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The Nanjing Museum and the American Federation of Arts (AFA)
are pleased to announce their co-presentation of Meeting
the West: Exhibitions from American Museums, an
exhibition showcase and forum, which will provide vital
opportunities for institutions in the U.S. and China to
build cultural dialogue, bridge experiences, and create
pathways for exhibition partnerships between Chinese and
American museums.
The program offers two integrated components: an Expo of
U.S. museum exhibition proposals that could travel
throughout China, and a Forum for museum leaders from both
countries to discuss opportunities and challenges around
traveling exhibitions between China and the U.S.
Meeting the West has
come to fruition through a close, year-long partnership
between the AFA and the Nanjing Museum. We firmly believe
that fostering an open dialogue, cultivating partnerships,
and introducing new exhibition possibilities to Chinese and
American museums will be of great benefit to all who take
part, enriching the international programming in the already
vibrant communities surrounding participating institutions,
said AFA director Pauline Willis.
Mr. Gong Liang, director of the Nanjing Museum, said: What
we will do here is more than exchange exhibitions. It will
also include exchanges on building museums, the practice of
museum management, and cultural interchanges and
assimilation. We hope the promotion of exhibitions and
dialogues with American colleagues will advance our
understanding of the museum field, benefit the development
of museums in both countries, and enhance mutual
understanding and exchanges between China and other
cultures.
In Nanjing, thirty-seven directors and senior staff from
over twenty leading U.S. museums, foundations, and arts
organizations will be meeting counterparts from Chinese
institutions, with a focus on the practical needs and
demands of implementing Chinese-American cultural exchange.
The two-day Forum, which will coincide with the opening of
the Exhibition Expo, will feature panel presentations by
specialists in the field and discussions on topics including
successful collaborations, finance, and audience engagement,
as well as selecting and shipping objects. Additionally,
U.S. participants will be invited to continue this dialogue
about exhibition exchange during a two-day tour of museums
and heritage sites in Wuxi and Suzhou, Jiangsu Province.
For the Exhibition Expo, twenty-five participating U.S.
museums will provide information on their institutions and
can present up to three exhibitions that may be made
available to travel to China. Held at the Nanjing Museum,
the Expo will open on November 18, 2014, and remain on view
for approximately one month. Well over one hundred Chinese
museum professionals will visit the Expo, and all U.S.
exhibition presentations will also be presented through a
catalogue to be published and distributed by the Nanjing
Museum.
Meeting the West: Exhibitions from American Museums is
supported by the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter
Foundation, Mrs. Donald M. Cox, and the Terra Foundation for
American Art.
Location/Host: Nanjing Museum; Nanjing, Jiangsu province,
China
Program Dates: November 1721, 2014
Opening dinner: November 17
Expo opening and Forum: November 1819
Visits to museums in Jiangsu Province: November 2021
Chinese Museum Association conference in Xiamen, Fujian
Province (optional): November 2326
Participating U.S. Institutions Include:
American Alliance of Museums
American Federation of Arts
Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
Baltimore Museum of Art
Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive
Brooklyn Museum
Clark Art Institute
Cleveland Museum of Art
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
Dallas Museum of Art
Dennos Museum Center
Frick Art and Historical Center
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
Newark Museum
Neuberger Museum of Art
Oklahoma City Museum of Art
Peabody-Essex Museum
The Phillips Collection
Portland Art Museum
San Antonio Museum of Art
Sarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation
Smithsonian Institution
Terra Foundation for American Art
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts |