Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, Spring 2018 by Asian Art Museum

SPRING 2018 Membersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Magazine

CELEBRATING 15 YEARS IN THE CIVIC CENTER March 22, 2018, marks the 15th anniversary of the opening of our Civic Center home. Here’s a photo of Emily Sano, then director of the museum, with Mayor Willie Brown on opening day. Many will remember that March 22, 2003, was the day the U.S. invaded Iraq. True to San Francisco’s commitment to civic engagement, spontaneous peaceful protests against the war broke out all over the city. Some of the protesters, however, took time out to visit the museum on opening day, checking in their signs at coat check before joining more than 8,000 other visitors to explore the latest jewel in the city’s cultural crown.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SPRING 2018 /// VOL. VIII, ISSUE 1 The Asian Art Museum Members’ Magazine MAGAZINE STAFF Tim Hallman, Editor-in-Chief Nada B. Perrone, Deputy Chief of Philanthropy Kate Ritchey, Creative Director Sheng Moua, Art Director / Graphic Designer Nina Lewallen Hufford, Writer / Editor Kevin Candland, 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 · www.asianart.org · magazine@asianart.org Copyright © 2018 Asian Art Museum of San Francisco

MUSEUM HOURS Tue–Sun. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 AM–5 PM Thurs (Feb 8–Sep 27). . . . . . 10 AM–9 PM Mon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Closed

Visit www.asianart.org for additional closings and special hours.

Front: The Buddhist deity Guhyasamaja (detail), approx. 1400– 1500. China; Beijing, Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Bronze with gilding. Asian Art Museum, The Avery Brundage Collection, B64B23. Photograph © Asian Art Museum. Back: The Buddhist deity Ragaraja (Aizen) (detail). Japan; Edo period (1615–1868). Wood with gilding, colors, and crystal. Asian Art Museum, The Avery Brundage Collection, B60S9+. Photograph © Asian Art Museum.

SEE YOU AT THE MUSEUM!

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FROM THE DIRECTOR JAY XU — This spring, 15 years after we opened the doors of our Civic Center home, we break ground on our new special exhibition Pavilion, a significant moment in the transformation of your Asian Art Museum experience. See page 17 to learn about the project contractors, Swinerton Builders, and changes you will see in the coming months as construction begins. Throughout the project, we will do our utmost to minimize the impact of construction on visitors. We will remain open during the transformation with impressive special exhibitions that you won’t want to miss. The thought-provoking Divine Bodies is the fruit of a rich collaboration among three of our curators (page 4). A Guided Tour of Hell (page 15) showcases powerful paintings by Tibetan American artist Pema Namdol Thaye. Artist Eliza Gregory explores the immigrant experience in Testimony (page 14). Traces of the Past and Future (page 13) celebrates the artistic achievements of Fu Shen, a lifelong scholar of Chinese art.

ART BITES

NEWS FROM THE ASIAN ART MUSEUM

ONE GREAT PHOTO AT A TIME 100 megapixels. 16 bits of color. 15 stops of dynamic range. The specs of the museum’s new medium-format camera will have gadget geeks salivating. But for the rest of us, it means that the museum has elevated its already high-quality imaging to world-class standards. The camera’s incredibly high resolution produces stunning clarity. Instead of taking multiple shots of an artwork, museum photographer Kevin Candland can extract details from a single overall image. Researchers can discern brushstrokes that they would not have been able to see in the original. The camera can also capture subtle gradations of a hue. “Curators have been able to see multiple variations of blue in a ceramic glaze that they hadn’t been able to see in a photograph before,” says Candland. The new camera will also help protect precious artworks. The quality is such that in many cases conservators, curators and researchers will be able to refer to images rather than the original artwork, saving a delicate handscroll from frequently being unrolled, for instance. "We can now share the museum collection with people across the world in a way never before possible," says Candland. n

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Left: Museum photographer Kevin Candland using the new camera to photograph a screen. Below: This pair of images shows the difference in resolution between a photograph taken with a previous camera (left) and one taken with the new mediumformat camera (right). The Buddhist deity Vajrabhairava (detail), approx. 1700–1800. Tibet. Bronze with gilding. Asian Art Museum, The Avery Brundage Collection, B60B139. Photograph © Asian Art Museum.

ART BITES

KEEPING THE DRAGON HAPPY Hung Yi’s Dragon Fortune, the whimsical sculpture adorned with auspicious symbols who guards the front steps of the Asian Art Museum, suffered a few dents and scrapes as he stood sentry over the past year. “It is a fact of life for outdoor sculpture,” says Kathy Z. Gillis, the museum’s head of conservation. After identifying areas of damage, she invited representatives from the artist’s studio and his gallery in Taipei to come to San Francisco to patch up our lucky dragon. It was their first time restoring a sculpture on-site instead of in their studio. Over the course of two days, the skilled technicians treated each area with a seven-step process, from sanding and masking to airbrushing and waxing. The coating on the surface of the sculpture is automotive paint, so the process was not unlike repairing a dent or scratch on your car — except for the painstaking replication of the complex patterns and matching of multiple colors. Museum conservators will continue to clean and wax Dragon Fortune every two months. “A lot of work goes into maintaining art that lives outdoors, but it’s worth it,” says Gillis. The newly spiffy dragon will continue to bring the museum and its visitors good fortune for years to come. n One of the technicians from the artist's studio restoring Dragon Fortune, October 2017. Dragon Fortune (detail), 2014, by Hung Yi (Taiwanese, b. 1970). Baked enamel on steel plate. Asian Art Museum, Gift of Victor Ou, InSian Gallery, F2016.3. © Hung Yi. Photograph © Asian Art Museum.

SAN FRANCISCO CELEBRATES ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH May marks the 40th anniversary of Asian Pacific American (APA) Heritage Month. San Francisco is the place to be for this nationwide celebration of the culture, traditions and history of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States. The Asian Art Museum is pleased to be partnering with the city of San Francisco, San Francisco Public Library, Center for Asian American Media (CAAM), the Asian Pacific Fund’s Growing Up Asian in America Contest and other local organizations to commemorate this significant occasion. On Sunday, May 6, we are offering a free, museum-wide celebration of APA Heritage Month with an artist’s talk, kids’ tours, art-making and music. Composer-performer Van-Anh Vo and choreographer Jo Kreiter talk about their upcoming project, Tender, an aerial dance performed on the facade of the Tenderloin’s Cadillac Hotel; a short performance of the music follows the talk. The streets will be closed for Sunday Streets, so the celebration can spill out into the Civic Center for nonstop fun.

Lead funding for the Asian Art Museum’s Cultural Celebrations is generously provided by Kaiser Permanente. Major funding is provided by Bank of America. Additional funding is provided by Dodge & Cox and The Joseph & Mercedes McMicking Foundation. Support is also provided by an endowment established by The Hearst Foundations.

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Find more APA Heritage Month events by going to the websites of APA, CAAM and the San Francisco Public Library. n

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MAR 9 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; JUL 29 | FIRST FLOOR | SPECIAL EXHIBITION GALLERIES

SHIFTING PERSPECTIVES

What happens when we begin to look at objects in the collection

Pamela Singh and Vivan Sundaram, address an issue central to

not only as artworks but also as devotional images? Much of the

the exhibition: How can we discover meaning in an impermanent

world’s art has been created in the service of religious belief

world?

and practice yet is experienced today primarily in the secular

galleries of art museums. How do we begin to see these objects

described in the following pages, that encourage us to see the

in a new light? As this exhibition emphasizes, in Hindu and Buddhist

human in the divine and the divine in the human.

Divine Bodies is organized into four thematic sections,

traditions, a devotional image does not just represent a deity – it embodies divinity, and is imbued with agency and potency.

What happens when the divine gets a body? Artists from

across Asia have depicted the divine — Hindu gods and goddesses, buddhas and bodhisattvas — in human form. Familiar facial features and corporeal figures allow mortals to relate to immortals, establishing an ongoing interaction between human and divine bodies: between material and ethereal, physical and metaphysical, body and cosmos, finite and infinite.

What happens when we juxtapose divine bodies from different

artistic cultures? The perfection of a god’s physical body is understood in Hindu traditions to be emblematic of inner beauty and spiritual supremacy, and the Buddha’s flawless face and distinctive symbolic markings express his inner perfection. But what is considered beautiful, or flawless? Viewing divine bodies from different regions side by side reveals universal themes as well as culturally specific ideals of beauty and godliness.

What happens when we view traditional devotional images

alongside contemporary works? When seen in the context of historical sacred works, videos and photographs made for a global, secular art world can also be understood as expressions by artists Gauri Gill, David and Hi-Jin Hodge, Dayanita Singh, Left: The Buddhist deity Guhyasamaja (detail), approx. 1400–1500. China; Beijing, Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Bronze with gilding. Asian Art Museum, The Avery Brundage Collection, B64B23. Above: The Hindu deity Parvati (detail), approx. 1050–1100. India; Jaynagar-Hasanpur, Bihar state. Basalt. Asian Art Museum, Museum purchase, B67S2. Photographs © Asian Art Museum.

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of the relationship between human and divine. These works,

Death of the Buddha Shakyamuni (detail), approx. 1700–1800. Tibet. Colors on cotton. Asian Art Museum, The Avery Brundage Collection, B66D23. Photograph © Asian Art Museum.

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TRANSIENCE AND TRANSCENDENCE Works in this section of the exhibition invite us to ponder both

impermanence and its potential transcendence. More than

mortality by positing a divine realm that exists beyond

100 interviewees in David and Hi-Jin Hodge’s video work

limitations of space and time. Many Buddhists and Christians,

Impermanence reflect on how human lives, although transitory,

for example, understand the founder of their faith as a being

can have meaning. The participants’ moving responses

who, after death, transcended time and dissolution. While the

emphasize that just as impermanence (anitya) is a central

Tibetan thangka Death of the Buddha Shakyamuni (approx.

concept in Buddhism, it is also a universal human concern.

1700–1800) depicts the decease of the historical Buddha,

Gauri Gill’s Traces series (1999–ongoing) documents the

it also reveals a rainbow of light emanating from his physical

graves of nomadic peoples in the remote deserts of Rajasthan.

relics, signaling his attainment of immortality. Similarly, a

Gill’s quiet photographs visually preserve these ephemeral

wooden sculpture of the crucified Christ from the Philippines

monuments, poignant symbols of the transience of life and

encapsulates both the moment of Jesus’ death and the

the importance we place on the moment of transition from

promise of his resurrection into a divine realm.

earthly to unearthly realms.

Many religions offer a solution to the problem of our

EMBODYING THE SACRED We all communicate with our bodies. Body language, modes of dress and adornment and other visual cues convey our cultural values as well as our personal self-image. Portraying gods in human form also expresses culturally determined ideals, both of beauty and divinity.

This section of the exhibition presents a thought-provoking

juxtaposition of sculptural images of the Buddha from China, Indonesia, India, Thailand and Pakistan. The differences among the depictions, from the shape of the face to details of adornment, suggest how each culture perceived the highest form of beauty. Artists drew on their contemporary, culturally specific conceptions of a flawless visage to convey the divine perfection of the enlightened Buddha. These recognizable faces offered devotees relatable paths of action, hope and inspiration.

Yet there is also a remarkable consistency across these

images. Artists incorporated into these works a codified set of facial marks and features, such as downcast eyes, a gentle smile, a topknot and elongated ears, that represents the Buddha’s qualities. These outward marks were understood as symbols of the Buddha’s character as well as indicators of his past and Head of a Buddha image (detail), approx. 300–500. Pakistan; Peshawar valley, former kingdom of Gandhara. Stone (schist). Asian Art Museum, The Avery Brundage Collection, B60S419. Photograph © Asian Art Museum.

future actions. Here the invisible inner perfection of the Buddha is made visible, manifest on the body’s external surface.

Divine Bodies: Sacred Imagery in Asian Art Member Price $17.95

Non-Member Price $19.95 With probing essays and gorgeous photographs, this catalogue will guide you to think more deeply about the provocative issues raised by Divine Bodies. DIVINE BODIES SACRED IMAGERY IN ASIAN ART

Sacred Imagery in Asian Art

artworks in her introductory essay. Jeffrey Durham’s contribution focuses on the Buddhist works on view in the exhibition, while Karin Oen writes about the contemporary photographic series. Paper, 128 pages, 130 illustrations. Available at the museum store and online. Visit store.asianart.org or call 415.581.3600.

