Mapping An Empire: A Geographical Map Of The Everlasting Unified Qing Empire
The Qing dynasty court was expansive and felt their realm was wherever they had influence. On this map, the intentionally vague geopolitical lines of the frontiers and beyond clearly indicate this perception and confirmed the Qing notion of the world as they conceived of it. This is a very accurate map in that it portrays all the administrative bodies that are used for governance indicating the tax base and communication systems. Woodblock-printed in 1811 and displayed on eight hanging scrolls, this large map is generously on loan from The MacLean Collection.
Asian Art Museum Opening Events And Info
Public opening party: 7-11 p.m. Friday, May 8. $20-$30.
Free admission days: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday-Monday, May 9-11. TeamLab exhibition is free, but advance reservations are required .
TeamLab Reservations: May 12-Jan. 17. $20-$25. Timed ticket required, available beginning at 9 a.m. April 3, via website or phone.
New museum hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday-Monday, until 9 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays during spring and summer.
Asian Art Museum, 200 Larkin St., S.F. .
- Charles DesmaraisFollow:Charles DesmaraisCharles Desmarais is The San Francisco Chronicle’s art critic. Email: cdesmarais@sfchronicle.com Free weekly newsletter: http://bit.ly/ArtguyReviews
Your weekly guide to Bay Area arts & entertainment.
More Information On Ada Accessibility
Guide & Service Dogs: Trained guide and service dogs are welcome.
Assistance Tickets: Admission is free to anyone assisting a patron with special needs.
Large Print Labels: Many of the special exhibits feature large print labels. You can also download the information cards online to review before you arrive.
ASL Interpreters: They are available upon request. Please contact the museum at least two weeks before your visit, so they can set this up for you before you arrive.
Mobile Guides: For blind and low-vision visitors, you can borrow the museum’s iPods which contain self-guided audio tours for free. They are sanitized between uses and are in multiple languages.
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Accusations Of Bullying Transphobia Prompt Asian Art Museum Departures
Emily was two days away from taking a three-month medical leave from her job at the Asian Art Museum.
But first she had to get through a video meeting with Abby Chen, her supervisor and the head of the contemporary art department. Emily had previously told Chen she was taking the leave to address her gender dysphoria, but she had no intention of going into the specifics of her time away. It was private, personal, and above all, had no bearing on her work as a research assistant at the museum.
The meeting on July 26, 2021, did not go well.
In the grievance Emily filed on Aug. 14, with the help of her union, SEIU 1021, she described Chen directly asking if she was taking the leave to undergo sex-reassignment surgery. Emily said she tried to deflect the question by speaking in more vague terms.
She characterized the procedure as a huge decision that I would have to think about very hard, which felt like she was attempting to advise me on a decision that is completely my own to makeor even dissuade me from the surgery, Emily wrote of Chen in the grievance.
As the meeting progressed, Emily grew more uncomfortable. In the grievance, Emily wrote that Chen advised her to save my sperm, and shared details about her own reproductive decisions and regrets. Emily says when she attempted to remind Chen of the incredibly personal nature of her questions, Chen became visibly upset and appeared on the verge of tears.
Memento: Jayashree Chakravarty And Lam Tung Pang
Through June 6, 2022
Travel through Kolkata and Hong Kong with contemporary works from the collection that explore the modern city as both a personal and political landscape.
The inaugural Hambrecht Contemporary Gallery installation, Memento, includes two works that speak to contemporary global issues of urbanization and political uncertainty.
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Dogs From Han To Qing
Dogs were among the earliest animals domesticated in China. Remains of dogs have been found in the oldest neolithic settlements, and by the Shang dynasty excavations reveal hardly a tomb or building consecrated without a scarfical dog. Ultimately, human and animal sacrifice was replaced pottery figures during the Han dynasty. There was widespread passion for dogs during the Han dynasty among royal families and aristocrats, as many of these ceramic dogs have been found during tomb excavation.
Dogs are also associated with the Chinese Lunar Calendar. It was during the first century AD that a set of twelve animals, namely rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, ram, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig, were used to represent a repeating twelve-year cycle. In honor of this Lunar New Year, the year of the dog, Heritage Museum of Asian Art is hosting an exhibition featuring early images of dogs from the Han to Qing dynasty.
Black Is Beautiful In Past And Present Publications
When the Museum of the African Diaspora opens Black is Beautiful on Dec. 4, an exhibition of Kwame Brathewaites photography, Visitor Experience Manager Nia McAllister thinks youre going to want to bring part of the show home with you.
This key figure in the second Harlem Renaissance co-founded the African Jazz Arts Society Studios and Grandassa Models, a modeling agency for black women. His powerful images of black men and women with natural hair and clothes celebrating their African roots illustrated the movement that gives the show its name. A catalog featuring all of the above can be found in MoADs small but mighty museum store.
If youre looking for something a bit more rooted in Bay Area artistic production, McAllister has that covered too. Something we try to feature in the bookstore at MoAD is local black artists and black creatives, she says, suggesting an Oakland-based publication called Umber Magazine.
