|
NEW ASIA SOCIETY AND MUSEUM OPENS TO THE PUBLIC
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2001
The new Asia Society and Museum opened its doors to the public on Saturday, November 17, 2001, with the unveiling of a dramatic new design that reconfigures the interior spaces of the Society's world headquarters at 725 Park Avenue. The new design doubles the Society's gallery and public spaces, and vastly enhances its conference, education, and performance facilities.
"The major renovation and enhancement of the Society's headquarters enables the organization to reach a broad national audience through public briefings, exhibitions, cultural programs, education materials and web resources. In the wake of the tragic events of September 11, 2001, the American public has demonstrated a thirst for reliable information about Afghanistan and the surrounding regions, making the Society's leading role in educating the American public on all parts of Asia, including Central and South Asia, more crucial than ever," said Nicholas Platt, President of the Asia Society.
New gallery spaces significantly expand the number and range of exhibitions the Asia Society and Museum offers, while a redesigned entrance lobby on Park Avenue and public spaces on the first floor create a gracious and engaging space for visitors to linger and learn. An innovative new media information system and a new Visitor Center enables visitors to access an extensive database of information about Asian culture, society, and events around the world, as well as to learn more about the Society's programming and exhibitions. A glass-enclosed, sky-lit Garden Court floods the lobby with light and has art installations, flowering vines and trees, and a café. The Garden Court also serves as a venue for informal performances, readings, discussions with artists, and other special events. As a reflection of the scope of these changes, the 725 Park Avenue facility has been re-named the Asia Society and Museum.
Redesign Elements
Noted New York architect Bartholomew Voorsanger conceived the new design for the Asia Society and Museum. The renovation of the Asia Society's headquarters, designed in 1980 by Edward Larrabee Barnes, adds dramatic elements to the Society's public facilities. A new, gently curving staircase connects all the public levels from the auditorium to the third floor galleries. The staircase - made of blue laminated glass steps and a white steel structure - along with blue marble floors in the Garden Court subtly evoke the colors of Asian ceramics while at the same time giving the spaces a contemporary feel. The new exhibition galleries feature bamboo floors in an invocation of Asian landscapes and architecture.
An innovative addition to the new public spaces is digital information signage. Using the latest technologies, three distinct areas of digital displays lead guests progressively through the architectural space with a combination of visual information and interactive exploration. The installations, created and designed by Small Design Firm, Inc., include large-scale visual projections and a seating area with custom browsers. The displays allow users to access a wide range of information, from breaking news, to interpretation of world events and information on the more than thirty countries that comprise Asia.
In addition, the size of the store has doubled, creating special areas for readings and events. The store's offerings have expanded to include a diverse collection of unique home accents and gifts from all over Asia to complement the Society's renowned book selection. The store showcases the creative works of Asian and Asian American artisans and is committed to finding and promoting new design talent.
Inaugural Exhibitions
The Asia Society is presenting three inaugural exhibitions in its new museum galleries. The exhibitions demonstrate the range of the Society's exploration of the visual arts, engaging ancient aesthetic traditions as well as addressing the experiences and lives of Asians and Asian Americans today.
"Since the Asia Society's inception, our mandate has been to actively engage our audiences in the exploration of Asian cultures through their art forms. Increasingly, this has included contemporary, as well as traditional expressions," said Vishakha N. Desai, Senior Vice President of the Asia Society and Director of the Museum and Cultural Programs. "With our new museum spaces, the Society can expand its role in introducing traditional and contemporary Asian and Asian American art to wider audiences. The renovations provide our staff with the proper facilities to conceive and realize a greater range of inspired cultural programming than was previously possible."
The Society's first major exhibition in the new facility is Monks and Merchants: Silk Road Treasures from Northwest China, 4th - 7th Century. The exhibition comprises more than 120 spectacular artifacts - including Buddhist images, metalwork, textiles, glass, and funerary furniture and ceramics - from the only stretch of the Silk Road that traversed ancient China. Many of these treasures have only recently been excavated and are being seen for the first time in the U.S. in this exhibition. The exhibition reveals the complex cultural influences that occurred between China and the West during the period when communication along the Silk Road was at its height.