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DIVINE BODIES

Qamar Adamjee provides a synthetic overview of exhibition themes and

ASPECTS OF DIVINITY Imbuing sacred images with recognizable emotional states helps bridge the gap between human and divine. This section of the exhibition shows us the many aspects of the gods — beautiful, sensual, fierce and gentle.

A beautiful image of a deity was intended to inspire

devotees by captivating them with wonder and delight. For example, the splendor of a gilded copper White Tara from Nepal (1400–1500) — flawless facial features, voluptuous body and elaborate ornaments — radiates divine perfection. In a sensual bronze Shiva from Tamil Nadu (approx. 1300– 1400), qualities of inner perfection are rendered as an elegant yogic body. Shiva’s pose is pliant, as if arrested in the swaying motion of his gait, and you can almost visualize the breath (prana) flowing through his body.

In contrast, divine figures often appear in fierce forms

when they must do battle with the forces of negativity. A stone stele of Vajra Tara, or Thunderbolt Tara, from India (1075–1200) depicts the ferocious form of the goddess. In each of her eight arms, she bears an implement that violently removes obstacles to enlightenment.

Artists sometimes make gods more approachable by

depicting them as gentle, or with humor. Vivan Sundaram’s mixed-media series Khajuraho (1965) draws on this tradition, using comic absurdity to collapse boundaries between secular and sacred. By drawing contemporary clothing and accessories, and even witty speech bubbles, on photographs of sacred sculptures, the artist humanizes the divine body. In a similar vein, Pamela Singh uses her own often fleeting image in composite photographs that slyly raise questions

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about presence and absence.

The Buddhist deity White Tara (detail), approx. 1400–1500. Nepal. Copper with gilding, turquoise, lapis lazuli, other gemstones, and glass. Asian Art Museum, The Avery Brundage Collection, B60S22+. Right: Mona and Myself (still), 2013, by Dayanita Singh (Indian, b. 1961). Single-channel video with sound. Courtesy the artist and Frith Street Gallery, London. © Dayanita Singh. Photographs © Asian Art Museum.

DIVINE METAMORPHOSIS This section groups together several distinct bodily forms of

armed human body, the form he adopted to dive beneath the

a single Hindu or Buddhist deity, suggesting the centrality

oceans to save Earth. In a 15th-century stone sculpture from

of metamorphosis to notions of the divine. Sometimes

Southern India, Vishnu is depicted in his human incarnation

different cultural or ritual contexts account for these various

as the flute-playing Krishna.

appearances, as in the contrasting representations of the

bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara from the Himalayas, Tibet, China

Dayanita Singh documents the life of a eunuch and member

and Thailand.

of Delhi’s hijra community. Born male and self-identified

In the series Mona Ahmed (1999–2017), photographer

as female, hijra are considered a third sex in India and are simultaneously shunned and revered as close to the divine.

pillar”) to his animal, human or hybrid avatars when entering

Like the other artworks in this section, these photographs

the human world. For instance, a stone Vishnu from India

show the power of transformation, be it physical, emotional

(approx. 1000) shows the god with a boar’s head and a four-

or spiritual. n

Divine Bodies is organized by the Asian Art Museum. Presentation is made possible with the generous support of The Akiko Yamazaki and Jerry Yang Fund for Excellence in Exhibitions and Presentations, The Bernard Osher Foundation, Dixon and Carol Doll Family Foundation and Warren Felson and Lucy Sun.

SPRING 2018 /// 9

The Hindu god Vishnu, for example, assumes various

forms, from his iconic devotional standing pose (the “cosmic

PUBLIC PROGRAMMING

THINKING ABOUT THE YOGIC BODY How does yoga mediate the boundary between the visible body and the invisible body? James Mallinson and Mark Singleton, authors of “Roots of Yoga” and principal researchers on The Hatha Yoga Project, share their profound insights into this question and the themes behind Divine Bodies in a lecture/conversation on Saturday, Jul. 7. To whet your appetite, here are excerpts from their interview with curator Qamar Adamjee. What do you see as the relationship between the physical and nonphysical aspects of the body? Some aspects of the traditional yogic body are clearly physical, such as granthis, or knots, that block the central channel through which the kundalini energy rises. Some aspects are “imagined” in the body, such as the famous chakras, but without being any less real. And sometimes the yogic body may vacillate between what we might think of as physical and non-physical; in some later hatha yoga texts, for example, physical methods for cleaning the body are said to also purify the chakras. Can inner states of the body be visibly manifest in physical form? Yes. During breath control (pranayama), the body is said to tremble, then jump like a frog and finally levitate. And yogic practices may also result in the attainment of special powers (siddhis), such as being able to grow as big as the universe or as small as an atom. Certain hatha yoga procedures are believed to cure disease, turn gray hair jet-black and maybe even render one immortal. In what ways have modern understandings of the body, advanced by Western medical and scientific discourse, obscured other conceptualizations of the body? From the mid-19th century onward, yoga began to be examined in the light of modern biomedicine and science. Early experiments tested the efficacy of practices like posture (asana) and mudra (techniques for manipulating the body’s vital energies) and emphasized their medical 10 /// ASIAN ART MUSEUM

potential. This inevitably obscured more traditional features of the esoteric, yogic body that could not readily be measured with scientific instruments. n

Above: Dr. James Mallinson. Photograph courtesy of Dr. James Mallinson. Below: Mark Singleton. Photograph courtesy of Mark Singleton.

Other upcoming Divine Bodies programs include a series of movement workshops with Urban Jazz Dance Company’s Antoine Hunter and Zahna Simon, directors of the Bay Area International Deaf Dance Festival, beginning on Apr. 15.

PUBLIC PROGRAMMING

WHAT’S THE BIG IDEA?

ASIAN ARCHITECTURE TODAY

Asian Architecture Today is co-presented by the Architecture Division at California College of the Arts. Left: Speed Art Museum, Louisville, Kentucky, expansion design by wHY, 2016. Photograph © wHY.

Architecture is in the air here as we begin construction on our new

of disciplines, the convergence of ideas, experience, nature and

special exhibition Pavilion. But what ideas motivate architects

people.”

working today? Find out from practitioners themselves at a lecture

series spotlighting Asian and Asian American architects with

recent projects that combine traditional Chinese building practices

international practices.

with a modern formal language of architecture. “I design a house

Kulapat Yantrasast of wHY kicks off the series on Feb. 8 with a

instead of a building,” declares the Hangzhou-based Wang, winner

discussion of recent projects that articulate his design philosophy,

of the 2012 Pritzker Prize and dean of the School of Architecture

including the expansion and renovation of the Asian Art Museum

of the China Academy of Art. The name of his firm, Amateur

and his winning competition design for the Ross Pavilion and

Architecture Studio, founded with his wife Lu Wenyu, reflects this

Gardens in Edinburgh, Scotland. These designs embody wHY’s

approach toward architecture as part of everyday life. Find the

approach, which is built around what Yantrasast calls “an ecology

series schedule on our website, www.asianart.org. n

San Francisco Unified School District Arts Festival MAR 15–21

Other Thursday Night Programs Include: Tasting Menu: Foodie leaders share their culinary philosophies — and a taste of their cuisine. Artists Drawing Club: Artists curate creative one-time-only happenings. For Lunar Society Members: Includes Asian Art 101, Craft Night and Tales and Cocktails. Visit www.asianart.org/thursday-nights for details.

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This spring, we’re proud to host the 32nd annual San Francisco Unified School District Arts Festival. Join us for this celebration of student creativity featuring art, music, drama, dance and more by pre-K through 12th-grade students from local public schools. Bring your family to the Community Celebration on Mar. 15 to enjoy performances and exhibits of visual, literary and media arts.

On Mar. 29, Wang Shu talks about Asian architecture today and

PUBLIC PROGRAMMING

ART SPEAK

10 YEARS OF TEEN ART EDUCATORS AT THE ASIAN ART MUSEUM

They come from all over the Bay Area and with interests as varied as surfing, cosplay, watercolor, writing and activism. For 10 months, these public high school students work as paid interns at the Asian Art Museum, expanding their horizons and ours.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Asian Art Museum’s Art Speak internship

program. “We wanted to foster independent, personal experiences with art for this post–field trip age group,” says Allison Wyckoff, associate director, public and community programs, “and to create opportunities for them to see themselves reflected in the museum.”

Art Speak is organized around four components: personal and professional skills build-

ing, social justice, working with local artists and learning about Asian art and culture. Past interns credit the program with increasing their confidence, learning to ask deeper questions in everyday life, understanding the universality of art and appreciating museums as places for the community.

“It is empowering as a teenager to be trusted to represent the museum,” says Violet

Bryant, a 2013 intern. 12 /// ASIAN ART MUSEUM

If you have attended a Family Fun Day or a cultural celebration at the museum in the

past decade, you have probably met some of these amazing interns. They develop and lead the art activities, learning how to engage with museum visitors of all ages. “One of my most memorable moments was during Diwali Day, where we made paper lanterns and diya lamps,” says 2017 intern Helen Channary Heng. “Although they were difficult to make at first, I quickly Art Speak interns, 2017–2018. Photograph © Asian Art Museum. The Asian Art Museum’s Art Speak Program is generously supported by The Hearst Foundations and The Sato Foundation.

learned with the kids. I consider my work symbiotic — I try to teach kids, and they teach me, too.”

Hear directly from the students about their internship experiences by reading the Art

Speak blog, aamartspeak.wixsite.com/artspeak/blog. n

ON VIEW

TRACES OF THE PAST AND FUTURE

FU SHEN’S PAINTINGS AND CALLIGRAPHY DEC 5, 2017–SEP 16, 2018 2ND FLOOR GALLERY 18

Patching the Broken Net in seal script and cursive script, 2007, by Fu Shen (Chinese, b. 1937). Hanging scroll; ink on paper. Lent from a private collection. © Fu Shen. Photograph courtesy of Eros Zhao.

Fu Shen works at the intersection of landscape, calligraphy, poetry, ceramics and even memoir. A scholar of Chinese ink art, Fu has realized his own distinct voice after decades of study, connoisseurship, teaching and curating. He is celebrated for bringing out the painterly quality of calligraphy and weaving his own narrative into delicate depictions of mountains and trees. His work both honors and extends the rich tradition of Chinese ink art.

Early in his career, Fu mainly imitated the old masters. After faithfully copying

centuries-old handscrolls, he slyly added his own poetic colophons to mock those in the originals, inscribing himself into the lives of these pieces.

One of Fu’s major artistic explorations after retiring from teaching was in ceramics.

With Jar with motifs of spring flowers and autumn moon (2002), Fu follows the established practice of applying calligraphy to vases but announces the jar’s modernity with unexpectedly bright-colored glazes.

Patching the Broken Net (2007) is another example of Fu’s creative approach. In

this ink-on-paper hanging scroll, he depicts the fishing net of the title both pictorially and in an artistic rendering of three characters: patch, broken and net. The gestural characters, the meaning of the words and the painting of the net combine in a powerful work that conveys the message, “Never give up.”

Fu’s faithful yet fresh interpretations will give you a new understanding of Chinese

artistic practice. This intimate exhibition, featuring 18 representative works on loan from Taiwan, is

Fu’s first retrospective in the United States. We are honored to host this presentation on the occasion of Fu’s 80th birthday. n DR. FAN JEREMY ZHANG, SENIOR ASSOCIATE CURATOR OF CHINESE ART AND DR. LI HE, ASSOCIATE CURATOR OF CHINESE ART

Traces of the Past and Future: Fu Shen’s Paintings and Calligraphy is organized by Eros Zhao in collaboration with the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. Presentation is made possible with the generous support of Yanan Xu, Amy O’Dowd, and MDSUN in Los Angeles, California. Above: Jar with motifs of spring flowers and autumn moon, 2002, painted by Fu Shen (Chinese, b. 1937). Stoneware. Lent from a private collection. © Fu Shen. Photograph courtesy of Eros Zhao.

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ON VIEW

TESTIMONY APR 6–JUN 10, 2018 FIRST FLOOR RESOURCE ROOM

What Does It Mean to Belong?

