Month, I lead a tour that focuses on Filipino

Philippines in the early 1970s led to the difficult decision to leave

objects in the collection. It’s delightful to see Filipino American

home. Her next home was in the Bay Area, where the Raimundos

children discovering their cultural heritage.

raised a daughter and son in Fremont. With parenting behind her, Evelyn found another home at the Asian Art Museum.

What does being a member of the Jade Circle mean to you?

Being in the Jade Circle gives me a front-row seat to learn

What drew you to the Asian Art Museum?

about the museum’s latest acquisitions and initiatives alongside

The museum reminded me of the beautiful and joyous things I left

enthusiastic lovers of Asian art. n

What do you most enjoy about being a museum docent?

It gives me a sense of belonging and pride to be able to share fellowship among the docents and the staff.

upgrading to the Jade Circle today. For more information or to join, contact us at jadecircle@asianart.org or call 415.581.3683.

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the wealth of Asian history. Also, I truly appreciate the genuine

Join Evelyn in getting a front-row seat at the museum by

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behind. At the museum, I began to reconnect with my Asian roots.

MUSEUM BOUTIQUE

CELEBRATE THE ARRIVAL OF SPRING CHA MAY CHING BOUTIQUE

“In the cherry blossom’s shade there’s no such thing as a stranger." — KOBAYASHI ISSA Share the exquisite, exuberant beauty of cherry blossoms with someone you love with a gift from the Cha May Ching Boutique.

Cherry blossoms are prized across Asia for their brief, fragile beauty. In Japan, crowds flock to parks in early spring to witness the spectacular flowering of cherry blossom trees, which signals the end of winter. But the abundant blooms last a mere two weeks, a reminder

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of the fleeting nature of beauty, and of life.

Celebrate the arrival of spring—and new beginnings—with the boutique's Cherry Blossom Collection. Perfect for Mother's Day, the collection includes scarves, note cards, notebooks, candles, teas, incense, tableware, and more inspired by the visual splendor and delicate scent of cherry blossoms. n Browse the collection online at store.asianart.org. All members enjoy a 10% discount in the boutique, both online and in person, and free shipping on purchases of $50 or more.

SOCIETY FOR ASIAN ART

CROSSING BOUNDARIES

UNDERSTANDING CONTEMPORARY ASIAN ART FALL 2021

ARTS OF ASIA LECTURE SERIES

Contemporary art is often deliberately transgressive — it crosses

world, who will address contemporary art practices and concerns

boundaries between media, genres, geographic regions, traditions,

across Asia and the Asian diaspora.

gender identities, national identities, politics, ideals of beauty, and

The series runs from Aug. 27 to Dec. 3. Lectures will be

ideas of permanence. Many of the artists are émigrés, who must

livestreamed as Zoom webinars on Fridays from 10:30 a.m. to

cross boundaries to make their art.

12:30 p.m. Registered attendees may view recordings of lectures

Join us for an adventurous journey into the transgressions of

that they miss or wish to see again through Jan. 2, 2022.

Advance registration is required. For registration information

art and senior associate curator, this virtual Arts of Asia Lecture

and a full list of lecturers and topics, please visit the Society for

Series features 14 scholars, curators, and artists from around the

Asian Art website, societyforasianart.org. n

45

Left: Ended Season (detail), 2011, by Zheng Chongbin (American, b. China, 1961). Ink and acrylic on paper. Asian Art Museum, Museum purchase with exchange funds from the estate of K. Hart Smith with additional funds from the Clarence Shangraw Memorial, 2012.5. Right: Bowl, 2011, by Kawase Shinobu (Japanese, b. 1950). High-fired ceramic (porcelaneous clay) with celadon glaze. Asian Art Museum, Gift in honor of Dr. Laura W. Allen, 2013.48. © Kawase Shinobu. Photographs © Asian Art Museum.

S P R I N G 20 21

contemporary Asian art. Led by Abby Chen, head of contemporary

THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS

FY20 ANNUAL DONOR REPORT FY20 ASIAN ART MUSEUM FOUNDERS CIRCLE On the 50th anniversary of its founding, the Asian Art Museum announced the creation of the Asian Art Museum Founders Circle (formerly known as the Avery Brundage Founders Circle) to recognize donors whose cumulative giving to the museum totals $1 million or more. The museum celebrated the charter members of the Asian Art Museum Founders Circle in 2016 and continues to welcome new individuals and entities to the distinguished group.