Its collectively owned by three people of color and it features the visual arts and culture of black and brown people, McAllister explains. The museum stocks both the magazines luxurious Sound Issue and their latest zine, an eight-page large-format publication Umber describes as a visual tactile mixtape .
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Chinese Folk Pottery: The Art Of The Everyday
This exhibition explores contemporary folk pottery produced within the diversity of Han and ethnic pottery communities across China. Throughout the 8,000 years of China’s ceramic history, the vast majority of pottery produced have been utilitarian objects created for average consumers. The ceramics on display in museums and collected by connoisseurs are often represented by the sophisticated, refined imperial ceramics for the elite. Objects of daily use have often been overlooked for critical appreciation of its techniques and aesthetics. The works in this exhibition were created for village peasants by Tibetan, Dai, Bai and Han potters. The objects were collected between 1995 and 2009.
Ojime: Magical Jewels From Japan
Ojime exemplify the Japanese genius for bringing high art to functional objects. During Japanâs Edo and Meiji periods, kimonos were basic wearing apparel, but these garments lacked pockets. Women usually carried their personal accessories in their sleeves or tucked into their sashes. Men, however, tied their accessories to a toggled cord, which was suspended from the sash, with the ojime bead as part of the ensemble.
Although ojime were originally functional accessories of kimono apparel, they were beautiful, as well as useful and were superbly crafted with materials believed to possess magical and medicinal properties.
This exhibition showcases over 100 pieces of Ojime from the Kinsey International Art Foundationâs extensive collection, ranging from antique to contemporary works of art. Fans of jewelry, beads, Japan, and art in general should truly enjoy this exhibit.
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Exhibition: From Pineapple To Pia: A Philippine Textile Treasure
SFO Harvey Milk Terminal 1, Departures Level 2, Gallery 1D
The pineapple was introduced to the Philippines from the Americas sometime in the sixteenth century. Local inhabitants already had a long tradition of weaving fabric from plant fibers. Light and airy, piña fabric was perfectly suitable to the tropical climate and lent itself to intricate embroidery. Piña handwork quickly matched and often surpassed the most intricate laces popular in Spain and France at the time. It was made into traditional mens shirts, or barong tagalogs, and womens María Clara ensembles, which consisted of a blouse or camisa with bell-shaped sleeves, a pañueloor shawl, and a long skirt or saya. Piña was also made into table linens, handkerchiefs, and other accessory items. This exhibition features a selection of nineteenth-century piña from Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles that illustrates the fine workmanship of early artisans. It also includes modern piña garments made by Filipino fashion designer Anthony Cruz Legarda.
The Conley Collection: Chinese Art From Han And Beyond
Heritage Museum of Asian Art is pleased to announce the generous long-term loan of Chinese art from James E. Conley Jr. As a lifelong admirer of the arts, Mr. Conley has amassed a wonderful collection, most notably, a large amount of Han and Tang dynasty funerary sculptures. Archaic bronzes as well as Ming dynasty sculpture round out the collection, offering visitors a marvelous survey of Chinese art.
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Parking Near The Sf Asian Art Museum
If you plan to drive, you will find plenty of parking near the SF Asian Art Museum. Here are a few options within a couple of blocks. All prices mentioned can change at any time, so make sure to check with them when you pull in for that day’s rates.
Civic Center Garage: This parking lot is under the Civic Center Plaza and right across the street from the SF Asian Art Museum. The rates range from $3 – $6 an hour based on when you are parked. The maximum rate is $35 for the entire day. It’s at 355 McAllister Street.
UC Hastings College of Law Garage: Just a block up the street is another public parking lot. This one is $6 for your first hour and $3 an hour after that with the daily maximum at $29. It’s a great place to park on Sunday as the rates are only $8 for the day. It’s at 376 Larkin Street.
Fox Plaza: If both of those are full, my third choice is the lot in Fox Plaza at 1390 Market Street. It’s my third choice because it’s about 3 blocks away and you must enter off Market, which is a busy street. It’s $7 an hour with a daily maximum of $25.
Modern Folk In Portland
In the waning days of 2021, Bay Area art institutions offer an embarrassment of riches. There are some not-to-be-missed exhibitions currently running, but I wont be distracted by giving into the temptation to drop names as theres a lower profile show Id like to shine a light on. Its a quieter presentation of artistry from makers whose names, for the most part, we will never know.
Weaving Stories at the Asian Art Museum assembles a display of over 45 textiles from across Southeast Asia. Most were created in the 19th and early 20th century, with the exception of a contemporary piece by artist Milla Sungkar, which captures the drama of the earthquake and tsunami that devastated Aceh in 2004. All were woven by women and though the older garments are unsigned works of undesignated provenance, identities are revealed through the ways in which they reveal the delicate interlace of individual identity, social status, and faith.
Re-examining how, with what, and why we apparel ourselves as we do at this moment in time conjures up everything from mask mandates to the impact of fast fashion on global artisans, factory workers, body image, and planetary overproduction. We can each likely find our own stories woven through the warp or weft of these textiles, either through direct threads of ancestry or ties to the many cultures that passed throught the straits, seas, and oceans inhabited by these Southeast Asian Penelopes.