“We don’t like to be called aliens.” — Alma “This doll is the same doll my ex-girlfriend has in London, though I don’t know if she still has hers. Even immigrants get their hearts broken.” — Jack

Immigration has become a pressing issue, one that defines our values as a country. In an analysis of her Tenderloin neighborhood, Alma, a teenager who came to San Francisco from Mexico more than 10 years ago, suggests that immigrants can be agents of positive change: There’s a lot of drug activity there. And down the block is City Hall, the ICE building. It’s ironic, you know? Because it’s like, how can some of the most important government officials’ buildings be right next to where some of the most dangerous or unclean places are? It doesn’t make sense to me, but I know that it can be fixed. Someone needs to raise awareness

and I feel like I could be that person. San Francisco has long been a city of immigrants; by 1860, at least half of its residents

were foreign-born. Today, 35 percent of San Franciscans were born in a country other than the United States. In this exhibition, artist Eliza Gregory introduces us to more than a dozen immigrants to San Francisco — from China, Germany, Guatemala, Iran, Korea, Mexico, Nepal, the Philippines, Russia and Vietnam — and asks, “What does it mean to belong?” For Testimony, Gregory invited these immigrants to tell their own stories. They relate their experiences through interviews; portrait photographs taken in special locations or with meaningful props; and objects such as a scrapbook, one-way plane ticket or a protest poster. Excerpts from interview transcripts touch on their lives before they came to the United States and how they adapted to a new culture.

Complex, multifaceted and sometimes unexpected, these accounts hint at thousands

of other untold tales, illuminating the lives of our neighbors, our families, ourselves. “The project asks people to listen to each other,” says Gregory. “I am trying to find new ways to tell stories that promote equality, tenderness and compassion.” n CAREN GUTIERREZ, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION AND INTERPRETATION

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AND MARC MAYER, SENIOR EDUCATOR OF CONTEMPORARY ART

Testimony Opening & Celebration

THURSDAY, APR 5 6:30–8:30 PM

Testimony is organized by the Asian Art Museum and funded in part by the California Arts Council, a state agency. Top to bottom: Alma’s notebook, 2017. Passport pictures, Nancy and her mother, 2017. Jack, San Francisco, 2017. All from the series Testimony by Eliza Gregory (American). Digital photographs. © Eliza Gregory.

ON VIEW

A GUIDED TOUR OF HELL APR 20–SEP 16, 2018 2ND FLOOR TATEUCHI GALLERY

What happens to us when we die? A powerful series of paintings vividly portrays one man’s descent into the Tibetan Buddhist circles of hell.

After collapsing in the hospital following heart surgery, longtime Buddhist teacher

Sam Bercholz felt himself being pulled violently down into a realm beyond life, where he witnessed dramatic suffering. Bercholz recounted the nightmarish imagery and intense sensations of this near-death experience to Tibetan American artist Pema Namdol Thaye. The artist translated these descriptions into a series of vibrant acrylic paintings, on view in this exhibition. Bercholz then contemplated these paintings as he composed a written narrative of his life-changing episode. The result of their collaboration is the graphic memoir A Guided Tour of Hell.

To convey Bercholz’s harrowing, Dante-esque journey, Thaye drew on his training in

traditional Tibetan arts as well as his childhood obsession with graphic novels. The series begins with Descent, a mandala as the axis of entry, a luminous orb with the fires of hell glowing from within. The Gates of Hell, a swirling blood-red vortex spinning with Bosch-like figures, draws us into the borderland between hot, overcrowded hells and cold, desolate hells. Other paintings forcefully depict the karmic suffering of “hell-beings” in fantastical landscapes, both fiery and crystalline. Yet Thaye’s art can also take on a more peaceful tone. For example, Janna Sophia portrays a goddess of compassion who shows Bercholz that pure kindness can ameliorate the anguish of those in hell.

After his immersive visit to the underworld, Bercholz suddenly returned to the cardiac

ward. He felt reborn into a brilliant space, depicted in the canvas Liberation as a blue-gray field of bodies receding toward a beckoning, shining light on the horizon. He realized that his contemplation of the true nature of suffering had brought him the gift of viewing his own existence with clarity and without judgment. The final painting in the series, Samsara,

DR. JEFFREY DURHAM, ASSISTANT CURATOR OF HIMALAYAN ART A Guided Tour of Hell is organized by the Asian Art Museum. Presentation is made possible with the generous support of Glen S. and Sakie T. Fukushima and Peter and Beverly Sinton. Above: Transcend (detail), 2015, by Pema Namdol Thaye (Tibetan, b. 1967). Acrylic on canvas. Lent by the artist. © Pema Namdol Thaye. Right: Triptych (detail), 2015, by Pema Namdol Thaye (Tibetan, b. 1967). Acrylic on canvas. Lent by the artist. © Pema Namdol Thaye.

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reminds us that hell is only one of six possible destinations on the karmic wheel of life. n

SOCIETY FOR ASIAN ART

SOCIETY FOR ASIAN ART BOOK SALE FRIDAY, APR 6 | 12:30–4 PM | LOGGIA

Left: Join the crowd at the Society for Asian Art’s April book hunt. Photograph courtesy Linda Shen Lei. Right: Ehler Spliedt, chair of the SAA’s book sale, shows off the “big” and “small” of last year’s sale: Romio Shrestha’s “Celestial Gallery” and Sun Tzu’s “Art of War.” Photograph courtesy of Peter Sinton.

Thousands of books, including collectors’ items, will be available

Over the past decade, the sale of donated books has raised more

at bargain prices at the Society for Asian Art’s annual book sale

than $85,000 for the museum’s library, one of the most extensive

benefiting the museum’s C. Laan Chun Library. Find fascinating

Asian art libraries in the country. The library uses the funds to

books on an array of topics, including Asian art, history, literature,

purchase subscriptions to more than 200 periodicals, essential

religion, culture, cooking, travel, textiles, jewelry and more.

resources for curators and other researchers. n

ARTS OF ASIA SPRING LECTURE SERIES CONTINUES

16 /// ASIAN ART MUSEUM

FRIDAYS THROUGH APR 27 | 10:30 AM–12:30 PM The Arts of Asia lecture series focusing on the exchange of art and

Due to construction during the museum’s transformation

ideas along global trade routes, Art on the Move Across Asia and

project, lectures will be held at UC Hastings College of the Law

Beyond – Part II, continues on Fridays this spring. Topics include

in Snodgrass Hall (Louis B. Mayer Lounge), 198 McAllister Street

the lives of famous Buddhist images, how East met West under

at Hyde Street. Series fee: $175 Society members, $200 non-

the Mongols, the transmission and cultural impact of metallurgy

members. Drop-in fee: $20 per lecture, subject to availability. n

across Eurasia, architecture and aesthetics in the Ottoman Empire, chinoiserie and Japonism, 18th-century exchanges in garden arts, the Empress of China and the beginning of US-China trade, collecting Asian art in the West and more.

For ticket and other information, visit societyforasianart.org

TRANSFORMATION

A HISTORIC PARTNERSHIP One hundred years after completing construction of the gracious

and buildings at Levi’s Plaza. The firm also has recent experience in

Beaux Arts San Francisco Main Library, which has been home to the

museum construction, having built the 1995 Mario Botta design for

Asian Art Museum since 2003, Swinerton Builders is returning to

SFMOMA and the new de Young Museum. “We love to give back to

serve as general contractor of the new Pavilion and museum renovation.

the community by building cultural projects. It’s so great to see the

“This project is a special opportunity to reconnect with a building

public enjoying and learning in these buildings,” says Foster.

from our history,” says Eric Foster, Swinerton president and COO. “We

Foster, who was principal-in-charge of the de Young project, is

love to work on longtime San Francisco institutions and to preserve the

enthusiastic about the plans for the Asian Art Museum transformation.

city’s architectural legacy by giving historic buildings new lives.”

“By adding a rooftop terrace to provide an indoor/outdoor experience,

Swinerton’s roots in San Francisco go back to 1900. One of the

the building will gain a wonderful new social space that will provide a

leading builders on the West Coast, it has constructed many local

new vantage point on the city. The Pavilion’s terra-cotta exterior panels

landmarks, including the Pacific Telephone & Telegraph Building, War

pay tribute to the original Beaux-Arts building and the architectural

Memorial Opera House, Sir Francis Drake Hotel, Neiman Marcus

legacy of the Civic Center while adding a strikingly modern touch.” n

WHAT TO EXPECT You will notice a few temporary changes at the museum in the coming months as we begin the transformation project. Throughout construction, a ramp for deliveries will occupy the left-hand doorway on Larkin Street. The entrance for staff, volunteers and vendors will be through this same door, currently marked Priority Entrance, and the security desk will relocate to the lobby. During this period, members should enter through the center doors. As part of the first phase of the project, the third-floor collection galleries will close for approximately six months for remodeling. The galleries on the second floor and the first-floor special exhibition galleries will remain open during this time. The Koret Education Center will be closed over the summer so that it can be renovated in time to welcome students in fall 2018. Asian Art Museum Pavilion exterior, concept design by wHY, 2017. The 13,000-squarefoot Pavilion will be clad in faceted terra-cotta that complements the rusticated granite facade of the existing Beaux-Arts building. Rendering © wHY and Asian Art Museum.

Be sure to visit www.asianart.org for temporary gallery closures and other construction updates. n

BY THE NUMBERS The new freight elevator will be able

The temporary front entry ramp

gallery (8,500 sf) will be equal to: 2

to carry 16,000 pounds, equal to: 3

weighs 3,150 pounds and requires 15

NBA courts, 4 singles tennis courts or

Nandi sculptures, 5 Toyota Priuses or

people to install.

189 ping-pong tables.

105 museum staff.

SPRING 2018 /// 17

The square footage of the new Pavilion

MEMBERSHIP

NEXUS MAKES AN IMPACT

This spring, visitors to the Asian Art Museum will have opportunities to experience spiritual transcendence and witness schoolchildren transcend artistic limits thanks to our Nexus members, a group of passionate and insightful patrons. Nexus members, who make unrestricted annual gifts of $25,000 or above, invest in transforming the lives of all those who visit the museum. Our special spring exhibition, Divine Bodies (see page 4), is made possible with support from Nexus funds. This groundbreaking presentation brings together historical and contemporary works from across Asia to encourage us to find the human in the divine and the divine in the human. “What I think is special about the Asian Art Museum is how its exhibitions thoughtfully weave together art, history, culture and contemporary experiences to spark inspiration. I support Nexus so that other visitors, especially children, have opportunities to be similarly inspired and informed,” says Lucy Sun, Nexus chair. Support from Nexus members is also crucial for educational programs such as the museum’s SFUSD Arts Festival (see page 11), an annual celebration of student creativity in visual, literary, media and performing arts. For more than 30 years, the festival has welcomed families, teachers, artists and community members to marvel at the creativity inherent in the youngest San Franciscans. “I value the Asian Art Museum’s dedication to kids,” says one San Francisco public school teacher. “My students love the arts festival; it’s an opportunity for them to showcase their individuality and have fun. It’s also a chance for me to show parents that art makes the whole child. I love how it brings everyone together!” To learn more about joining Nexus and how you can

Nexus Chair Lucy Sun at the preview and opening reception for Couture Korea. Photograph © Natalie N Photography.

make an impact, contact Mona Chang, major gifts officer, at 415.581.3766 or monachang@asianart.org. n

18 /// ASIAN ART MUSEUM

EXTRA MEMBER BENEFITS A MUSEUM FOR ALL, A MEMBERSHIP FOR YOU Our transformation project (see page 17) ensures that we will

member benefits you’ve come to love, such as free admission to

connect our visitors to the diversity, richness and significance of

special exhibitions. In addition, we’ve created extra benefits to thank

Asian art and culture long into the future. Thank you for supporting

you for your continued membership support during this exciting

this vision with your membership.

moment in our history. Questions? Please contact our membership

During our transformation, you can continue to enjoy all the

team at 415.581.3740 or members@asianart.org. n

MEMBERSHIP

For All Members

Enjoy these special perks in addition to your regular membership benefits. These new benefits are yours with your active membership — no additional donation is required. • Invitation to a grand unveiling celebration • A priority reservation window for the Asian Architecture Today lecture series • A members-only architecture tour • Exclusive previews of collection gallery reinstallations • Special members-only programming throughout the construction period

For Members at the $3,000 Level and Above

JADE CIRCLE TRAVEL PROGRAM

All of the benefits above, plus:

EXPERIENCE THE WINDY CITY APR 16–20, 2018

• An invitation to an exclusive

We invite you to join Wattis Senior Curator of South and Southeast Asian Art

reception at the grand

Dr. Forrest McGill for an unforgettable four days in one of the most dynamic

unveiling party

cities in the United States — Chicago.