Atsuhiko and Ina Goodwin

Joan Diehl McCauley 1991 Trust

Phyllis C. Wattis

Maryellie and Rupert H. Johnson, Jr.

Diane B. Wilsey

Barbara and Gerson Bakar

Anne and Timothy F. Kahn

Akiko Yamazaki and Jerry Yang

Estate of Dorothy J. Bakewell

Kahng Foundation

Mr. and Mrs. Geoffrey Y. Yang

Marjorie W. Bissinger

Estate of Robert L. and

Richard and Fukan Yen

Tateuchi Foundation

Mr. Richard C. Blum and The Honorable Dianne Feinstein

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

Mr. and Mrs. Chong-Moon Lee

Bank of America

Mr. and Mrs. William K. Bowes, Jr.

Doris Shoong Lee and Theodore Bo Lee

The Bernard Osher Foundation

The Brayton Wilbur Foundation

Fred Levin and Nancy Livingston,

California Arts Council

The Shenson Foundation

Columbia Foundation

Eliza and Dean Cash

Lui Foundation

Crankstart

John S. and Sherry H. Chen

Kumar and Vijaya Malavalli

The David and Lucile Packard Foundation

Ken Hao and Kathy Chiao+

Maura and Robert Morey

East West Bank

Carmen M. Christensen

Estate of Dr. Forrest Mortimer and

The Freeman Foundation

Estate of C. Laan Chun

Stuart M. Harvey

The Henry Luce Foundation

Henry and Vanessa Cornell

Suno K. Osterweis

Institute of Museum and Library Services

Lloyd and Margit Cotsen

Richard and Marianne Peterson

The Korea Foundation

Joan L. Danforth

Estate of Elton L. Puffer

Koret Foundation

Steve and Roberta Denning

Leslie T. Schilling and

Rajnikant T. and Helen Crane Desai

ASIAN ART MUSEUM

The Kuo Family

Jane and Jack Bogart

Brooks–Mathews Foundation

46

Lois M. Kreuzberger+

Alexander H. Schilling

National Endowment for the Humanities The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation

Dixon and Carol Doll Family Foundation

Merrill Randol and Stephen Sherwin

Samsung

Estate of Ernest and Virginia Esberg

Vijay and Ram Shriram,

Society for Asian Art

Fred Eychaner

The Dhanam Foundation

The Starr Foundation

Sakurako and William Fisher

Ji Ing Soong

Target

Virginia and Timothy Foo

Estate of Mrs. Norma Stanberry

Wallis Foundation

Tully and Elise Friedman

Rosina and Anthony Sun

Wells Fargo William G. Irwin Charity Foundation

Richard N. Goldman

Estate of Masako M. Suzuki

Sarah and William Hambrecht

Henry and Tomoye Takahashi

Nancy B. Hamon

Claire and M. Glenn Vinson

Marsha Vargas Handley

Jack and Susy Wadsworth

+ 2020 new members

THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS

S P R I N G 20 21

47

Jade Circle members at the exhibition opening for Changing and Unchanging Things: Noguchi and Hasegawa in Postwar Japan on Sep. 25, 2019. Photograph © Natalie N Photography.

THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS

ANNUAL DONORS The Asian Art Museum gratefully acknowledges the following individuals and organizations for their generous annual support for exhibitions, programs, and special events. This support, together with our Nexus, Jade Circle, and Patron membership programs, allows us to thrive as a vibrant hub for discovery, education, and inspiration.

