Around the world, people are turning to the arts for solace as we limit our in-person interactions. By physically distancing, we come together to slow the spread of the pandemic. During this uncertain time, we seek thoughtful respite in both visual and performing arts. We see people adapt to practical, heartwarming ways to stay connected—from musicians uniting as a virtual orchestra to play Beethoven’s Ode to Joy from their homes, to Italians sharing their immense musical talents from their balconies, to the worldwide applause thanking medical professionals for their work at the frontline.

Since its founding in 1956, Asia Society has upheld its mission to promote mutual understanding and strengthen partnerships between Asia and the United States. This is a cause that continues to be deeply relevant, particularly now. At Asia Society Museum, we believe arts and culture hold the power to engage the mind and reflect the strength of humanity and what we hold close to our hearts. Although the Museum is currently closed to visitors, we continue to look for new ways to share our work and collections with audiences. 

To view our acclaimed collection online, please explore the Asia Society Museum Collection.

In addition, in response to COVID-19, Asia Society Museum presents a series of Museum Salons to connect and discuss the new possibilities for exhibition-making and public programs in museums. The Museum Salons will highlight insider perspectives shared by our Museum staff and special guests.

Museum Salon 1: Asia Society Museum at Home

Friday, April 24, 2020, 10–11 a.m. New York time

The inaugural Museum Salon invites you to take an in-depth look at Asia Society Museum’s plans for future programs and exhibitions when the Museum reopens. Join us in a discussion on how our work has evolved to cope with the coronavirus and how to stay connected with the arts during this period of physical distancing. 

Speakers

Adriana Proser, John H. Foster Senior Curator for Traditional Asian Art
Rachel Rosado, Associate Director, Networks and Community Outreach
Boon Hui Tan, Vice President of Global Artistic Programs and Director of Asia Society Museum
Michelle Yun, Senior Curator, Asian Contemporary Art and Associate Director, Triennial
Kelly Ma (moderator), Assistant Director, Global Arts & Collaborations

Museum Salon 2: Preserving Legacy and Scholarship in Print Publications

Thursday, May 21, 2020, 10–11 a.m. New York time

Each Asia Society Museum catalogue, which is created to accompany one of the Museum’s world-renowned exhibitions, is a coveted contribution to the field of art history and a labor of love involving an international network of curators, authors, designers, editors, publishers, and printers. This conversation will explore the complex and collaborative process of creating museum publications and the effects of the pandemic on the publishing community, as well as examine the role of printed publications in a progressively digital world.

Speakers

Rita Jules, Senior Designer, McGinty
Miko McGinty, Principal, McGinty
Maia Murphy, Publications Manager and Editor, Asia Society Museum
Kelly Ma (moderator), Assistant Director, Global Arts & Collaborations, Asia Society Museum

Museum Salon 3: Around the World in the Arts

Thursday, July 23, 2020, 6–7 p.m., New York time

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, the devastating effects of the coronavirus have been felt across the world. Arts professionals have responded in creative ways during this time to enrich the lives of many by staging virtual orchestral and operatic performances, screening recorded theatrical and dance performances, presenting virtual exhibition tours, and organizing conversations with leaders on the subject of social justice. This conversation will highlight how the arts have adapted with the varied circumstances during the global pandemic, and an outlook for a post-COVID-19 world for the cultural sector.

Speakers

Lee Mingwei, artist, New York and Paris
Pei-Yao Wang, pianist, Taipei
Xiaojin Wu, Curator of Japanese and Korean Art, Seattle Art Museum
Kelly Ma (moderator), Assistant Director, Global Arts & Collaborations, Asia Society Museum, New York

Museum Salon 4: Architecture for a Future Together

Thursday, August 27, 2020, 10–11 a.m., New York time

The 2020 pandemic has had an inequitable impact on the most vulnerable members of modern society and exposed the shortcomings of urbanism that have long been swept under the carpet. With most at home and office buildings and public institutions largely empty, it makes us wonder how these spaces, especially arts and cultural spaces, should operate in a post-COVID world. If humankind has weathered previous plagues, there must be a way for us to gather responsibly in public spaces again. Historical crises have often served as accelerators for technological breakthroughs, and perhaps the path to safely come together to be immersed in a performance, talk, exhibition, or screening lies in the reevaluation of our approach to public spaces. Four architects from around the world will share philosophies that have emerged during COVID-19 to help us navigate towards a future that allows a return to carefree socialization and engagement in beloved cultural activities.

Speakers

Jing Liu, Cofounder and Principal, SO–IL, Brooklyn
Hani Rashid, Cofounder and Design Partner, Asymptote Architecture, Long Island City
Shohei Shigematsu, Partner, OMA, New York
Keisuke Toyoda, Cofounder and Partner, noiz architects, Tokyo
Kelly Ma (moderator), Assistant Director, Global Arts & Collaborations, Asia Society Museum, New York

Eileen Chang at 100: A Celebration of the Chinese American Writer's Extraordinary Life, Work, and Legacy

Tuesday, September 29, 2020, 6:30–7:30 p.m., New York time

A monthlong celebration of the literary success and lasting influence of the Chinese American writer Eileen Chang, through a choose-your-own-adventure list of books and film adaptations, culminating in a scholarly panel discussion.

Speakers

Michael Berry, Professor of Contemporary Chinese Cultural Studies and Director, UCLA Center for Chinese Studies, University of California, Los Angeles
Eileen Cheng-Yin Chow, Director, Cheng Shewo Institute of Chinese Journalism, Shih Hsin University, Taipei; Visiting Associate Professor of Chinese and Japanese Cultural Studies and Co-Director of Story Lab, Duke University, Durham, NC
Rebecca Nedostup, Associate Professor of History and East Asian Studies, Brown University, Providence, RI
Kelly Ma (moderator), Assistant Director, Global Arts & Collaborations, Asia Society Museum, New York

Museum Salon 5: Cultural Heritage at the Crossroads

The Medieval period, often referred to as the Dark Ages, was much brighter than the name implies. During this time, cultures, religions, and peoples, stretching from the Mediterranean, across the Central Asian steppes, through the Indian subcontinent, all the way to the East China Sea and beyond, made meaningful exchanges, through war, trade, and other encounters. These interactions left an indelible mark on art, music, architecture, literature, and cuisine, and still influence contemporary understanding of the traditions and characteristics of these diverse disciplines.Three scholars of Byzantine, Islamic, non-Han Chinese, and Buddhist arts will shed light on the wisdom from the Medieval period that is still visible today and explore the plurality of historical narratives.

Speakers

Paroma Chatterjee, Associate Professor, Byzantine and Medieval Mediterranean Art History, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Kishwar Rizvi, Professor of Islamic Art and Architecture, Yale University, New Haven, CT
Katherine R. Tsiang, Associate Director, Center for the Art of East Asia, Department of Art History, University of Chicago
Kelly Ma (moderator), Assistant Director, Global Arts & Collaborations, Asia Society Museum, New York