• A behind-the-scenes talk about

the construction project

Chicago, the Field Museum of Natural History and the Museum of Contemporary

• A discussion with Deputy

Art, as well as a tour of the city’s architectural masterpieces. Experience Chicago

Director, Arts & Programs

as never before with intimate behind-the-scenes events and private collection

Dr. Robert Mintz on the future

visits, and enjoy world-class lodging and dining.

of art at the museum

• A one-of-a-kind thank-you gift

Nexus members. To register for the Chicago trip, or if you would like additional

Explore the Windy City’s rich culture with guided visits to the Art Institute of

information, please contact 415.581.3794 or jadecircle@asianart.org. n

SPRING 2018 /// 19

The Jade Circle Travel Program is open to Jade Circle Silver, Gold and

CAFE NEWS

SUNDAY AT THE MUSEUM

NEW MUSEUM CAFE OPENS MID-MARCH

Executive chef Deuki Hong expects to hear some giggles of recognition when people see his menu for the new cafe at the Asian Art Museum, dubbed Sunday at the Museum. The offerings will include favorites from the home kitchens of Asian American families rather than just the “greatest hits” you tend to see on standard restaurant menus. Dishes will include a seasonal rotation of bahn mi, dosa, soup dumplings, jianbing and more. “I am interested in nostalgia and in sharing culture. I want to feature tasty dishes that are close to people’s hearts,” says Hong, a Culinary Institute of America grad and co-author of the bestselling Koreatown: A Cookbook. You might be familiar with Hong’s popular Sunday Bird, a KFC (Korean fried chicken) pop-up tucked inside the Fillmore Street location of the Boba Guys bubble milk tea shop. After leaving the New York outpost of the smash-hit Korean barbecue restaurant Kang Ho Dong Baekjeong, Hong says he just wanted to cook fried chicken for a while. But now the Seoul-born, U.S.-raised chef is looking forward to creating Sunday at the Museum. The cafe is a production of Hong’s Sunday Hospitality Group partnership with Boba Guys’ Bin Chen and Andrew Chau. The collaboration brings together Hong’s food background with Chen and Chau’s expertise in tea and beverage service. The trio’s guiding principle for Sunday at the Museum is hospitality. They selected the name to evoke the warmth and comfort associated with the day of rest. “I want to create a place that is open and inviting, not a place where you need reservations, or a place you have to dress up for, but a place that is your kitchen, your home, your place,” says Hong.

20 /// ASIAN ART MUSEUM

For all of the Sunday Hospitality Group partners, the Above: Executive chef Deuki Hong at the Asian Art Museum. Photograph © Asian Art Museum. Below: Sunday Bird fried chicken sandwich, 2018, by Sunday Group. Photograph courtesy of Sunday Group and Boba Guys.

Cafe Closed

project is about more than just serving food. “Partnering with the Asian Art Museum? It means everything, to be honest. It’s about reconnecting with our culture, creating culture, bridging cultures.” “We are excited to be part of the energy of the Asian Art

FEB 6–MID-MAR

Museum’s transformation, rethinking how food and beverage can

Please note that the cafe will be closed to prepare for the opening of Sunday at the Museum.

smells of Asia. Like the museum, we want to be a platform for

augment visual experiences in the galleries with the tastes and talking about Asian culture.” n

RETAIL

MUSEUM STORE SPARKLES WITH NEW JEWELRY This spring, you will find two new tempting jewelry lines in the museum store.

Lai Designs has created a custom jewelry collection

specifically for the Asian Art Museum, inspired by the exhibition Divine Bodies. Lai Designs is known for contemporary sterling-silver jewelry handcrafted in Jaipur, India, by expert artisans using time-honored techniques. The founder and designer behind the India and California–based Lai Designs aims to weave together history, culture and craft to create modern jewelry that tells a story.

The store will also carry pieces from Didi Jewelry

Project. Didi features unique handcrafted items made by women in India who are affected by HIV/AIDS. You can proudly wear (or give) these beautiful earrings, bracelets and necklaces knowing that you are helping women create better lives for themselves and their families. n

Members $67.50–$225 Non-members $75–$250

Didi Jewelry Project Members $22.50–$67.50 Non-members $25–$75

Left: Bracelet and earrings by Didi Jewelry Project. Above: Woman from Didi Jewelry Project crafting a piece for the collection.

SPRING 2018 /// 21

Lai Designs

SCENE AT THE ASIAN

Sandy Calhoun, Asian Art Commissioner since 1969, with the late Mayor Ed Lee at the Commissioner’s Ceremony, San Francisco City Hall, November 30, 2017. Photograph © Natalie N Photography.

Asian Art Museum Board Chair Akiko Yamazaki announcing the museum’s campaign For All. Photograph © Natalie N Photography.

Gump Society members Howard and Cathy Moreland, Jordan Sachs, Pamela Royse, Don Buhman and Marsha Vargas Handley at the annual Gump Society Tea. Photograph © Natalie N Photography.

Members Alice So, Jen Cheng, Jenny Dong and Julia Fan with docent Myoung-ja Kwon — in traditional hanbok — at Tour, Talk & Tea: Couture Korea, a member favorite.

#AsianArtMuseum @namrataloka

Visitors enjoying Tasting Menu, Filipino Flavors of the Bay Area. Photograph by Quincy Stamper.

SCENE AT THE ASIAN

LIZ activation at the Asian Art Museum, November 2017. Photograph by Quincy Stamper.

Patron member Jeannie Sack mesmerized by fashion at the exhibition opening and reception celebrating Couture Korea. Photograph © Natalie N Photography.

Costume historian Dr. Minjee Kim demonstrates how to wear traditional Korean clothing (hanbok) at the Annual Nexus Dinner. Photograph © Natalie N Photography.

A FASHIONABLE FALL

Lunar Society Craft Night featuring a modern take on traditional Japanese shibori. Photograph © Asian Art Museum.

Fabulous fashion was the theme of the season and talk of the town, thanks to the exhibition Couture Korea and the many events it inspired. From the launch of the For All campaign in September to the museum’s first-ever holiday artisan market, the fall months were jam-packed with fun and flair. It was energizing to see you engage your hands — and minds — at workshops both in the museum and outside on the Art LIZ and tickle your taste buds at our Thursday night Tasting Menus. And we were pleased to honor our Gump Society Members at the annual tea and to recognize our longest-serving commissioner, Sandy Calhoun. n The Asian Art Museum Artisan Holiday Market, Nov. 29, 2017. Photograph © Asian Art Museum.

ANNUAL REPORT

Dear Members and Friends, As we eagerly look ahead to the new, transformed Asian Art Museum, we also want to look back at some of the significant achievements of the past year that you made possible through your generous support.

Fiscal Year 2017 Operating Budget $28.4 Million Unaudited, for the period of Jul. 1, 2016–Jun. 30, 2017. The Asian Art Museum’s audited financial statements are available online.

Members and donors like you have enabled us to provide inclusive

access to meaningful exhibitions and programs. Through our College Access, Teen Pass and field trip programs, along with the Discover & Go Pass offered in partnership with the San Francisco Public Library,

12%

more young people than ever before were able to visit the museum free of charge: in the field trip program alone, we welcomed 40,299 students along with their teachers and chaperones in fiscal year 2017. The Art Speak internship, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary (see page 12), has deeply engaged a diverse, motivated cohort of high school students.

37%

14% 15%

19%

In addition, we welcomed 42,767 visitors to more than 1,000 stimulating public programs.

We are dedicated to making the Asian Art Museum truly a museum

for all, so over the past year we have focused on increasing accessibility for all visitors. Digital wayfinding is now displayed in English, Spanish and Chinese and we offer Visitor Guides in both simplified and traditional Chinese. Large-print labels are provided in all special exhibition galleries,

Expenses 37% Art and Programs 19% Audience and Business Development 15% Finance and Operations 14% Security 12% Development 2% Human Resources

induction loops for those with hearing aids make sure everyone can follow along on guided tours, and transcripts of audio guides enable all visitors to get the most out of their museum visit. Our Stroller Tours offer a new, convenient way for those with very young children to visit the museum.

4% 2%

Conserving and growing our collection continues to be a priority and

is only possible because of your generosity. This year, we added 285 artworks to the collection — ranging from Philippine sculptures and

10%

Indonesian textiles to Ming dynasty calligraphy, Japanese Zen paintings and contemporary ceramics — and 2,003 works received care from our

43%

35%

24 /// ASIAN ART MUSEUM

conservation experts, a remarkable accomplishment.

In the following pages, we recognize those who have lent their support

this past year. We extend our deepest gratitude to those who have invested in the Asian Art Museum and its future. Jay Xu Director and CEO

Akiko Yamazaki Chair, Asian Art Commission and Asian Art Museum Foundation

Revenue 43% Contributed Income 35% City Allocation 10% Earned Income 6% Membership 4% Endowment Payout 2% Other Income

ANNUAL REPORT

Annual Giving Circles Your gifts to our Nexus, Jade Circle, Contemporary Council and membership programs allow 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.

NEXUS

Mr. and Mrs. Chong-Moon Lee

Donovan K. Ching

Lucy Sun, Chair

Alexandra and Dennis Lenehan

Rajnikant T. and Helen Crane Desai

Fred Levin & Nancy Livingston,

Doris Fisher

$50,000 and above

The Shenson Foundation

Anne Ja Forbes

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

Gorretti Lo Lui

Glen S. and Sakie T. Fukushima

Doris Shoong Lee and Theodore Bo Lee

John Maa, M.D.

Mimi Gardner Gates

Akiko Yamazaki and Jerry Yang

Kumar and Vijaya Malavalli

Ron and Dianne Hoge

Stephanie and James Marver

Dr. Mary Hunt

Mac and Leslie McQuown

Linda and David Lei

Constance C. Miller

Kevin and Monita Martin

Maura and Robert Morey

Susan and Kevin McCabe

Nanci Nishimura and Joseph Cotchett

Marianne H. Peterson

Suno Kay Osterweis

Ursula and Richard Ralph

Robert and Michelle Friend Foundation

Deanna Rutter

Allison and Dan Rose

Peter and Beverly Sinton

Shirley Ross Davis and Paul Sack

Barbara and Paul Sonnenblick

The Sakana Foundation

Nicholas and Elizabeth Unkovic

Leslie T. Schilling and Alexander H. Schilling

Ashok and Gita Vaish

Merrill Randol Sherwin and

Michelangelo Volpi and Toni Cupal

Dr. Stephen Sherwin

Anonymous

$25,000 to $49,999 Betty and Bruce Alberts Michele and Joseph M. Alioto Yat-Pang and Helina Ying-Fan Au Cori and Tony Bates Thomas and Ellen Bauch Kathy and Paul Bissinger William Mathews Brooks Jamie and Steve Chen Julia K. Cheng Harry and Sandra Cheung Margaret Liu Collins Joan L. Danforth Steve and Roberta Denning Dixon and Carol Doll Family Foundation Judith and Robert L. Duffy Warren Felson and Lucy Sun Virginia and Timothy Foo Marsha Vargas Handley Martha Sam Hertelendy Sung Jin and Frank Ingriselli Jennifer and Sean Jeffries Kristine Johnson and Timothy Dattels

Tania and Michael Stepanian Ann Tanenbaum, The Mary M. Tanenbaum Fund Jane Chang Tom Jack and Susy Wadsworth Ken and Ruth Wilcox Diane B. Wilsey

$6,000 to $9,999 Richard Beleson and Kim Lam Beleson Paul and Sandra C. Bessieres Chang Mooi Family Foundation Vyolet L. Chu Joyce H. Clark

Penelope L. Wong and S. Timothy Kochis

Gregory and Sally Hartman

JADE CIRCLE

Mrs. Carleen Keating

Robert Hermann Richard and Paola Kulp

Stephen and Choongia Kahng

$10,000 to $24,999

Dr. Hoe Tian Poh and Mary Frances Poh

Jennifer Ching-Yun Kao and

Richard C. Barker

Barbara and Richard Rosenberg

R. Stanley Williams

Frank S. Bayley III

The Stephen and Margaret Gill Foundation

Bill and Mary Kim

Patricia and Edwin L. Berkowitz

William and Gretchen Kimball Fund

*deceased

Dr. Robert F. Oaks and Mr. Fred Sheng

SPRING 2018 /// 25

Susan McCabe, Chair

Anne and Timothy Kahn

26 /// ASIAN ART MUSEUM

ANNUAL REPORT

$3,000 to $5,999

Michael Garland and Virginia Coe

Judy and David Redo

Richard W. Achuck and Warren W. Achuck

Dessa P. Goddard

Arthur & Toni Rembe Rock

Ellen and Ronald Arenson

Frederick L. Gordon

Peter and Collette Rothschild

John Barry and May Pon

Pat and Marvin Gordon

Dr. Jonathan L. Runckel

Cynthia and Gary Bengier

Dorothy D. Gregor

Dr. Emily J. Sano

Chip and Juliet Bergh

James and Mary Powell Grossman

John Sell and Elton Gilbert

Trista Berkovitz and Stephen Pegors

Linda and Jon Gruber

Kirsten and Christopher Shilakes

Stuart Berkowitz, Ph.D.