To learn more, please contact the development department at 415.581.3771 or Greg Hunt at ghunt@asianart.org. Major funding is provided annually by the City and County of San Francisco. $100,000 and Above Gerson* and Barbara Bakar Cori and Tony Bates Jeff Byers* Huifen Chan and Roelof Botha Yogen and Peggy Dalal Joan L. Danforth Dixon and Carol Doll Family Foundation Fred Eychaner Anne and Timothy Kahn Dr. Phyllis A. Kempner and Dr. David D. Stein Estate of Robert L. and Lois M. Kreuzberger Lata Krishnan and Ajay B. Shah The Kuo Family Mr. and Mrs. Chong-Moon Lee Nanci Nishimura and Joseph Cotchett Suno Kay Osterweis* Ray and Dagmar Dolby Family Fund John Sell Jack and Susy Wadsworth Estate of William and Midori Wedemeyer Ken and Ruth Wilcox William K. Bowes, Jr. Foundation Diane B. Wilsey Akiko Yamazaki and Jerry Yang

48

ASIAN ART MUSEUM

Songyee Yoon Bank of America The Bernard Osher Foundation The Hearst Foundations, Inc. The Henri and Tomoye Takahashi Charitable Foundation Gallery 4, installation view with the Hindu deity Shiva, 2019.

Photographs © Asian Art Museum.

Kaiser Permanente The Korea Foundation Target

THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS

$50,000–$99,999

$25,000–$49,999

Morgan Stanley

Michele and Joseph M. Alioto

Betty and Bruce Alberts

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W. Bradley Electric, Inc.

William Mathews Brooks

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The W.L.S. Spencer Foundation

Eliza and Dean Cash

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Vaishali Chadha and Family

Kathy and Paul Bissinger

$15,000–$24,999

Tiffany and Jim Chang

Ann and Paul Chen

Frank S. Bayley, III

Jamie and Steve Chen

Shirley Ross Davis and Paul Sack

Mimi Gardner Gates

Chen Family Foundation

Shashi and Dipanjan “DJ” Deb

Lori and David Hsieh

Claudine Cheng

Steven and Roberta Denning

Ken Lamb

Julia K. Cheng

Sakurako and William Fisher

Linda and David Lei

Harry and Sandra Cheung

Denise Fitch

Mac and Leslie McQuown

Virginia and Timothy Foo

Walter Jared Frost

Sack Family Fund

Sameer Gandhi and Monica Lopez

Ms. Beverly Galloway and Mr. Chris Curtis

Marsha Vargas Handley

Buck Gee and Mary Hackenbracht

California Arts Council

Charles Huang and Lillian Qian

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Stephen and Choongja Kahng

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Kristine Johnson and Timothy Dattels

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Bill and Mary Kim

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R. Stanley Williams Fred Levin and Nancy Livingston*, The Shenson Foundation

Alexandra and Dennis Lenehan

Frances K. Field Fund

Tourism of the Republic of Korea

Gorretti Lo Lui

Melissa J. Ma

National Endowment for the Arts

Kumar and Vijaya Malavalli

John Maa MD

Saks Fifth Avenue

Mr. James D. Marver

Susan and Kevin McCabe

The Sato Foundation

Mr. and Mrs. Sanjay Mehrotra

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Society for Asian Art

Merrill Randol and Stephen Sherwin

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Taiwan Academy in Los Angeles

Vijay and Ram Shriram, The Dhanam Foundation

Mr. Amish Mehta Michelle and Robert Friend Foundation

Toshiba International Foundation

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$10,000–$14,999

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Estate of Ms. Rita Wieland

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Thomas J. Cooney*

Salle E. Yoo and Jeffrey P. Gray

Tianjin Ren / Sara Rothert

Rajnikant T. and Helen Crane Desai

Leslie T. Schilling and

Jared Ede and Fernan de Zarate

Adobe The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts Christie’s

Alexander H. Schilling William and Michelle Tai

Reverend Richard G. Fabian and Mr. Stephen Holtzman

Jane Chang Tom

Doris Fisher

Anonymous

Anne Ja Forbes HS and LC Fung

East West Bank Alaska Airlines

Dessa P. Goddard

Asian Cultural Council

Pat and Marvin Gordon

Sulwhasoo

Goldman Sachs

Robert Hermann

Terra Foundation for American Art

Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office,

Mr. and Mrs. Duane M. Hines

San Francisco JPMorgan Chase and Co.