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Stone Sculpture Of India
The Ramayana is a Hindu epic detailing the story of the hero Rama, who rushes into battle to save his wife Sita from the demon king Ravana.This fragment of pink sandstone portrays the protagonists of the story, Rama and Sita. Although partially missing, Ramaâs attribute, the bow, can be seen in his left hand. This piece, along with a small selection of other Buddhist and Hindu stone sculpture from India, recently gifted or loaned to the museum, are now on display.
First Floor Of The Museum
I recommend that you start your visit on the first floor of the SF Asian Art Museum. This is where they house the majority of the traveling exhibits.
After you enter, head to your left. You should see signs that direct you to the door where the special exhibit is located.
Many of these exhibits do not allow photography, so make sure you ask before taking any pictures in this area.
After you view the exhibit or exhibits in this area, head to the other side of the gift shop. Here is where you’ll find the escalator. Take it to the very top.
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Tips To Get To The Sf Asian Art Museum
From Union Square: The easiest way to get from Union Square to the SF Asian Art Museum is by taking a light rail Muni train or one of the street cars.
- Light Rail: Pick up the light rail train at the Powell Street station at Powell and Market Streets. Take any of the outbound trains to the Civic Center stop. Once you reach street level, look for Hyde Street. Take this one block north to Fulton Street where you will take a left. Walk one block to Larkin Street and the museum is on your right.
- F Streetcar: The F Streetcar rides above ground along Market Street. Hop off at the Larkin Street stop. Head north two blocks to the museum.
From Fisherman’s Wharf: The easiest way to get from Fisherman’s Wharf is by taking the F Streetcar or the 47 Caltrain Bus.
- F Streetcar: You can pick up the F Streetcar at the corner of Jones and Beach Streets in Fisherman’s Wharf. You will then follow the same instructions as those above for visitors coming from Union Square.
- 47 Bus: This will take about the same amount of time as the F Street Car. Hop on this bus on North Point Street and take it all the way to the McAllister Street stop. Head across the street toward City Hall and continue for two blocks down McAllister Street until you see the museum.
BART to the SF Asian Art Museum: If you plan to take BART to the SF Asian Art Museum, take it to the Civic Center stop. This will get you within a couple of blocks of the museum and you can easily walk from any exit.
House Of Serendipity: Chinese Snuff Bottles From A Private Collection
Although smoking tobacco was banned in 17th century China, it was a part of social ritual to use snuff . Snuff was considered to be a remedy for common illnesses and offering a pinch of snuff was a common way to greet friends and relatives. Snuff bottles became an object of beauty and a way to represent status and wealth. Decorative bottles were, and remain, time-consuming in their production and are thus desirable for todayâs collectors.House of Serendipity is an exhibition of a private collection of snuff bottles, hosted by Heritage Museum of Asian Art, to coincide with the International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society Convention held in Chicago, October 2015.
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What The Asian Art Museum Offers
Located in the former main library building in San Francisco, the Asian Art Museum has a lot to offer guests when it comes to the art contained within it, as well as a variety of vendors within the museums walls, including:
An Introduction To Electronic Music
Camille Verboort, a buyer for the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art store, spotted her recommendation earlier this year at a toy fair. I saw this product, and it stopped me in my tracks, she remembers. The Blipblox is a synthesizer for children ages three and up, a technically complicated but easy-to-use instrument that kids can experiment with and grow into, eventually plugging into computers to create their own recorded music.
Made by the Potrero Hill-based company Playtime Engineering, Verboort saw in the Blipblox not just a fun and educational product, but something that expanded on the museums holdings, specifically Brian Enos ambient music installations. Part of my job is to bring in products that relate to our collection and the exhibitions we have, to further educate people about the artists we feature in the museum, Verboort explains.
The Blipblox, along with a selection of other noise-making art-related toys, are available in SFMOMAs store in what Verboort calls the family jam band section.
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To Be Safe And Welcoming
Recent surveys of Asian Art Museum staff show a generally happy workforce. In one, close to 60% of staff said their satisfaction was at 7 or above, out of 10. Ninety-five percent of staff reported they were proud to work at the Asian Art Museum. Prompted by the phrase my supervisor respects me, 26.6% of staff agreed and 53.2% strongly agreed.
But the departures within the contemporary art department, union leadership notes, are also quantifiable numbers.
With three staff feeling as though they had no other choice but to leave, some of them without a job to go to, how many staff does it take before management says, Hey, maybe this isnt working out, or Maybe we should reevaluate this? asks Jennifer Miller, a shop steward and education assistant at the museum. Its definitely prioritizing management over staff.
Emily hasnt pursued any further action since a law firm that specializes in sexual harassment and discrimination declined to represent her. I was kind of discouraged by the idea that no one would care about transphobia, she says, and especially care about it in this form that isnt as overt as a kind of capital-H hate crime.
As for Oen, she sees the situation at the Asian Art Museum as part of a larger conversation around power and privilege, an example of how really widespread these issues are, specifically in cultural institutions that claim a type of inclusivity and educational mission, she says.