Margaret B. Handelman

Mary Lou Shott

Eileen K. Bitten

Carole and John Harlow

The Honorable Lillian Sing

Kay E. Black

Kathleen G. Henschel and John W. Dewes

Fan Tan Smith and Craig Smith

Dr. Phyllis B. Blair

Melvyn and Maureen Hetzel

Lee and Perry Smith

Jane Bogart

Mr. and Mrs. Austin E. Hills

Grace C. Spence

Eugene* and Kittie Brodsky

James and Florence Hitchcock

Charles M. and Patricia S. Sprincin

Sylvia Brown and Brian Wall

Mr. Shu Hsu

Susan Steer

Mr. and Mrs. Juergen Buchsteiner

Arlene Inch

Mr. and Mrs. Charles M. Stockholm

Jeff Byers

Dr. Phyllis A. Kempner and

Ms. Irene Tieh, Frank and

Alexandra and Peter Caban

Dr. David D. Stein

Charlotte Tieh

Mr. and Mrs. Alexander D. Calhoun

Bianca and Merlin Larson

Joseph and Edith Tobin

Frances Campra and

Monica A. Lee

Ada S. Y. Tom

Scott Campra-Brantley

Mr. Ray L. Lent and Echo Chien-Lent

Mr. John K. Uilkema and

Lyman and Carol Casey

Dr. Lai-Sung Eric Leung and

Dr. Gail G. Uilkema

Frank Caufield

Mrs. Kay-lee Leung

Paul Violich

David and Karin Chamberlain

Barbara Liddell

Moez and Vivienne Virani

Dinny Winsor Chase

Marie and Barry Lipman

Vishal Wadhwa and

Yvonne and Ralph Cheng

Vanita and Austin Louie

Ayesha Mathews Wadhwa

Claudine Cheng

Emily P. Marcus

Susan and Bradford Wait

Penelope Clark

Thomas and Beverly Marlow

Patrice and Michael Wilbur

Dr. and Mrs. Anthony Collard

John and Peggy Mathers

Ms. Barbara A. Wolfe

Lori Collier

Mary Michael Mauro

Kiyoko and Thomas Woodhouse

Phoebe Cowles

Joyce Hing McGowan

The Wu Family

Janet L. Dobrovolny

Consuelo H. McHugh

Carolyn Young

Jerome L. and Thao N. Dodson

Rhoda and Richard Mesker

Lowell S. Young, M.D.

Donald & Janice Elliott Fund,

Virginia and Donald Meyer

Anonymous

Silicon Valley Community Foundation

Lily and Riaz Moledina

Jared Ede and Fernan de Zarate

Cathy and Howard Moreland

CONTEMPORARY COUNCIL

Cinda Ely

Milton J. Mosk and Thomas E. Foutch

Midori and Paul Antebi

Jo Anne and Jesse D. Erickson

Ruth and James Murad

Ellen and Ronald Arenson

The Reverend Richard Fabian and

Oliver Nicholas

Chip and Juliet Bergh

Mr. Stephen G. Holtzman

Diane Ososke

Matthew Bissinger

Dr. Vincent Fausone Jr.

Carol Potter Peckham

Alexandra and Peter Caban

Ayame Flint

Elizabeth K. Raymond,

Donovan K. Ching

Sameer Gandhi and Monica Lopez

The Raymond Family Foundation

Lori Collier

*deceased

ANNUAL REPORT

Blair Dean and Robert Cooter

Ms. Elizabeth Hsieh and Mr. Darrell Lee

Kyra L. Miller

Jane DeBevoise

Michael and Ginger Hu

Kirsten and Christopher Shilakes

Mr. and Mrs. Robert R. Demaria

Ms. Connie Hwang

Mary Lou Shott

Carl and Meredith Ditmore

Mrs. Edina Jennison

Patrice and Michael Wilbur

Mrs. Marilyn T. Doe

Betty Jensen

Ken and Ruth Wilcox

Amy Tamaki Doi

Margaret Jones

Ms. Eleanor W. Dommerich

William and Nancy Kales

MEMBERSHIP

Richard P. Shrieve and Yvonne Don

Ron and Barbara Kaufman

Timothy F. Kahn, Chair

Mrs. Anne Breckenridge Dorsey

Mr. and Mrs. Edmond A. Kavounas

Jeanne Dorward

Mr. and Mrs. Ken M. Kawaichi

$1,000 to $2,999

Sheila and John Dowell

Mr. Eugene Kim and Mrs. Christine Kim

Paul B. Althouse

Daniel Drake and Lee Steinback-Drake

Dr. Kumja Paik Kim

Mr. and Mrs. Mark E. Andersen

George and Susan Fesus

Lois Kreuzberger

Mrs. Irene Andersen

Jeanne and Frank Fischer

Gladys and George Kwong

Dean Anderson

Peter J. Flagg

Jude and Eileen Laspa

Edward and Neaera Baer

Helga and Phillip Fleishman

Emily Lee

James Bancroft

Moritz Fliedner

Kewchang Lee, M.D., and Kevin Deyager

Dr. Stephen Born and Dr. Naomi Hiroshige

Katharine Flynn

Dr. and Mrs. Richard H. Lee Jr.

John and Barbara Boyle

Mary and Tom Foote

Mr. David S. Leinbach

Marilyn Brennan

Donny and Janie Friend

Sherlyn and Russell Leong

Dr. Lynne Lopez Brewer

Helen Gan

Barbara and Warren Levinson

Mr. M. E. Broach and

Raghuraman Gnanasekaran and

Marcia Linn

Ms. Juliana Cunnigham Clark

Vasantha Vallaba

Dr. Lawrence S. Lipkind

Adrianne and Robert Burton

Malvina Gock-Chan and John Chan

Betty J. Louie

Byers Family

Norman Goldfarb and Miriam Yelton

Carrie and Ronald Ludwig

Terrie Campbell and James Henderson

Sidney and Susan Goodwill

Connie and Robert Lurie

Ms. Susan L. Char and Mr. Danton Char

Ms. Kalena Gregory

Jean and Lindsay MacDermid

Donald and Eunice Chee

Sallie Griffith

Mr. and Mrs. Neil F. MacNeil

May Chen and K. M. Tan, M.D.

Mr. and Mrs. Tim Guleri

Siesel Maibach

Donovan K. Ching

Anne and Robert Gunderson

Ms. Susan G. Margolis

Craig and Noelle Chinn

J. Halvorson

Hermine and Summer Marshall

Patricia and Howard Chiu

Frank Hand

Christine and Stan Mattison

David Clayton and Gayle Dekellis

Ms. Joanne K. Harano

John McCallister

Mark Cocalis

Ms. Susan Graham Harrison and

Bobbie McChristy

Mr. Steven J. Cohen

Mr. Michael A. Harrison

Lore Harp McGovern

Michael and Praneenart Coke

Harvey Clars Auction Gallery

Dr. and Mrs. David J. Menke

Josef Cooper and Tracy Kirkham

Geoffrey Bruce Hayes

Ms. Michelle Mercer and

Kathleen Cross

Monica and Stephen Henderson

Mr. Bruce Golden

Dory Culver and Walter Nirenberg

Robert Herr

Elizabeth and Robert Meyer

Edith B. and William Dagley

Margaret Ho and Monica Ehlers

Buffington Clay Miller

Ms. Anne Joe Davis

Ricky Ho and Emily Leung

Guy Miller

Dr. Jane de Leon and Mr. Peter Horton

Andrea L. Hong and James S. Parsons

Vivienne E. Miller

SPRING 2018 /// 27

Dessa P. Goddard

28 /// ASIAN ART MUSEUM

ANNUAL REPORT

Margaret and William Moorhouse

Dr. Elizabeth Green Sah

John H. Ware and Margaret Cheng Ware

Ms. Clare M. Murphy

Mrs. Arlene Schnitzer

Mr. and Mrs. Kin Y. Watt

David and Kimberly Nakamura

Harlan See

Mr. Dennis D. White and Mr. Lawrence Wu

Ms. Linda Nanbu

Mrs. Lucretia T. Sias

Pat Wilde

Malia Narruhn

Jon and Margaret Sigurdson

Mr. John R. Williams

Rick and Evelyn Neely

John and Colleen Silcox

Charles B. Wilson and Frances Petrocelli

Mr. and Mrs. Jay C. Ni

Jack Silveira

Faye Wilson

Lynne T. Ogata

Anita Silvers

Colin and Silvana Wong

Anne and Lester Packer

Terry Smalley and Suzanne Portero

Dennis Wong and Endora Hsia

Margaret Peters

Robert L. Speer and John Wong

Ms. Eileen C. Wong

Mr. and Mrs. Robert P. Piccus

Mr. Christopher Stewart

Mrs. Florence M. Wong and

Ms. Ruth Quigley

Hon. and Mrs. John A. Sutro Jr.

Mr. Justin Wong

Mr. and Mrs. William K. Ralston

Dr. T. Miriam Tani

Dr. Olga F. Woo

Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Risk

Doug Tilden and Teresa Keller Tilden

Ms. Victoria Woo

Earldean Robbins

Joaquim Trias and Yuka Ichijo

Martha Wunsch and Kent Nakamoto

Janet and Michael Rodriguez

Mahesh and Sheela Veerina

Marcella and Kimberly Yano

Mr. Dalfred E. Ross and

Mr. and Mrs. Vittorio Volpi

Ms. Florette Yen

Ms. Linda C. Lucas

Bruce and Fran Walker

David and Elissa Yeske

Pamela H. Royse

Ms. Sophie Wang

Stephen and Connie Zilles

Dr. and Mrs. Richard L. Russell

Ms. Barbara M. Ward and

Anonymous (6)

Jeannie Sack and Jordan H. Sachs

The Hon. Roy L. Wonder

Panelists speaking at the inaugural Nexus Salon West: Conversations on Collecting event. Photograph ÂŠ Natalie N Photography.

ANNUAL REPORT

Exhibition and Program Support Thanks to the generosity of individual donors, the museum presented fascinating special exhibitions and diverse public programming. Private contributions also supported key initiatives such as free admission for college students and scholarly research and publications. To learn more, please contact the development department at 415.581.3771 or Greg Hunt at ghunt@asianart.org.