Richard and Paola Kulp Joan and William Larkin

49

Wells Fargo Foundation Anonymous

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First Republic Bank The Japan Foundation

THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS

Bianca and Merlin Larson

Mr. and Mrs. Alexander D. Calhoun

Dr. Robert Mintz and Dr. Beth Arman

Rhoda and Richard Mesker

Frances Campra and

Lily and Riaz Moledina

Ruth and James* Murad Robert Oaks and Fred Sheng

Lyman and Carol Casey

Jim and Becky Morgan

Selina and Johnson Cha

Milton J. Mosk and Thomas E. Foutch

Ursula and Richard Ralph

David and Karin Chamberlain

Ms. Clare M. Murphy

Alice and Bill Russell-Shapiro

Chang Mooi Family Foundation

Rosemarie and Tae Hea Nahm

Peter and Beverly Sinton

Dinny Winsor Chase

Sheila M. Nichols

Glenn Vinson and Claire Vinson

Ms. Clementine Chen and Ms. Alissa Ford

Diane Ososke

Michelle Wilcox and Robert F. Kuhling, Jr.

Ms. Ivy Chenn

Madelon L. Palma

William and Gretchen Kimball Fund

Joyce H. Clark

Carol Potter Peckham

Ms. Yanan Xu

Deborah Clearwaters

Marianne H. Peterson

Anonymous (3)

Mark Cocalis

Gregory Potts

Kathleen Cross

Ruth Quigley

Bloomberg Inc.

Jane DeBevoise

Judy and David Redo

Dodge & Cox

Janet L. Dobrovolny

Arthur and Toni Rembe Rock

Prologis

Jo Anne and Jesse D. Erickson

Mr. Dalfred E. Ross and

San Francisco Grants for the Arts

Pauline Eveillard and Douglas Gould

Silicon Valley Bank

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William and Renée Rothmann

Ayame Flint

Peter and Collette Rothschild

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and Vasantha Vallaba

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Estate of Mrs. Norma Stanberry

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Anonymous

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Gensler and Gensler Family

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Arlene Inch

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Moez and Vivienne Virani

Candace Zander Kahn

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Randall E. Laroche and David G. Laudon

Mrs. Florence M. Wong and

Estate of Mrs. Shirley Albright

Dr. Lai-Sung Eric Leung and

$3,000–$5,999 ASIAN ART MUSEUM

Michele A. Monson

Crisanto and Evelyn Raimundo

$6,000–$9,999

50

Scott Campra-Brantley

Neaera and Edward Baer

Mrs. Kay-lee Leung

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Cynthia and Gary Bengier

Alexander Lloyd

Trista Berkovitz and Stephen Pegors

Hermine* and Summer* Marshall

Lowell S. Young, M.D.

Jane Bogart

John and Peggy Mathers

Stephen and Connie Zilles

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Mrs. Betty Meissner

Byers Family

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Bonhams

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Guy Miller

Dolby Laboratories

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THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS

The Ellen Bayard Weedon Foundation Giorgio Armani John and Marcia Goldman Foundation Lisa and Douglas Goldman Fund The Mozhai Foundation

$1,000–$2,999 Derek and Etsuko Kobata Adelman Mr. Colin Alexander and Mr. Ronald E. Albers Paul B. Althouse Ms. Kathleen L. Anderson and Mr. Jeffrey A. Lipkin Dr. Asha and Dinesh Bajaj Charitable Fund Christy Bartlett and Ken Tuomi Mr. James Bays Stuart Berkowitz, Ph.D. Dr. Phyllis B. Blair Peter and Margaret Boyer John and Barbara Boyle Dr. Lynne Lopez Brewer D. Ren Brown Mrs. Tien T. Bui and Mr. James M. Connell Adrianne and Robert Burton Ms. Karen G. Castle Mr. and Mrs. Brian Cayne Gordon Chamberlain Donald and Eunice Chee Ms. Joan Chen and Dr. Peter Y. Hui Mr. and Mrs. John Y. Chen Yvonne and Ralph Cheng Dr. Stephen R. Chun and Dr. Doris Sze Chun Teresa Clark and Martin Lay David Clayton and Gayle Dekellis Jay Clemens and Carolyn Seen Mr. Steven J. Cohen Glenn and Dianne Colville Crawford and Jessie Cooley

Dory Culver and Walter Nirenberg Blair Dean and Robert Cooter Mr. and Mrs. Robert R. Demaria

51

Mr. Kevin J. Derr

Top: Members at the exhibition opening for Awaken: A Tibetan Buddhist Journey Toward Enlightenment on Jan. 15, 2020. Photograph © Natalie N Photography.