For the inaugural installation of works from its permanent collection, The Creative Eye: New Perspectives on the Asia Society's Rockefeller Collection, the Asia Society has invited prominent artists, writers, musicians, and performing artists with special connections to Asian arts and cultures to select pieces they find particularly intriguing or inspiring. The artists, ranging from Bill Viola and Laurie Anderson to Gita Mehta and Xu Bing, describe their personal reactions to the works in a brochure accompanying the exhibition. Their perspectives create unexpected aesthetic links and contrasts between the artworks, stimulating viewers to examine their own reactions to the pieces and to explore new ways in which cultures can be perceived. The Creative Eye is the first in a series of new installations of the permanent collection - Viewpoints: New Perspectives on the Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection of the Asia Society.
The Asia Society's permanent collection is recognized as one of the finest Asian art collections in the U.S. Rather than focusing on a particular period or style, the collection features a very select group of masterworks - each considered to reflect the highest possible level of perfection. The new gallery spaces enable the Society to display pieces from the collection on a continuous basis.
The Society's third major exhibition is Conversations with Traditions: Shahzia Sikander and Nilima Sheikh, a collaborative exhibition of works by two female artists: Nilima Sheikh, born in undivided, pre-independent India and still living and working in that country; and Shahzia Sikander, in her 30s, born in Pakistan and now based in New York. Both artists draw on the traditional techniques of Indian miniature painting in their work to explore social issues facing their nations and world today, ranging from the confrontation between modernity and long-held traditions, religious conflicts and harmonies, and the role of women in their society and in the West. Conversations with Traditions includes some of their early works, as well as new pieces created specifically for this exhibition.
Contemporary Arts Commissions and New Curatorial Post
The Asia Society has commissioned eight major new works from nine Asian and Asian American contemporary artists as part of the creation of its new facility. These works will be long-term installations, on view throughout the Society's public spaces and will be unveiled at the November 2001 opening. The pieces include a sculptural seating arrangement in the main lobby; works suspended from the ceiling of the new Garden Court; a neon sculpture also installed in the Garden Court; and large-scale wall-mounted panels. Commissioned artists include: Heri Dono, Yong Soon Min, Vong Phaophanit, Navin Rawanchaikul, Nilima Sheikh, Shahzia Sikander, Sarah Sze, Xu Bing and Xu Guodong.
To further support its commitment to contemporary Asian art the Asia Society has established a new curatorial position, with a special endowment from a trustee of the Society. The position, Curator of Contemporary Asian and Asian American Art, will be a rotating post designed to train young curators for leadership roles in art institutions around the world. Melissa Chiu, Founding Director of the Asia-Australia Arts Centre in Sydney, Australia, has joined the Museum in this new capacity.
Inaugural Season Performing Arts and Public Programs
The Society planned groundbreaking performing arts programming in conjunction with the opening. Beginning October 27, the Society joined with the Museum of Chinese in the Americas and Music From China to present a new opera, The Floating Box: A Story in Chinatown. The opera featured music by the Asia Society's composer-in-residence Jason Kao Hwang and was directed by Jean Randich. Inspired by oral histories taken in New York's Chinatown by Hwang and the opera's composer and librettist Catherine Filloux, The Floating Box explores the universal struggle of immigrants in America through the journey of an immigrant family over continents, languages and generations. The opera score, sung in English, was accompanied by an orchestra made up of Chinese and Western instruments.
Also this fall, a special event series entitled Soul of Asia explores issues of spirituality in Asia and how Asian religions, philosophies, and cultural traditions impact contemporary life in Asia and the West.
Every Friday from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. the galleries are open free and on special Fridays-the first Friday of each month-the Asia Society offers evening programs including music, poetry, films and other events, along with refreshments. The dramatically redesigned AsiaStore offers the best in Asian design, as well as an extensive book selection and much more.
After September 11, 2001
In response of the tragic events of September 11, the Asia Society has launched a major education initiative, America's Crisis: Asian Perspectives. A series of briefings provide expert insights on the impact of the recent crisis on international business and policy. In addition, an extensive resource is available on the Society's award-winning website, AsiaSource.org, featuring background information on the countries and cultures of Central Asia. The site includes special reports, regional maps, suggested readings and links to other relevant sites. In addition, AskAsia.org, the Society's K-12 education website, is providing resources to support teaching and learning about the countries affected by the September 11, attacks.