$100,000 and above

Gorretti Lo Lui

Michael M. Kim and Jenny Yip

Franklin P. and Catherine H. Johnson

Kumar and Vijaya Malavalli

Lois Kreuzberger

Diane B. Wilsey

Consuelo H. McHugh

Annie Kuo and Roger Liang

Jane Miller

Randall E. Laroche and David G. Laudon

Tina and Hamid Moghadam

Mr. Maurice Li

Dr. Hoe Tian Poh and Mary Frances Poh

Timothy and Joy Light

Crisanto and Evelyn Raimundo

Ms. and Mr. Janny Lu

Alice and Bill Russell-Shapiro

Mamie Moy Memorial Fund

Glenn Vinson and Claire Vinson

Bobbie McChristy

Ken and Ruth Wilcox

Dr. and Mrs. John H. McConkie

Anonymous

Ms. Kathleen McCormick and

$50,000 to $99,999 Gerson* and Barbara Bakar Eliza and Dean Cash George Fan Doris Shoong Lee and Theodore Bo Lee $25,000 to $49,999 The Brayton Wilbur Foundation Selina and Johnson Cha Phoebe Cowles Jerome L. and Thao N. Dodson Warren Felson and Lucy Sun Anne and Timothy Kahn Fred Levin & Nancy Livingston, The Shenson Foundation John Maa, M.D. Stephanie and James Marver Cathy and Howard Moreland Suno Kay Osterweis Jane Chang Tom Salle E. Yoo and Jeffrey P. Gray $10,000 to $24,999 Dinny Winsor Chase Julia K. Cheng Ms. Jane B. Dalisay and Walter Jared Frost Martha Sam Hertelendy Sung Jin and Frank Ingriselli Alexandra and Dennis Lenehan Hok Pui and Sally Yu Leung *deceased

$1,000 to $9,999

Rosemarie and Tae Hea Nahm

Sophia Lei Aldrich and Theodore Aldrich

Julie K. and Ronald Nemeth

Ms. Meeta Arcuri

Mr. Vinayak Parikh

Ms. Beth Arman and Dr. Robert Mintz

Ms. Susan K. Prather

Kathy and Paul Bissinger

Janet and Michael Rodriguez

Keith and Ruth Ann Boyer

Ms. Rose Rogers

Marilyn Brennan

Shelagh and Tom Rohlen

Mr. and Mrs. Alexander D. Calhoun

Ms. Catherine Sanger and

Ms. Martha Carter-Bhatti

Mr. Brandon Yoder

Mr. Steven J. Cohen

Max and Mary Schardt

Rajnikant T. and Helen Crane Desai

Mrs. Arlene Schnitzer

Mr. and Mrs. William H. Draper III

Richard J. Schoofs

Ms. Margaret Hart Edwards and

Jon and Margaret Sigurdson

Mr. William T. Espey

John and Colleen Silcox

Mr. Jerome Fong

Matthew Simis and Michael Gray

Gee Family Foundation,

Mr. and Mrs. William C. Stegall III

Silicon Valley Community Foundation

Barbara and Clay Timon

Dorothy D. Gregor

King Won and Linda Won

Mr. James C. Gries

Linda and Max Woo

Mimi and John Herbert

Ms. Ellie Wood

Gwen Hinze and Ernest Chow

Anita and Ron Wornick

James C. Hormel and Michael P. Nguyen

Ms. Mei-Yu Yeh

Ms. Birong Kate Hu

Anonymous

In Memory of David Gee

SPRING 2018 /// 29

Mr. John W. Kirkman

Ms. Stephanie McCormick

ANNUAL REPORT

Institutional Partnerships The museum proudly partners with foundations, corporations and government agencies to advance our mission through exhibitions, educational programs, community outreach and much more. To learn about sponsorship opportunities, contact Szu-Han Chen at 415.581.3789 or schen@asianartorg.

MAJOR FUNDING IS PROVIDED EACH YEAR BY THE CITY AND COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO $100,000 and above

$10,000 to $24,999

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

AARP

The Bernard Osher Foundation

Atsuhiko and Ina Goodwin Tateuchi Foundation

The Korea Foundation

California Association of Flower

Sulwhasoo

Growers & Shippers

Target

California Bank & Trust

$50,000 to $99,999 Bank of America E. Rhodes and Leona B.

Dodge & Cox Nordstrom Prologis The Sato Foundation

Carpenter Foundation

Sotheby’s

The Henri & Tomoye Takahashi

UBS

Charitable Foundation The Japan Foundation The Japan Foundation CGP

Applied Micro

Kaiser Permanente

Bloomberg Philanthropies

Overseas Korean Cultural

Bonhams

Heritage Foundation

Hanhai Investment

United Airlines

John and Marcia Goldman Foundation

Wallis Foundation

The Joseph and Mercedes

Anonymous

McMicking Foundation

$25,000 to $49,999

30 /// ASIAN ART MUSEUM

$1,000 to $9,999

Lisa and Douglas Goldman Fund Robert & Toni Bader

The Charles D. and Frances K. Field Fund

Charitable Foundation

Christie’s

The Swinerton Foundation

Pacific Gas and Electric Company

Taiwan Academy in Los Angeles

Society for Asian Art

wHY

The Sumitomo Foundation Walter & Elise Haas Fund

In-Kind Support

Wells Fargo

Cooper, White & Cooper Elizabeth and Robert Meyer Squire Patton Boggs L.L.P. Steinway Piano Gallery Wall Street Journal

ANNUAL REPORT

Corporate Matching Gifts Matching gifts multiply the impact of a personal contribution, doubling or tripling an individualâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gift to benefit programs across the museum. For more information on matching your gift to the museum, contact the membership department at 415.581.3740 or members@asianart.org.

Adobe

Fannie Mae SERVE Program

Netflix

Apple Matching Gift Program

Gap Foundation

Pfizer Foundation

Bank of America

GE Foundation

S. H. Cowell Foundation

Boeing Company

Genentech Employee Giving Program

Salesforce.com Foundation

C. M. Capital Corporation

Goldman Sachs Matching Gift Program

Sephora

Chevron Matching Gift Program

Google Gift Matching Program

Stuart Foundation

Cisco Systems Foundation

Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation

Texas Instruments Foundation

The Clorox Company Foundation

IBM Corporation

Thermo Fisher Scientific Matching

Dolby Match Program

Intel

Gift Program

Electronic Arts Outreach Program

Intuit Foundation

Union Bank

Eli Lilly and Company Foundation, Inc.

Johnson & Johnson

Verizon Foundation

ExxonMobil Foundation

The McConnell Foundation

SPRING 2018 /// 31

Asian Art Museum members enjoying the Annual Japanese Bell-Ringing Ceremony on December 31, 2017. Photograph by Quincy Stamper.

ANNUAL REPORT

Donors to the Collection Through gifts of art and funds for acquisitions, donors strengthen and shape the museum’s greatest resource — its priceless holdings of art, history and heritage. The Connoisseurs’ Council, a dedicated group of patrons, has also supported the acquisition of new works for more than 30 years. To inquire about donating an artwork, please send photographs and a description to the curatorial department at our mailing address or curators@asianart.org.

ART ACQUISITIONS

Funds to Support Acquisitions

Susan and Kevin McCabe

Merrill Randol Sherwin,

Jerome L. and Thao N. Dodson

Rhoda and Richard Mesker

Acquisitions Committee Chair

Denise Fitch

Virginia and Donald Meyer

Frederic S. Whitman Trust

Cathy and Howard Moreland

Gifts of Art

Milton J. Mosk and Thomas E. Foutch

Betty and Bruce Alberts

CONNOISSEURS’ COUNCIL

Ruth and James Murad

Ms. Christine E. Angeles

Maureen Hetzel, Co-Chair

Suno Kay Osterweis

Dr. and Mrs. Bruce Bartholomew

Merrill Randol Sherwin, Co-Chair

Mr. and Mrs. Robert P. Piccus

32 /// ASIAN ART MUSEUM

China Art Foundation

Dr. Stephen A. Sherwin and

C. Diane Christensen

Members

Mrs. Merrill Sherwin

Ms. Sookee Chung

Betty and Bruce Alberts

Kirsten and Christopher Shilakes

Robert T. Coffland

Richard Beleson and Kim Lam Beleson

Peter and Beverly Sinton

Katharine Comstock

Trista Berkovitz and Stephen Pegors

Fan Tan Smith and Craig Smith

Gary and Laura Crawford

Kathy and Paul Bissinger

Robert L. Speer and John Wong

Dr. Robert J. Del Bonta and

Kay E. Black

Susan Steer

Mr. Michael Morrissey

Dr. Phyllis B. Blair

Ms. Irene Tieh, Frank and

Mr. Robert J. Dolezal and

Jared Ede and Fernan de Zarate

Charlotte Tieh

Ms. Barbara Dolezal

Dr. Vincent Fausone Jr.

Lowell S. Young, M.D.

Father Robert Allen Duston

Dessa P. Goddard

Walter Jared Frost

Pat and Marvin Gordon

Dr. Phyillis A. Kempner and Dr. David D. Stein

Dorothy D. Gregor

Mr. Larry Ketcherside

Margaret B. Handelman

Mrs. Betty Klausner

Marsha Vargas Handley

Youngmin Lee

Melvyn and Maureen Hetzel

Ms. Pearl S. Lin

Mr. and Mrs. Austin E. Hills

Ms. Julia Meech

Dr. Mary Hunt

Taylor and Julia Moore

Anne and Timothy Kahn

Mr. and Mrs. James A. Spudich

Dr. Phyllis A. Kempner and

Ms. Masako Takahashi

Dr. David D. Stein

Glenn Vinson and Claire Vinson

Bianca and Merlin Larson

Dr. John C. Weber

Fred Levin & Nancy Livingston,

Brenda J. and William L. Winston

The Shenson Foundation

Max W. Yeh and Yeh Tung

Lindsay and Jean MacDermid

ANNUAL REPORT

Legacy, Memorial and Tribute Gifts For members of the Richard B. Gump Society, making a gift through a will or trust creates an enduring personal legacy and helps keep Asian art and culture accessible for future generations. We also thank supporters who made gifts in memory or honor of others. For more information, please contact Kate McNulty, director of planned giving, at 415.581.3683 or kmcnulty@asianart.org.

William and Diane Clarke

Robert M. Johnson

Donald J. Frediani and Renata Gasperi

Glenn and Dianne Colville

Mary Jope

Family Trust

Katharine Comstock

Dr. Narinder Kapany

Estate of Elton L. Puffer

Dauna R. Currie

Dr. Phyllis A. Kempner and

Estate of Gerald B. Rosenstein

Joan L. Danforth

Dr. David D. Stein

Estate of Mrs. Ji Ing Soong

Martha Debs

Sally Ketchum

Frederic S. Whitman Trust

Amy Tamaki Doi

Bill and Mary Kim

The John M. and Miyuki Takeuchi

Jeanne Dorward

Sally Kirby

Revocable Living Trust

Judith and Robert L. Duffy

Ludmila Kisseleva-Eggleton and

Jared Ede and Fernan de Zarate

Peter Eggleton

RICHARD B. GUMP SOCIETY

Trudy Ehrenfeld

Henry J. Kleinhenz

Dorrit Ahbel

Reverend Richard G. Fabian

Thomas and Mary Ellen Knapp

Sophia Lei Aldrich and Theodore Aldrich

Denise Fitch

Lois Kreuzberger

Anthony Alfidi

Richard M. Fitzgerald and Victor A. Perez

Benjamin Leong and Wendy Lau

Dean Anderson

Peter J. Flagg

Barbara and Warren Levinson

Mr. and Mrs. Richard P. Arens

Nancy G. Freeman

Felice Liang

Barbara Bakar

Walter Jared Frost

Barbara Liddell

Nancy E. Bardoff

Beverly Galloway and Chris Curtis

Dr. Paul Lifton

Tom, Pat and Anna Kate Bassett

Renata Gasperi and Donald Frediani*

Alice G. Lowe

Mrs. Carole L. Becker

James C. Gries

Marilyn E. MacGregor

Jody E. Berke

Charles and Ginger Guthrie

Clara MacNamee

Kathy and Paul Bissinger

Richard S. Hahn, M.D.*

Josephine M. Markovich

Kerrylynn Blau*

Charles E. and Anthia L. Halfmann

Hermine and Summer Marshall

Yin-Wah Ma and Rosser H. Brockman

Renee R. Hall

Stephanie and James Marver

Don Buhman

Frank Hand

John and Peggy Mathers

Mrs. Frances Bushell

Margaret B. Handelman

Karyl M. Matsumoto

Andrew T. Cassell Jr.

Marsha Vargas Handley

Keith Mautino

Cordelia Chang

Dr. Gloria M. Hing

Linda A. McBain and Robert H. Kozlowski

Pauline Chang

Gordon Holler

Susan and Kevin McCabe

Dinny Winsor Chase

Elizabeth H. Huchberger

John McCallister

Alan F. Chow

Wray Humphrey

Dr. Patricia J. McEveney

Patty S. Chu and Colbert T. Dare

Marie and Harold Hyman

Anne and Malcolm McHenry

Dr. Stephen R. Chun and

Keiko K. Iriki*

Kate McNulty

Dr. Doris Sze Chun

Dr. Ronald G. Jan

Patrick E. McSweeney

Joyce H. Clark

Sandra N. Jeong

Ernst* and Betty Meissner

*deceased

SPRING 2018 /// 33

ESTATE AND TRUST GIFTS

ANNUAL REPORT

Bob Merjano

Gaila and Ralph Watson

• Johanna Goldschmid

Virginia and Donald Meyer

Midori O. Wedemeyer

• David and Diane Goldsmith

J. Sanford Miller

Tim Whalen

• Renee R. Hall

Lawrence L. Mock and Chris Ahn

Judy Wilbur

• Dr. and Mrs. Saburo Kami

Cathy and Howard Moreland

Michelle Wilcox and

• Sally L. Kirby

Ann M. Mullis

Mr. Robert F. Kuhling Jr.