Bottom: Gallery 26, installation view with Japanese Buddhist art, 2019. Photograph © Asian Art Museum.

S P R I N G 20 2 1

Ms. Alice M. Corning Carol Cravens, Malcolm Cravens Foundation

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ASIAN ART MUSEUM

THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS

Gallery 11, installation view with Crowned and bejeweled Buddha image and throne, 2019. Photograph © Asian Art Museum.

THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS

Mrs. Anne Breckenridge Dorsey

Kewchang Lee, M.D., and Kevin Deyager

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Dr. and Mrs. David J. Menke

The Stephen and Margaret Gill Foundation

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Dr. and Mrs. Lloyd H. Takao

M. Oman, with gratitude for so many fine exhibitions

Elizabeth and Robert Meyer

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Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program

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and Mr. Michael A. Harrison

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Anonymous (4)

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53

Prof. and Mrs. Paul L. Richards Christopher and Julie Ridley

S P R I N G 20 21

Ms. Machiko Akasaka Gretchen B. Kimball

THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS

GIFTS OF ART Through gifts of art and funds for acquisitions, donors strengthen and shape the museum’s greatest resource, its priceless collection. We thank the following individuals and organizations for contributing to the museum’s collection in fiscal year 2020. To inquire about donating an artwork, please send photographs and a description to the curatorial department at our mailing address or curators@asianart.org.

Au Ho-nien Cultural Foundation Dr. Ho-nien Au Frank S. Bayley, III Ms. Barbara Brown Master Chao Shao-An Top: Attendees at the 2019 Directors Dinner. Bottom: Gallery 17, installation view with Lidded jar with design of a lotus pond, 2019.

Photograph © Asian Art Museum.

The Charles D. and Frances K. Field Fund Mr. Robert T. Coffland Mrs. Mary F. Connors Ms. Eleanor C. Glassburner Mr. Thomas J. Hudak Dr. Phyllis A. Kempner and Dr. David D. Stein Mr. Bohnchang Koo Dr. Marion Kramer Dr. Ernest Lee and Dr. Letah Y. Lee Dr. and Mrs. G. Steven Martin Mr. Paul Marsh Pitman, Jr. Tianjin Ren / Sara Rothert San Francisco Botanical Garden John Sell Lucy Sun and Warren Felson Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Tongson Jack and Susy Wadsworth Mr. and Mrs. Robert Wagner Dr. Jay Jie Xu Mr. John Yao Mr. Robert Yao

54

ASIAN ART MUSEUM

Mr. Tony Yao Anonymous

IN-KIND SUPPORT CB2 Builders Cooper, White & Cooper United Airlines

THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS

ENDOWED FUNDS The Akiko Yamazaki and Jerry Yang Endowment Fund for Exhibitions Arlene Schnitzer Endowed Fund for Chinese Art Barbara Bass Bakar Director and CEO Endowed Fund Barbara and Gerson Bakar Curator of Chinese Art Endowed Fund Betty Bogart Endowment Fund Mr. and Mrs. Charles B. Lawler Fund for Education D. Graeme Keith Endowment

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Jody E. Berke

Richard B. Gump Fund Society for Asian

Kathy and Paul Bissinger

Art Endowment Fund

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William Randolph Hearst Endowment

D. Ren Brown

for Education

CORPORATE MATCHING GIFTS $1,000 and above

Don Buhman Mr. Andrew T. Cassell, Jr.* Cordelia Chang Michael T. Chang Mrs. Pauline Chang

Apple Matching Gift Program

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Chevron Matching Gift Program

Alan F. Chow

C.M. Capital Corporation

Patty S. Chu and Colbert T. Dare

The Desai India Endowment

Goldman Sachs Matching Gift Program

Dr. Stephen R. Chun and

Dorothy, Thomas, and

Google Gift Matching Program

for C. Laan Chu Library

Marguerite Warren Fund

IBM Corporation

Dr. Doris Sze Chun Joyce H. Clark

Ernest and Virginia Esberg Fund

Intel

William and Diane Clarke

The Forrest Mortimer and Stuart

PG&E Corporation Foundation

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Harvey Fund for the Acquisition and

