USC Pacific Asia Museum Announces Reopening on May 29

USC Pacific Asia Museum, located at 46 N. Los Robles Avenue in Pasadena and billed as Southern California’s only museum devoted exclusively to the arts of Asia and the Pacific, will reopen to the public on May 29, 2021, the museum said Thursday.

Members-only preview hours are scheduled for May 29 and 30 from 9 am ­to 11 am. Reservations can be made on USC PAM’s website beginning May 10.

“After more than a year of closure due to the pandemic, we are thrilled to open our doors to the public next month. Our dedicated team has been hard at work to provide a safe environment for everyone,” said Dr. Bethany Montagano. “We are looking forward to welcoming our visitors back to experience the group exhibition We Are Here: Contemporary Art and Asian Voices in Los Angeles, which was slated to open to the public the week the museum was mandated to close due to COVID-19. While the show has been accessible via our online viewing platform, we’re delighted to have visitors experience the works in person for the exhibition’s final weekend on view.”

Tickets for the general public will be available for purchase on USC PAM’s website beginning May 10 at 10 am PDT. All visitors, including USC PAM members, must purchase or reserve advance timed-entry tickets online. Onsite ticket purchases will not be available. Admission will be pay what you wish through June 6, 2021.

Online exhibitions and programming will continue to be available as a resource to visit the museum from anywhere. For the programming schedule and details, visit pacificasiamuseum.usc.edu.

Museum hours will be Wednesday – Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Certain pre-pandemic events remain postponed until further notice: Free Thursday nights, Free second Sundays, on-site school tours, private events, in-person public programs, and docent tours.

EXHIBITION INFORMATION

We Are Here: Contemporary Art and Asian Voices in Los Angeles
March 13, 2020 – May 30, 2021

We Are Here: Contemporary Art and Asian Voices in Los Angeles features work by Reanne Estrada, Phung Huynh, Ahree Lee, Ann Le, Kaoru Mansour, Mei Xian Qiu, and Sichong Xie. Organized by USC Pacific Asia Museum Curator Dr. Rebecca Hall, the exhibition aims to ignite understanding across geography and generation, culture and difference. These seven Los Angeles-based female contemporary artists of diverse Asian Pacific heritages engage with and draw from their family’s experiences as refugees, immigrants, and foreign nationals to create compelling works of art that invite visitors to think about their histories. Interwoven in their works are personal and universal narratives that give voice to the plural community we call home. More info at pacificasiamuseum.usc.edu/exhibitions/current/

Permanent Collection Galleries
Ongoing

Visit the permanent collection galleries at USC Pacific Asia Museum to explore the visual worlds of the Pacific Islands and Asia. As you wander through the galleries you can learn about Filipino artist Manuel Rodriguez, Sr., who has been called the “Father of Philippine Printmaking.” See a horizontal slit drum from New Guinea, whose sound once traveled across a village to announce meetings and issue warnings to residents. Visit a nearly life size wooden Amida Buddha from Japan and a miniature octopus carved out of ivory. Admire the skills of ceramicists from China whose intricate porcelains are embellished with wishes for success. Each new visit to USC PAM offers a new opportunity to see old friends or the chance to expand understanding of the riches of Pacific Asia cultures. Learn more about USC PAM’s permanent collection at pacificasiamuseum.usc.edu/exhibitions/permanent-collection/

UPCOMING EXHIBITION
Divine Immersion: The Experiential Art of Nick Dong 
July 8 – October 3, 2021

Taiwanese American and Oakland, CA-based artist Nick Dong (b. 1973) identifies as a 21st-century continuation of Wen-ren, the Chinese cultural lineage of intellect-scholars. Each work is a quest of self-evolution, a vehicle of sharing philosophy. By carefully integrating scientific and handcrafted components, supernatural movements, light, sound, and various interactive or situational strategies, Dong’s work produces a fully immersive event, only complete when the viewer activates it with their kinetic energy.

Converging thousands of years of Buddhist tradition with 21^st century technology and sparked by human energy, Divine Immersion: The Experiential Art of Nick Dong nourishes a philosophical perspective ripe for this moment: We are not alone across time and the act to understand that we rely on the energy all around, reminds us that we need one another. Like all works of artistic profundity — Dong’s work speaks from the nooks and depths of tradition, while conveying truths about humanity writ large, to better equip us for healing and repair.

Learn more at pacificasiamuseum.usc.edu.