Susana Smith Bautista Will Lead USC Pacific Asia Museum’s New Department of Public Engagement

USC Pacific Asia Museum announced two changes with its internal operations. The museum’s former Education department has been restructured to become the Department of Public Engagement in order to better serve its visitors and to support new initiatives related to the recent merger with the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California.

The Department of Public Engagement will include Education; public programming, docent program, school tours, and volunteer program, as well as communications, visitor services, and new media projects. Two new programs have already been created for 2015; a distinguished speaker series CONVERSATIONS@PAM, and a performing arts series PERFORMANCES@PAM.

Other recent changes include a newly formed academic advisory committee. An expansion is also planned for the Silk Road Family Gallery with a new reading corner and interactive elements. The Department of Public Education seeks not only to educate the museum’s visitors, but to engage with them in a long-term and meaningful way that will ultimately increase their understanding of and knowledge of the arts and culture of the Pacific Asian region. “This department thinks very deeply about the visitor museum experience, both onsite and online, and how to create an experience that is informative, impactful, and enjoyable for all different types of visitors,” says museum director Dr. Christina Yu Yu.

Susana Smith Bautista will lead this department as the museum’s first Director of Public Engagement, starting January 1, 2015. Dr. Bautista has worked at the museum since December 2013 as Interim Deputy Director, and helped lead the museum through its transition to now become a university art museum under the aegis of USC. Dr. Bautista states, “I have been working closely with our new museum director, Christina Yu Yu since her arrival last August, and I am very excited to remain working at the museum in this new permanent position.” Dr. Bautista received her Ph.D. in Communication as a Provost Fellow from USC, as well as her Masters degree in Art History/ Museum Studies, graduating Phi Kappa Phi. She has over twenty years’ experience working in the art world in Europe, New York, and Los Angeles as an art critic, curator, Executive Director of the Mexican Cultural Institute, Editorial Director of LatinArt.com, and Arts and Culture Commissioner for the city of Pasadena. Her recently published book from Alta Mira press is titled Museums in the Digital Age: Changing Meanings of Place, Community, and Culture, and she is a Research Fellow with the national consulting firm Slover Linett. She was born and raised in Pasadena, and remains active in the community with her family.

About USC Pacific Asia Museum

USC Pacific Asia Museum is the only museum dedicated to Pacific Asia at a major research university in the United States. The museum’s mission is to further intercultural understanding through the arts of Asia and the Pacific Islands. Since 1971, USC Pacific Asia Museum has served a broad audience of students, families, adults and scholars through its education and outreach programs. USC Pacific Asia Museum, 46 North Los Robles Avenue, Pasadena, (626) 449-2742 or visit pacificasiamuseum.usc.edu.

For more information, contact Susana Bautista, at susana.bautista@pam.usc.edu or (626) 449-2742 ext. 28.