Mrs. Katharine Comstock

Gladys Klockars Barber Endowment Fund

LEGACY, MEMORIAL AND TRIBUTE GIFTS

Joan L. Danforth

James M. Gerstley Fund for

Legacy gifts fund research for exhibitions,

Ms. Martha Debs

Conservation of Asian Art

Dauna R. Currie

provide free admission to schoolchildren,

Rajnikant T. and Helen Crane Desai

Joan Danforth Fund for Asian Art and Culture

conserve works of art, and support the

Jeanne Dorward

John S. and Sherry H. Chen Endowed

Asian Art Museum’s highest priorities. We

Judith and Robert L. Duffy

honor these gifts with membership in

Jared Ede and Fernan de Zarate

International Exhibitions

Fund for Chinese Art and Programming

the Richard B. Gump Society. We thank

Trudy Ehrenfeld

supporters who made gifts in memory

Reverend Richard G. Fabian

Korean Endowment Fund

or honor of others. For more information,

Denise Fitch

Lawrence and Gorretti Lui Hyde Street Art

please contact Kate McNulty, director

Richard M. Fitzgerald and Victor A. Perez

of individual and planned giving, at

Peter J. Flagg

415.581.3683 or kmcnulty@asianart.org.

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Wall Mural Fund Lloyd Cotsen Japanese Bamboo Endowment Lois and Robert Kreuzberger Memorial Fund for Art Acquisition

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Malavalli Family Fund

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Mrs. Jody Arens

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Mr. and Mrs. Thomas B. Bassett

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Mrs. Carole L. Becker

Marsha Vargas Handley

Chair of Southeast Asian Art

Stein Endowment Fund

55

Barbara Bakar

Paul E. Miller Endowment for Publications

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Olive Deming Memorial Fund

THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS

Barry* and Micheline Handon Dr. Gloria M. Hing Gordon Holler Elizabeth H. Huchberger Wray Humphrey Marie and Harold Hyman Dr. Ronald G. Jan Ms. Sandra N. Jeong Robert M. Johnson Mary Jope Dr. Narinder Kapany* Dr. Phyllis A. Kempner and Dr. David D. Stein Sally Ketchum Bill and Mary Kim Mr. and Mrs. Richard W. Kirby Ludmila Kisseleva-Eggleton and Peter Eggleton Mr. Henry J. Kleinhenz Thomas and Mary Ellen Knapp Walter P. Knoepfel Benjamin Leong and Wendy Lau Barbara and Warren Levinson Felice Liang Dr. Paul Lifton Timothy and Joy Light Ms. Karina K. Lok Alice G. Lowe* Yin-Wah Ma and Rosser H. Brockman Marilyn E. MacGregor Clara MacNamee Josephine M. Markovich Hermine* and Summer* Marshall Mr. James D. Marver John and Peggy Mathers Karyl M. Matsumoto Susan and Kevin McCabe John McCallister Dr. Patricia J. McEveney Malcolm McHenry

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ASIAN ART MUSEUM

Kate McNulty Patrick E. McSweeney Mrs. Betty Meissner Bob Merjano Virginia and Donald Meyer J. Sanford Miller Gallery 2, installation view with The Buddha triumphing over Mara, 2019. Photograph © Asian Art Museum.

Mr. Lawrence L. Mock and Ms. Chris Ahn Cathy and Howard Moreland

THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS

Ms. Ann M. Mullis

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In memory of Dr. T. Miriam Tani

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Anonymous (8)

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ESTATE AND TRUST GIFTS

Mary Frances Poh

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Marjo and Al Price

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GIFTS IN MEMORY

Jordan H. Sachs and Jeannie Sack

In memory of Ruth Asawa

Xenia Sanders Dr. Emily J. Sano

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Anonymous

Mary M. Schiffmann

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Midori H. Scott John J. Shaak Merrill Randol and Stephen Sherwin Charles F. Simmons Dr. Kathleen Slobin Paul* and Barbara Sonnenblick Robert L. Speer and John Wong Marilyn Spiegl Susan Steer Rosina and Anthony Sun Susan K. Tanner Michael E. Tully Mr. John K. Uilkema and Dr. Gail G. Uilkema

and Mr. Emery M. Roe In memory of Joyce Wherritt Bowers Ms. Joanne Ghigliotti In memory of Mrs. Elsie R. Carr Mr. Mike Marcley In memory of Hazel Gong Ms. Karina K. Lok In memory of Kathleen Kerr Asian Art Museum Docents† In memory of Mrs. Elsie Kagehiro Ms. Patricia Mersaroli In memory of John Kammer Ms. Jean Graham-Gilliat In memory of Alice Lowe