• Lois Kreuzberger

Jeffrey A. Nigh

Charlene Williams

• Mr. and Mrs. Richard Marks

Marnay O’Neal

William E. Wilson

• Ms. Patricia Jane Murphy

Diane Ososke

William L. and Brenda J. Winston

• Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Overmyer

Michael J. Pascua

Prof. John Wood

• Gertrud Parker

Prof. John V. B. Perry

Anonymous (7)

• Linda Rineck

Greg L. Pickrell and Evelyn Richards

• Walter Robinson

Gregory Potts

Gifts to the Docent Fund

• Mr. and Mrs. James L. Rogers

Marjo and Al Price

Betty and Bruce Alberts

• Herbert Rosenthal

Ruth Quigley

Asian Art Museum Docents

• Dr. Emily J. Sano

Ronald D. Rattner

Elizabeth and Mark Blumberg

• Lou Segale

Joan D. Reagan and Dominic Gattuso Jr.

Dinny Winsor Chase

• John and Marilou Shankel

Mr. P. A. Reque

Pamela Fischer

• Richard Z. Simsarian

James Ross

Jerome Fong

• Robert L. Speer and John Wong

Pamela H. Royse

Renee R. Hall

• Joseph and Edith Tobin

Louise A. Russell

Sally L. Kirby

In Memory of Jean Epstein

Jordan H. Sachs and Jeannie Sack

Barbara Liddell

• Asian Art Museum Docents

Xenia Sanders

Laurabeth Grieneeks Nelson

• Sally L. Kirby

Dr. Emily J. Sano

Linda Rineck

In Memory of David Gee

Joseph Saunders

Richard Z. Simsarian

• Ms. Victoria Au-Yeung

34 /// ASIAN ART MUSEUM

Mary M. Schiffmann

• Agnes Chen

Midori H. Scott

Gifts in Memory

• Bart Fong

John J. Shaak

In Memory of Waqar H. Bhatti and

• Andrew P. Imbrie

Charles F. Simmons

in support of Southeast Asian Art

• Rowena L. Jang

Leyla D. Somit

• Ms. Martha Carter-Bhatti

• Sarah Lowe

Barbara and Paul Sonnenblick

In Memory of Mrs. Elsie R. Carr

• Sharon Lum and Courtney Lum

Robert L. Speer and John Wong

• Mr. Mike Marcley

• Hermine and Summer Marshall

Marilyn Spiegl

In Memory of Elaine Connell

• Marion Newkirk

Susan Steer

• Asian Art Museum Docents

• Victor and Marilyn Tom

Rosina and Anthony Sun

• Neaera and Edward Baer

• Stanley and Julia Tom

Alexandra Zaugg Swafford

• Ms. Virginia Brooks

• Evelyn Wong

Susan K. Tanner

• Mrs. Josephine H. Brownback

• Kathleen Wong and David Woo

Michael E. Tully

• Don Buhman and Wray Humphrey

In Memory of Naomi Lindstrom

Mr. John K. Uilkema and

• Dinny Winsor Chase

• Linda Rineck

Dr. Gail G. Uilkema

• Janet Eddleman

In Memory of Dolores Lorenz

Glenn Vinson and Claire Vinson

• Dr. Robert Fisher

• Dr. Laurabeth Grieneeks Nelson

Stephanie Waldman

• Sharon Frederick

ANNUAL REPORT

In Memory of Phoebe McCoy

• Dr. Laurabeth Grieneeks Nelson

In Honor of Linda Lei

• Mark Gibson and Jane Yao

In Memory of Ben and A. Jess Shenson

• Society for Asian Art

• Renee R. Hall

• Fred M. Levin and Nancy Livingston,

In Honor of Dr. Forrest McGill

• Dr. Laurabeth Grieneeks Nelson

The Shenson Foundation

• Henry J. Kleinhenz

In Memory of Doris Mae McPherson

In Memory of Francis R. Shoemaker Jr.

• Mr. and Mrs. Bill Schulz

• Ms. Ruth J. Allen

• Ms. F. Elizabeth Burwell

In Honor of Elin Modjeska

• Mr. and Mrs. Paul Schwartz

In Memory of Joan Vinson

• Jane Stein

In Memory of Shirley S. Reynolds

• Mr. and Mrs. Elliot Felson

In Honor of Heng-Lai Ewe Parikh

• Dorothy D. Gregor

• Frances Gotti

• Vinayak Parikh

In Memory of Richard Sah

• Beatrice Kushner

In Honor of Peter and Beverly Sinton

• Asian Art Museum Docents

• Helen Mikiko Huang and

• Dinny Winsor Chase

Gifts in Honor

Marshall Stoller

• Renee R. Hall

In Honor of Lois Alpert

In Honor of John Stucky

• Dr. Laurabeth Grieneeks Nelson

• Elaine Carlino

• Arthur Strange

In Memory of Therese Schoofs

In Honor of Barbara Bakar

In Honor of Douglas Tilden

• Richard J. Schoofs

• Anita and Ron Wornick

• Laurie Nierenberg

In Memory of Suzy Scott

In Honor of John Dakin

In Honor of Judith Wilbur

• Asian Art Museum Docents

• Dinny Winsor Chase

• Keith and Ruth Ann Boyer

• Elizabeth and Mark Blumberg

In Honor of Patrick Gillespie

• Mr. and Mrs. Herbert B. Tully

• Pamela Fischer

• Robert and Michelle Friend

In Honor of Ken Wilcox

• Renee R. Hall

Foundation

• Celia Harms

• Melvyn and Maureen Hetzel

In Honor of Tim and Anne Khan

In Honor of Jay Xu

• Barbara Liddell

• Alice and Bill Russell-Shapiro

• Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Ehrlich

SPRING 2018 /// 35

ANNUAL REPORT

Special Events From festive family gatherings to black-tie galas, the Asian Art Museum hosts an array of signature events each year that celebrate and support the museumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work. We are grateful to the many individuals, families, companies and organizations that make these events possible. For more information, please contact Susan Engel, director of museum events, at 415.581.3788 or sengel@asianart.org.

2017 ANNUAL GALA

Cynthia and John Gunn

Sandi and John Thompson

Allison Keenam

March 2, 2017

Anne and Timothy Kahn

Euni and Bill Valentine

Elyn Kim

Cori and Tony Bates,

Puja and Samir Kaul

Jennifer and Steven Walske

Linda and James Kim

Gala Chairs

Brigette Lau and $5,000 to $9,999

Nancy Kukacka

SPECIAL EVENTS

Gorretti Lo Lui

Betty and Bruce Alberts

Alexandra and Dennis Lenehan

DONORS

Dr. Stephen A. Sherwin and

Chip and Juliet Bergh

Caroline and Graham Low

Mrs. Merrill Randol Sherwin

Chen Family Foundation

Linda and Kevin Lynch

$50,000 and above

Rosina and Anthony Sun

Citigroup Private Bank

Carole and Michael Marks

Cori and Tony Bates

Louisa and Ryan Tu

Kate Harbin Clammer and

Amy and Andrew McKnight

Jamie and Steve Chen

Jack and Susy Wadsworth

Adam Clammer

Aey Phanachet and

Cisco

Wells Fargo

Dessa P. Goddard

Roger Evans

Intel

Ken and Ruth Wilcox

Beth and Brian Grossman

Jen and John Pleasants

Christine and Pierre Lamond

Jill and Nicholas Woodman

Keiko and Gerald Horkan

Rebecca Prowda and

Sung Jin and Frank Ingriselli

Daniel Lurie

Mr. and Mrs. Chong-Moon Lee

36 /// ASIAN ART MUSEUM

Helene and Paul Kocher

Chamath Palihapitiya

Nanci Nishimura and

$10,000 to $24,999

Stephen and Choongia Kahng

Maya Segal

Joseph Cotchett

Michele and Joseph M. Alioto

Bill and Mary Kim

Demi and Frederick Seguritan

Allison and Dan Rose

Christie and Jon Callaghan

John Maa, M.D.

Katherine and Dan Simon

Saks Fifth Avenue

Chanel

Leigh and Bill Mathes

Kate and J. D. Simpson

Silver Lake

Chase Private Client

Suno Kay Osterweis

Alexandra Singer

William K. Bowes, Jr. Foundation

Ben and Lydia Choi

Anjali and Sundar Pichai

Katie Singer

Akiko Yamazaki and Jerry Yang

Dixon and Carol Doll

Nicholas and Elizabeth Unkovic

Gigi and Ely Tsern

Family Foundation

Leah Wolfe and Dennis Hearst

Patrice and Michael Wilbur

$25,000 to $49,999

Eventbrite

Adobe

Kathy and Kenneth Hao

$1,000 to $4,999

Yat-Pang and Helina Ying-Fan Au

Karen and Gregory King

Liat and Christopher Bishko

Allison and Aneel Bhusri

Kumar and Vijaya Malavalli

Alexandra and Peter Caban

Eliza and Dean Cash

Ush Patel and Ranjini Malavalli

Daniel Carroll and

Huifen Chan and Roelof Botha

Stephanie and James Marver

Stasia Obremskey

Shashi and Dipanjan Deb

Worthy McCartney

Annie Chen and Raymond Chang

Abby and Egon Durban

Pace Palo Alto

Camilla Cotchett

eBay

Mr. Carl F. Pascarella

Cara Cutter

Electronic Arts

RentSFNow

Josephine Fisher Freckmann

Fred Eychaner

Carley and Paul Rydberg

Gwen Hinze and Ernest Chow

Gagosian Gallery

The Sakana Foundation

Susan Illston and James Larson

ANNUAL REPORT

Avery Brundage Founders Circle On the 50th anniversary of its founding, the Asian Art Museum announced the creation of 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 Avery Brundage Founders Circle in 2016 and continues to welcome new individuals and institutions to the distinguished group. To learn more, please contact the development department at 415.581.3771 or Greg Hunt at ghunt@asianart.org.

Marjorie Walter Bissinger

Lui Foundation

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

Richard C. Blum and The Honorable

Kumar and Vijaya Malavalli

Atsuhiko and Ina Goodwin

Dianne Feinstein

Maura and Robert Morey

Tateuchi Foundation

The Brayton Wilbur Foundation

Suno Kay Osterweis

Bank of America

Jane and Jack Bogart

Marianne and Richard H. Peterson

The Bernard Osher Foundation

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

Estate of Elton L. Puffer+

California Arts Council

Brooks-Mathews Foundation

Leslie T. Schilling and Alexander Schilling

Columbia Foundation

Carmen M. Christensen

Dr. Stephen A. Sherwin and

The David and Lucile Packard Foundation

Henry and Vanessa Cornell

Mrs. Merrill Randol Sherwin

The Freeman Foundation

Lloyd and Margit Cotsen

Ji Ing Soong

The Henry Luce Foundation

Joan L. Danforth

Rosina and Anthony Sun

Institute of Museum and Library Services

Steve and Roberta Denning+

Estate of Masako M. Suzuki

The Korea Foundation

Rajnikant T. and Helen Crane Desai

Henri and Tomoye Takahashi

Koret Foundation

Dixon and Carol Doll Family Foundation

Joan and M. Glenn Vinson

National Endowment for the Humanities

Estate of C. Laan Chun

Phyllis C. Wattis

The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation

Estate of Dorothy J. Bakewell

Diane B. Wilsey+

Samsung

Estate of Ernest and Virginia Esberg

Akiko Yamazaki and Jerry Yang

Society for Asian Art

Estate of Forrest S. Mortimer and

Mr. and Mrs. Geoffrey Y. Yang

The Starr Foundation

Stuart M. Harvey

Target

Fred Eychaner

Wallis Foundation

Virginia and Timothy Foo

Wells Fargo

Tully and Elise Friedman

The William G. Irwin Charity Foundation

Richard N. Goldman Sarah and William Hambrecht Nancy B. Hamon Marsha Vargas Handley+ Joan Diehl McCauley 1991 Trust Maryellie and Rupert H. Johnson Jr. Kahng Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Chong-Moon Lee Doris Shoong Lee and Theodore Bo Lee Fred M. Levin and Nancy Livingston, The Shenson Foundation +2017 new members

SPRING 2018 /// 37

Anne and Timothy Kahn

ANNUAL REPORT

Museum Leadership As a proud part of the City and County of San Francisco, the Asian Art Museum is jointly governed by the Asian Art Commission and the Board of Trustees of the Asian Art Museum Foundation. These dedicated volunteers generously donate their time and expertise in support of our mission, ensuring that the museum is positioned for artistic, financial and strategic success — both today and into the future.