Recognizing that the current crisis has exposed a lack of understanding about many Asian immigrant communities--especially Muslims--the Society is also presenting a series of exhibitions, films, and lectures by noted experts that will provide information about the Islamic world from a variety of regional and thematic perspectives. Programs and lectures explore Islamic movements throughout Central, South, Southeast and Northeast Asia, with emphasis on the cultural adaptations of Islam.
Policy and Business Programs
To broaden the understanding of Asia’s dynamic political and business environment, the Asia Society’s Policy and Business Programs Division organizes timely and insightful programs throughout the U.S. and Asia. In response to the events of September 11, Policy and Business Programs has begun a new luncheon series, After the World Trade Center: The Impact on Asia and the International Business Community, providing a forum for business leaders to present Asian and American perspectives.
A major new multi-year initiative, the Asian Social Issues Program (ASIP), was launched in 2000 to engage Americans in a dialogue with Asians about communities and conflict resolution, the environment, migration across and within national boundaries, and human rights. The program focuses on solutions to these issues that can be implemented from the grassroots to government level.
The renovation brings a communications technology infrastructure that will enable the Society to coordinate programs in multiple locations worldwide, instantly linking audiences and individuals around the globe. These capabilities will tremendously strengthen the Society’s ability to bring together world leaders, policymakers, corporate executives, leaders of non-governmental organizations, scholars, and the media to respond to fast-breaking events and trends in Asia. These technologies will also play a critical role in both the Society’s education initiatives and arts programming.
Education Initiatives
The Asia Society’s Education Division is a leader in providing teachers and schools with support and resources to improve teaching and learning about Asia at the elementary and secondary levels. This year the Society launched a major new initiative designed to enable decision makers for K-12 education to expand the efforts to enrich the nation’s curriculum offerings on Asia. The new National Commission on Asia in Schools is composed of leading education, public policy, and business professionals. The Commission has issued a report recommending strategies to be acted on immediately, with the Society and other institutions taking a leading role in implementing them. This long-term effort of the Society will be furthered by new teaching facilities at the Society’s New York headquarters. The Asia Society will bring together a group of noted education specialists for a special roundtable to discuss strategies to improve teaching about Asia in elementary and secondary schools.
Asia Society Internet Sites and Resources
The Asia Society is a leader in the use of communications technology and the Internet to reach and connect people
around the world. The Society's Web sites, which have earned more than a dozen national awards for excellence,
include:
www.AsiaSociety.org - provides information about the Society's programs, exhibitions, and permanent
collection, as well as general background on the Society.
www.AskAsia.org - is one of the premiere resources for K-12 educators and students interested
in Asian and Asian American studies.
www.AsiaSource.org - presents interpretation of breaking news stories, analysis of trends in Asia,
guides to Asian visual and performing arts, access to country profiles, and more.
www.AsiaBusinessToday.org - provides knowledgeable, unbiased information on a range of issues including
US-Asia trade, technology developments, and global finance.
www.AsiaFood.org - online resource on Asian cuisines featuring two searchable databases of over
500 recipes and glossary terms.
The interconnected sites offer enormous resources of information on Asia, including background and interpretation
of breaking news stories, analysis on trends in Asia and guides to Asian visual and performing arts, as well as
access to country profiles and experts on all aspects of Asian public affairs, history, and culture. The renovation
will enable the Society to use interactive technologies to more effectively promote communication between the peoples
of Asia and America.
Asia Society Around the World
The Asia Society's New York headquarters serves as the central hub of an international network of Regional Centers
in Hong Kong, Houston, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Australia, as well as Representative Offices in Shanghai,
San Francisco, and Manila. The Society's centers and offices in Asia address a critical need for meeting grounds
where Asians can work together across geopolitical boundaries and expand their contacts with the United States.
Renovating the Society's headquarters will improve communications between these worldwide locations and allow seamless
coordination of the hundreds of programs, performances, conferences, seminars, and symposia held at these sites
each year.
# # #
|
|
| Country Profiles |
 |
 |
| Find maps and statistics for Asian countries. You can also compare
statistics between countries by using our comparison tool. |
|
|
| AsiaSource Experts Database |
|
| Doing research for a story? Need someone to interview? Check out this database of scholarly experts on Asia. |
|
|