Glenn Vinson and Claire Vinson

Asian Art Museum Docents†

Ms. Stephanie Waldman

Dr. Vincent Fausone, Jr.

Dr. and Mrs. Ralph J. Watson

Mr. Randall K. Tom In memory of John B., Zelda M.,

Tim Whalen

and Joan Quigley

Judy Wilbur

Ruth Quigley

Michelle Wilcox and Charlene Williams

In memory of Vincent Scardina Asian Art Museum Docents†

In memory of Midori Wedemeyer Asian Art Museum Docents† In memory of Nancy J. Wong and Yee Jung Wong Ms. Leslie Gon In memory of Eleanor Yee Ms. Lenore Chinn

GIFTS IN HONOR In honor of Tony and Cori Bates Carley and Paul Rydberg In honor of Vyolet Chu Mr. Robert C. Irwin and Mr. Mike Madrid Mr. Ronald Ruggiero In honor of Monica Desai-Henderson Ms. Helen Loeser and Mr. David Teitel In honor of Sara Knight Prof. and Mrs. Paul J. Richards In honor of Tim and Anne Khan Alice and Bill Russell-Shapiro In honor of Jeongha Park and Alex Kim Paul and Maureen Roskoph In honor of Zachary Pappas Ms. Marina Zazanis In Honor of Lucy Sun The Landreth Family Fund In honor of Peter Sinton Mr. Christopher Wilson and Ms. Barbara Wilson In honor of Jeffrey Tsu’s 70th Birthday Dr. and Mrs. Mitch M. Wakasa

57

Mr. Robert F. Kuhling, Jr.

Ms. Janel Tani-Harrington

S P R I N G 20 21

Daphne and Stuart Wells

Mrs. Sumiko S. Potts

THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS

MUSEUM LEADERSHIP

Charles Huang

Chong-Moon Lee

As a proud part of the City and County

Timothy F. Kahn

Fred M. Levin

of San Francisco, the Asian Art Museum

Choongja “Maria” Kahng Jennifer Kao

Gorretti Lo Lui

is jointly governed by the Asian Art Commission and the Board of Trustees of

Travis Kiyota

the Asian Art Museum Foundation. These

Lata Krishnan

dedicated volunteers generously donate

Chong-Moon Lee

their time and expertise in support of

Linda Lei, Ex Officio

our mission, ensuring that the museum

Fred M. Levin

is positioned for artistic, financial, and

Gorretti Lo Lui

strategic success — both today and into

John Maa

the future.

