About this event

Conversation@PAM: Asian Art Museums for Asians – Collections and Cultural Ownership

Free | RSVP Required

Museums were reckoning with the histories of conquest and the lineage of colonization that their collections often represented. This was especially true of museums of Asian Art in the United States, which had been nearly exclusively founded by Euro-American collectors for the benefit of Euro-American audiences.

As USC PAM approached its 50th anniversary, the museum made a gesture of equanimity by inviting contemporary Asian American artists to create new work for its galleries that responded to the unspoken histories carried by collection items. Asian American arts and culture workers could serve as the bridge to reconciliation between Asian art collections and Asian audiences. However, while artists of color were increasingly embraced by museums, the racial makeup of curatorial and leadership teams remained monochromatic.

Curators and museum professionals Sonia Mak and Anuradha Vikram discussed what still needed to change and how museums like USC PAM could shift their values to empower Asian American communities in the 21st century.

More about the Exhibition:

As USC PAM celebrated its 50th anniversary, the museum looked to the future by asking questions and reflecting on its past as embodied in the museum’s collection and display of Asian and Pacific Island art. Intervention: Fresh Perspectives after 50 Years found new ways to view the USC PAM permanent collection through the work of seven contemporary Asian diasporic artists: Antonius Bui, Audrey Chan, Jennifer Ling Datchuk, Amir Fallah, Akiko Jackson, Alan Nakagawa, and kate-hers RHEE. By creating original artworks in response to PAM’s collection, these artists reminded visitors that USC PAM’s history was complex, and the public had many ways to consider this story beyond how it was presented in galleries, websites, and printed materials.

For questions or to request accommodations for this event, attendees were encouraged to contact Cristina Hernandez-Guerrero at ch45852@usc.edu. For additional information, they were invited to visit USC PAM’s website.

Health & Safety Protocols:

All guests were required to show proof of vaccination and complete a health screening prior to admission. Guests were expected to comply with health and safety protocols, with face coverings worn over the nose and mouth required except for children two years old or younger. Masks with vents were not acceptable.