Asian Art Museum Celebrates 50th Anniversary with Yearlong Events

 February is the month of many for the Asian Art Museum as they offer three exquisite spring exhibitions, lectures with playwright with an artist and guru, and an interactive installation. This month will launch the yearlong celebration of the 50th Anniversary which guests to attend including dazzling exhibitions in March and beyond. 


OPENING: Pearls on a String: Artists, Patrons and Poets in the Great Islamic Courts 
Feb 26 – May 8
Dive into the Islamic world in the 16th through 18th centuries, presented in the form of three stories: the writer in 16th-century Mughal India, the painter in 17th-century Safavid Iran and the patron in 18th-century Ottoman Turkey. Pearls on a String reflects the significance of both individualism and collaboration in creating extraordinary works of art. It vividly illustrates an early modern world rapidly changing with the global movement of people, ideas and technologies.
 
Zero to 50+ Timeline
Feb 2 – July 1
Nancy B. Harmon Arcade
timeline.asianart.org
Take a walk through history. A 50th anniversary timeline installation on the museum’s first floor will let you trace the history of the Asian Art Museum along with major events in San Francisco and beyond.  An interactive feature will invite visitors to contribute their own memories that will also be available online.
 
After the War Blues: The Racialization of Japanese Americans
Saturday, Feb 6 
2–3:30 PM
Samsung Hall
Free with museum admission
Join influential playwright Philip Kan Gotanda to get the inside scoop on the ideas and inspirations behind his groundbreaking body of work, including his play, After the War
Blues, which explores the lives of a diverse community in San Francisco’s Japantown in the aftermath of World War II.
Extracted Unearthed with Ranu Mukherjee
Saturday, Feb 13
2–3 PM
Samsung Hall
Free with museum admission
Artist Ranu Mukherjee explores the ideas and research that inform Extracted: A Trilogy by Ranu Mukherjee, currently on view at the museum. In a wide-ranging conversation, she will discuss her varied inspirations and will also offer insight into the exhibition’s evolution, as well as what’s in store for the third and final iteration, which opens on May 3.
 
The Language of Colors: A Discussion of Guru Nanak’s Janamsakhi Life Stories
Saturday, Feb 20
1–4 PM
Samsung Hall, North Court
Free with museum admission
Join us to explore the legacy of Guru Nanak, the first Sikh guru, through the museum’s collection of Janamsakhi paintings, which share the miraculous story of his birth and life.

Solid Gold
Thursday, March 3, 2016
7–11 PM
$15 Students, $20 General, Members Free
Solid Gold is the dance party of the year. Come dressed in the golden fashion of your favorite decade and be ready to show off your moves to the music of Proof (a.k.a. Marky Enriquez), and other artists.
 
OPENING: China at the Center: Rare Ricci and Verbiest World Maps
March 4–May 8, 2016
China at the Center showcases two rare 17th-century maps, one by Mateo Ricci known for its monumental size and called the “impossible black tulip” of maps because of its rarity, and the other by Ferdinand Verbiest has never been exhibited. These two maps are among the earliest and rarest woodblock-printed maps to survive from the period, and tell captivating stories about the world of the 17th century. 
 
OPENING: Hidden Gold: Mining Its Meaning in Asian Art
March 4–May 8, 2016
Hidden Gold: Mining Its Meaning in Asian Art is an exhibition of 50 artworks that together reveal the unique physical and symbolic aspects of gold — qualities that make this precious metal so important in the history of both Asian art and California, and reveal specific aspects of gold production and usage across Asia. In addition, an innovative installation including both California gold nuggets and Asian coinage explores how gold is extracted and transformed into money, alludes to San Francisco’s position on the world stage — as well as the prominence of Asia and Asian culture in California — stems from the area’s Gold Rush legacy.
 
50th Anniversary Community Weekend
Presented by Target
Saturday, March 5 & Sunday, March 6
10 AM–5 PM
Free admission
Join us for a celebration of our 50th anniversary as we reflect on our past and look toward the future. Be among the first to see our latest exhibitions Hidden Gold, Pearls on a String, and China at the Center. Watch engaging live performances and meet local calligraphers and artists, participate in a creative community project, and explore the collection galleries. ALL FOR FREE!
 
 
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