Asia Society To Bring Together American and Chinese Museum Directors at Forum in Hangzhou and Shanghai, November 19–21, 2014
Book Launch Event and Discussion for Making a Museum in the 21st Century To Be Held at Shanghai's Long Museum, November 19, 6:30 p.m.
Asia Society will convene the second U.S.-China Museum Leaders Forum, in Shanghai and Hangzhou on November 19–21, 2014, to continue a dialogue that began with the first such gathering in Beijing in 2012. Nearly thirty American and Chinese museum directors, as well as several American art foundation leaders and Chinese cultural philanthropists, will meet to discuss potential areas for partnership and projects for collaboration.
The U.S.-China Museum Leaders Forum, an invitation-only event, aims to foster collaboration and exchange among museums in the two countries, first and foremost by enabling American museum leaders and their Chinese counterparts to connect on a personal level.
The biennial Forum was initiated to address challenges faced by museums in China and ways to establish, operate, and sustain the thousands of new institutions the Chinese government plans to build in the next decade. The Forum is one of the only channels providing a non-political platform for top-level players from both sides to engage.
Topics of discussion will include case studies for successful examples of international exchange and cooperation, different models of cultural philanthropy in China and America, public and private museums, and actionable, collaborative projects for the represented institutions.
A public reception and discussion will be held on November 19 in Shanghai at the Long Museum (West Bund) from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., to mark the launch of the book Making a Museum in the 21st Century. The discussion will be in English and Chinese with simultaneous interpretation. Panelists include Wang Wei, Wang Huangsheng (invited), Glenn Lowry, and Neal Benezra. Moderated by Melissa Chiu and Ye Ying, editor-in-chief of The Art Newspaper China (invited).
Making a Museum in the 21st Century provides an overview of some of the most pressing issues for museums around the world in a new era of popularity and audience engagement. The book contains essays from luminaries in the field—prominent museum leaders, directors, and curators, alongside top architects and artists—that tackle questions about the form and function of museums today.
Details about the U.S.-China Museum Directors Forum, including the list of participating Museum Directors and speakers at the public book event is available in the downloadable pdf press release, in both English and Chinese.