Society for Asian Art

The Society for Asian Art is an independent nonprofit organization that provides programs on Asian art and culture and supports the Asian Art Museum.

Member Events

Tour of Theresa Hak Kyung Cha: Multiple Offerings

February 26, 2026

Join the Society for a private tour led by co-curator Tausif Noor of the special exhibition Theresa Hak Kyung Cha: Multiple Offerings. This rare retrospective includes over one hundred artworks […]

Arts of Asia Lecture Series

Arts of Asia Spring 2026 Asia Reimagined: Mapping Cultures Beyond Borders

February 27, 2026

In an age when cultural identities are increasingly fluid, Asia Reimagined invites you to explore how artists, ideas, and aesthetics have long transcended national boundaries and how the artistic soul, […]

Member Events

Haruko and Chiura Obata: Teaching an Appreciation for Nature 

March 14, 2026

Kimi Hill will speak about her grandparents, Chiura and Haruko Obata. Chiura Obata is considered by many today as one of the foremost California landscape painters of the 20th century. […]

Arts of Asia Lecture Series

Join the Society for Asian Art as we explore the concept of tradition in Asian art and culture with prominent scholars from across the country

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Fall 2024 Beyond the Familiar: A Deeper Look into the Asian Art Museum Collection

Our Programs

Arts of Asia Lecture Series

The Arts of Asia Lecture Series have served as the primary educational component of the Asian Art Museum docent training program. Each lecture series is organized around a theme chosen by the Instructor of Record and the Arts of Asia Committee. Prominent scholars and curators from across the country are invited to present the lectures.

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Yi Eungrok - Books and scholars’ possessions (chaekgeori)

Literature Courses

The literature courses typically consist of two to six sessions, each two hours in length. Recent subjects include Journey to the West, Chinese poet Qu Yuan, Ottoman Empire history and culture, the Old Testament, Japanese poetry, Chinese classical literature Jin Ping Mei, the Ramayana, Tale of Genji, and Hindu mythology.

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B60J619 Cup with Calligraphic Inscriptions

Member Events

The Society offers programs to members and the general public that broaden understanding of the scope of Asian art and culture. Many of these, such as the annual spring dinner, holiday party, and visits to galleries, are held outside the museum.

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Study Group

Study groups are typically full-day or half-day programs designed to offer in-depth study of a subject. Sometimes this involves hands-on demonstrations and evaluations of objects.

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Travel

We work with various tour operators to offer trips with outstanding scholars to international destinations, which focus on Asian art, art history, archaeology, and architecture. Recent international destinations include Thailand, Mongolia, Sri Lanka, Scandinavia, Paris, and South India. We also organize domestic trips to Asian art exhibitions, events and private collections across the country.

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B81D33.3 The Heroine Chanda fanning her beloved, Laurak, under a tree, from a manuscript of the Chandayana

Upper Category Member Events

The Society puts together unique events exclusively for Upper Category Sponsors, Donors and Contributors. These events are typically limited in attendance and held in private homes.

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Latest News

Spring 2026 Literature Course – The “Floating World Fiction” of Ihara Saikaku

Please sign up for this literature course, which will introduce three key works by Ihara Saikaku (1642–1693), widely acclaimed as early-Tokugawa Japan’s greatest writer of fiction. The instructor for the […]

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We provide interesting, educational, compelling and dynamic programs on Asian art and culture to our members and the public.

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