Nanci Nishimura Vasant M. Prabhu

ASIAN ART MUSEUM FOUNDATION

Merrill Randol Sherwin Vijay Shriram

Reflects current leadership as of

Ehler Spliedt, Ex Officio

November 2020

Anthony Sun Ann Tanenbaum

Chair Fred M. Levin

Ina Goodwin Tateuchi

President Salle E. Yoo

Kenneth P. Wilcox

Vice President Yogen Dalal

Akiko Yamazaki

Secretary Gorretti Lo Lui

Richard Yen

Treasurer Kenneth P. Wilcox

Salle Yoo Songyee Yoon

Trustees Betty N. Alberts

ASIAN ART COMMISSION

Michele Alioto

Reflects current leadership

Cori Bates

as of November 2020

Ellen Burstein Bauch Richard C. Blum

Chair Fred M. Levin

Eliza L. Cash

Vice Chair Salle E. Yoo

Vaishali Chadha

Secretary Virginia Foo

Huifen Chan

Treasurer Kenneth P. Wilcox

58

ASIAN ART MUSEUM

Tiffany Chang Jamie Chen

Commissioners

Pehong Chen

Cori Bates

Claudine Cheng

Edwin L. Berkowitz

Sandra Cheung

Kathy B. Bissinger

Kapil Chhibber

William Mathews Brooks

Yogen Dalal

Alexander D. Calhoun

Dixon R. Doll

Carmen Colet

Fred Eychaner

Joan L. Danforth

Mimi Gardner Gates

Virginia Foo

Marsha Vargas Handley

Martha Sam Hertelendy

Martha Sam Hertelendy

Timothy F. Kahn

Nanci Nishimura Anthony Sun Jane Chang Tom Kenneth P. Wilcox Salle Yoo

EXECUTIVE TEAM Jay Xu, Barbara Bass Bakar Director and Chief Executive Officer Yael Eytan, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Catherine Finn, Chief Human Resources Officer (2018–Jan. 2021) Sara Lee, Chief Financial Officer Robert Mintz, Deputy Director, Art and Programs Nada Perrone, Interim Chief Philanthropy Officer

*Deceased †Gift to the Docent Fund

THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS

S P R I N G 20 21

59

Gallery 17, installation view with The Buddhist deity Simhavaktra, a dakini, 2019. Photography © Asian Art Museum.

EVENT CALENDAR

VIRTUAL MEMBER EVENTS Even as the museum reopens, we will continue to offer an exciting array of virtual events. Find all upcoming events on our website at calendar.asianart.org.

VIRTUAL LECTURE SERIES

Welcome an expert into your living room for an interactive presentation that will expand your understanding of Asian art and culture.

VIRTUAL PREVIEW SHOWCASE

Be the first to hear about upcoming exhibitions, commissions, and museum news with this showcase hosted by Deputy Director, Art & Programs Dr. Robert Mintz.

VIRTUAL MEMBER LOUNGE

60

ASIAN ART MUSEUM

Catch up on missed events and other special member-only content on your own schedule.

LET’S STAY CONNECTED We send periodic emails to invite you to online member events with curators and artists and let you know when new content is added to the Virtual Member Lounge. If you aren’t receiving these notifications, please contact us at members@asianart.org to update your contact information.

EVENT CALENDAR

BOGART COURT

IN A NEW LIGHT

VIRTUAL EVENTS Even as the museum reopens, we will continue to offer an exciting array of virtual events. Find all upcoming events on our website at calendar.asianart.org.

Installing Zheng Chongbin’s I Look for the Sky— which “transforms light into a visual language,” in the words of the artist — entailed a complex choreography that spanned continents. The artist worked with a team in his Beijing studio to create scale models and engineer the work before fabricating the final armature, brackets,

AT THE TABLE

and screens. In San Francisco, the museum crew,

Whet your appetite with food history, cooking demos, and new recipes.

guided by Zheng and a 3D computer model, assembled the piece and used five synchronized lifts to raise it high above the floor of Johnson

MEDITATION SESSIONS IN THE VIPASANA OR ZEN TRADITIONS

DIVERSITY AND EQUITY SERIES

Guided meditation calms your mind and body.

Join necessary conversations about how museums must change along with society.

S. Bogart Court.

Photograph by Tung Nguyen

Visit the museum to experience I Look for the Sky and learn more about the installation process by watching Behind the Scenes with Zheng Chongbin, available in the Virtual Member Lounge. Full article on page 24.

CULTURAL CELEBRATIONS

PERFORMING & LITERARY ARTS

FILM

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and Japan Day festivities go virtual.

Be inspired by talented musicians, writers, and dancers.

Global and local independent cinema that inspires and advances dialogue around equity and inclusion.

Thu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1–8 PM Fri–Mon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 AM–5 PM Tue & Wed. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Closed

asianart.org

Zheng Chongbin and the museum preparators installing I Look for the Sky, 2020. Photograph © Asian Art Museum.

@asianartmuseum

#asianartmuseum

ASIAN ART MUSEUM

Visit asianart.org for up-to-date information on museum hours.

S P R I N G 20 21

NEW MUSEUM HOURS

SPRING 2021 MEMBERS’ MAGAZINE

ASIAN ART MUSEUM Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art & Culture www.asianart.org 200 Larkin Street San Francisco, CA 94102 USA

Non-Profit Organization U. S . Po s t a g e P A I D Asian Art Museum of San Francisco