ASIAN ART MUSEUM FOUNDATION Chair

Trustees

Sarah P. Hambrecht

Hiromitsu Ogawa*

Akiko Yamazaki

Betty N. Alberts

Martha Sam Hertelendy

Masashi Oka

Helina Au

Ronald Hoge

Suno Kay Osterweis

President

Cori Bates

Robert T. Huang

Carl F. Pascarella

Timothy F. Kahn

Ellen Burstein Bauch

Sung-Jin Ingriselli

David Chun-Yee Pong

Richard Beleson

Anne Adams Kahn, Ex Officio

Allison Rose

Vice Presidents

Richard C. Blum

Timothy F. Kahn

Leslie Tang Schilling

Robert L. Duffy

William K. Bowes Jr.*

Choongja “Maria” Kahng

Merrill Randol Sherwin

Fred M. Levin

Eliza Cash

S. Timothy Kochis

Anthony Sun

Lucy Sun

Jamie Chen

Chong-Moon Lee

Lucy Sun

Pehong Chen

Ming Lee

Ann Tanenbaum

Secretary

Kapil Chhibber

Fred M. Levin

Ina Goodwin Tateuchi

Gorretti Lo Lui

Lloyd E. Cotsen*

Gorretti Lo Lui

Robert H. C. Tsao

Dixon R. Doll

John Maa

Nicholas Unkovic

Treasurer

Robert L. Duffy

Kumar Malavalli

Judith F. Wilbur

Anthony Sun**

Fred Eychaner

Kevin J. Martin

Kenneth P. Wilcox

Kenneth P. Wilcox**

Mimi Gardner Gates

Constance C. Miller

Akiko Yamazaki

Mary Powell Grossman, Ex Officio

Nanci Nishimura

38 /// ASIAN ART MUSEUM

*deceased **served part of FY17

ANNUAL REPORT

EXECUTIVE TEAM Jay Xu

Mara Finerty

Nancy Sackson

Director and Chief Executive Officer

Chief Human Resources Officer

Chief Philanthropy Officer

Joanne Chou

Robert Mintz

Chief Operating Officer

Deputy Director,

and Chief Financial Officer

Art and Programs

ASIAN ART COMMISSION Chair

Commissioners

Chong-Moon Lee

Akiko Yamazaki

Cori Bates

David Y. Lei

Edwin L. Berkowitz

Alexandra Lenehan

Vice Chairs

Kathy B. Bissinger

Fred M. Levin

Timothy F. Kahn

William Mathews Brooks

Gorretti Lo Lui

Judith F. Wilbur

Alexander D. Calhoun

James D. Marver

Eliza L. Cash

Maura B. Morey

Secretary

Julia K. Cheng

Nanci Nishimura

James D. Marver

Carmen Colet

Anthony Sun

Joan L. Danforth

Lucy Sun

Treasurer

Virginia Foo

Jane Chang Tom

Anthony Sun**

Martha Sam Hertelendy

Judith F. Wilbur

Kenneth P. Wilcox**

Timothy F. Kahn

Kenneth P. Wilcox

Bill S. Kim

Brenda Wright

S. Timothy Kochis

Akiko Yamazaki

SPRING 2018 /// 39

EVENT CALENDAR

SPRING 2018 EVENT CALENDAR FEBRUARY

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Celebration Sunday, May 6 10:30 AM–4 PM Tours for kids, art-making, music, and an artists’ talk in honor of APA Heritage Month. Plus, the streets will be closed for Sunday Streets.

Pop-Up Meditation: Posture and Healing Saturday, Mar 31 11 AM–12 PM

Village Artist Projects: StreetBeats, a Cultural Exploration Sunday, May 6 12–2 PM Art/Lit LIZ on the corner of Fulton and Larkin streets Rap, mix and sample with Today’s Future Sound. CD release party!

APRIL

Lunar New Year Celebration: Year of the Dog Sunday, Feb 18 10:30 AM–4 PM

Family Fun Day Sunday, Apr 1 10:30 AM—2 PM Discover and play as a family at the Asian Art Museum

Vietnamese American Authors on the San Francisco Immigrant Experience Sunday, Feb 25 1–2:30 PM Authors Andrew Lam and Angie Chau in a program co-presented with the Tenderloin Museum

Village Artist Projects: StreetBeats, a Cultural Exploration Sunday, Apr 1 12–2 PM Art/Lit LIZ on the corner of Fulton and Larkin streets Rap, mix and sample with Today’s Future Sound

MARCH

Testimony Opening Reception Thursday, Apr 5 6:30–8:30 PM

Family Fun Day Sunday, Mar 4 10:30 AM—2 PM Discover and play as a family at the Asian Art Museum Village Artist Projects: StreetBeats, a Cultural Exploration Sunday, Mar 4 12–2 PM Art/Lit LIZ on the corner of Fulton and Larkin streets Rap, mix and sample with Today’s Future Sound SFUSD Arts Festival Wednesday, Mar 14– Wednesday, Mar 21 SFUSD Arts Festival Community Celebration Thursday, Mar 15 5–8 PM 40 /// ASIAN ART MUSEUM

Asian Architecture Today: Wang Shu Thursday, Mar 29 6:30–7:30 PM $5 Members, $15 Non-Members Asian Architecture Today lecture with the first Chinese architect to win the Pritzker Prize

Family Fun Day Sunday, Mar 18 10:30 AM—2 PM Celebrate Nowruz (Persian New Year) Divine Bodies Presents: Body and Expression with Cali & Co. Dance Company Saturday, Mar 24 2–4 PM

Family Fun Day Sunday, Apr 15 10:30 AM—2 PM Featuring a movement workshop for the whole family with Antoine Hunter and Zahna Simon Body Transformation and Wagner’s Ring Cycle with SF Opera Thursday, Apr 26 7–8:30 PM Pop-Up Meditation: The Practice of Zazen Saturday, Apr 28 11 AM–12 PM

MAY Tasting Menu: The Buddha’s Diet Thursday, May 3 7–9 PM $5 + General Admission Pop-Up Meditation: Body Awareness Saturday, May 5 11 AM–12 PM

Purna Loca Quartet Saturday, May 19 1:30–3 PM Music inspired by Indian classical traditions and mathematical concepts Family Fun Day Sunday, May 20 10:30 AM—2 PM Self-guided activities in the galleries

CAAMFest 18: Drawn Together Thursday, May 17 6:30–9 PM Screening and panel discussion with film director and featured comic artists on race, diversity and stereotypes.

TRANSFORMATION

ASIAN ART MUSEUM GALA THURSDAY, MAR 1

See website for details

Thursday Nights Are Back FEB 8–SEP 27, 2018 It’s Thursday night and you’re ready for adventure. Luckily, the fun’s just getting started at the Asian Art Museum. Marvel at our collection or check out one of our programs, which are as diverse as the art in the galleries. Get up close and personal with artists at Artists Drawing Club, discover edible traditions with innovative twists from food figures at Tasting Menu and meet notable contemporary architects. Each evening is a unique experience, so check out our lineup and see which program speaks to you. asianart.org/regular/thursday-nights Thursday Nights are supported in part by The Hearst Foundations, Dodge & Cox, and The Joseph & Mercedes McMicking Foundation.

CALENDAR

FEATURED MEMBER EVENT CALENDAR

FEBRUARY Lunar Society New Year Happy Hour Sunday, Feb 18 2–4 PM Open to Lunar Society members Member Movie Night Friday, Feb 23 7–9:30 PM Open to all members Artist Talk: Koon Wai Bong Monday, Feb 26 6:30–8:30 PM Open to Nexus members Hong Kong–based ink painter Koon Wai Bong discusses his monumental piece Verdancy at this one-night-only exhibition

MARCH Tour, Talk & Tea: The Legacy of Genghis Khan as Told Through Art Tuesday, Mar 6 11 AM–1 PM Open to all members New Member Welcome Tour Wednesday, Mar 7 11:30 AM–12:30 PM Open to all members

Divine Bodies Opening Reception Wednesday, Mar 7 5:30–7:30 PM Open to Jade Circle and Nexus members 7:30–9:30 PM Open to Friend and Patron members Divine Bodies Preview Day Thursday, Mar 8 10 AM–9 PM Open to all members Tour, Talk & Tea: The Legacy of Genghis Khan as Told Through Art Saturday, Mar 10 11 AM–1 PM Open to all members Asia Week New York Friday, Mar 16–Monday, Mar 19 Open to Nexus members Insider access to private collections, intimate salons, artists’ studios, galleries and more Tales & Cocktails Tuesday, Mar 27 6:30–8:30 PM Open to Lunar Society members Member Movie Night Friday, Mar 30 7–9:30 PM Open to all members

APRIL Tour, Talk & Tea: Divine Bodies Tuesday, Apr 3 11 AM–1 PM Open to all members New Member Welcome Tour Wednesday, Apr 4 11:30 AM–12:30 PM Open to all members

Tour, Talk & Tea: Divine Bodies Tuesday, Apr 7 11 AM–1 PM Open to all members Preview Lunch Monday, Apr 9 11:30 AM–1:30 PM Open to Patron, Jade Circle and Nexus members Enjoy a sneak peek of the year to come from our curators, followed by a seated lunch Member Shopping Days Friday, Apr 13–Sunday, Apr 15 10 AM–5 PM Open to all members Double your discount! Receive 20% off at the museum store Travel: Chicago Monday, Apr 16–Friday, Apr 20 Open to Jade Circle Silver, Jade Circle Gold and Nexus members Explore Chicago’s rich culture with guided visits and behind-thescenes events with Wattis Senior Curator of South and Southeast Asian Art Dr. Forrest McGill Asian Art 101: Divine Bodies Thursday, Apr 19 6:30–8:30 PM Open to Lunar Society members Member Movie Night Friday, Apr 20 7–9:30 PM Open to all members

MAY

New Member Welcome Tour Wednesday, May 2 11:30 AM–12:30 PM Open to all members Tour, Talk & Tea: A Guided Tour of Hell Tuesday, May 8 11 AM–1 PM Open to all members Tour, Talk & Tea: A Guided Tour of Hell Saturday, May 12 11 AM–1 PM Open to all members Craft Night Thursday, May 17 6:30–8:30 PM Open to Lunar Society members Member Movie Night Friday, May 18 7–9:30 PM Open to all members Annual Director’s Dinner Wednesday, May 23 6:30–9:30 PM Open to Jade Circle Gold and Nexus members Special dinner with Dr. Jay Xu featuring the exhibition A Guided Tour of Hell Travel: Japan Saturday, May 26–Sunday, Jun 3 Open to Nexus members Exclusive trip to Kyoto, Naoshima Island and Tokyo with Deputy Director, Art and Programs Dr. Robert Mintz

Curator’s Choice Lecture: Laura Allen on the Gund Collection Wednesday, May 2 6–8 PM Open to Friend, Patron, Jade Circle and Nexus members

Did you know: rhinoceroses lived in ancient China, jade comes in many colors and Buddha’s hand gestures have hidden meanings? Discover fun facts like these at our welcome tours designed specifically for new members. Knowledgeable docents will introduce you to some of our collection highlights, revealing their historical, religious and geographical contexts. Plus, learn more about the history of the museum as well as the Beaux-Arts architecture of the building and our plans to add a new 13,000-square-foot exhibition Pavilion! New Member Welcome Tours are offered on the first Wednesday of every month at 11:30 a.m. To reserve your spot, contact members@asianart.org or 415.581.3473.

SPRING 2018 /// ASIAN ART MUSEUM

Just for New Members

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