“The Asian Art Museum needs your help. One of our terracotta warriors is lost, and we have to find him before China’s Terracotta Warriors: The First Emperor’s Legacy opens on February 22. What we know is this: a small group of terracotta warriors journeyed from their home in China to the museum—but somewhere along the way, this one took a wrong turn and is now missing. He’s 2,112 years old, about 5’ 5” tall, mud-colored, and doesn’t speak English.”
“If you spot him, please post a photo on Twitter, Instagram, or our Facebook wall and tag it with #LOSTWARRIOR so we can track his whereabouts on this map. Even if you don’t have photos, share and tag your tips and leads with #LOSTWARRIOR. Every little bit counts.
REWARD: Those who help may be eligible to win passes to the exhibition. Please spread the word, and thanks! Here’s our director Jay Xu with a personal call to action.
Just as this exhibition has touched upon the fleeting nature of life, it too must come to an end. An expansive exploration of spirituality, cosmic order, and the afterlife, it’s a provocative presentation of both contemporary art and older objects from our collection. The result is a one-of-a-kind journey transcending time and place. Phantoms will go out with a bang: everyone can see it for FREE this Sunday, as part of our Target First Free Sunday.”
I’d recommend showing up early or late on Sept 2, 2012. Feel free to practice your Gangnam Style while waiting in line. Speaking of which, don’t forget about:
Armored General, Qin dynasty 221-206 BCE, Height 203 cm, weight 250 kg. Excavated from Pit 1, Qin Shihuang tomb complex, 1980. Reproduced with kind permission from the Qin Shihuang Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum. Serial number 002747.
All the deets:
“CHINA’S TERRACOTTA WARRIORS:THE FIRST EMPEROR’S LEGACY - Asian Art Museum kicks off 10th anniversary in Civic Center with epic exhibition
SAN FRANCISCO, August 15, 2012—The Asian Art Museum kicks off its 10th anniversary in San Francisco’s Civic Center with an exhibition from one of the greatest archaeological discoveries in modern time. China’s Terracotta Warriors: The First Emperor’s Legacy will be on view February 22 – May 27, 2013.
The exhibition features 120 rare objects from the great tomb complex of China’s First Emperor (259-210 BCE), including 10 life-size terracotta figures—the maximum number of figures permitted outside China in a single exhibition.
Captivating the world since its discovery in 1974, the First Emperor’s tomb complex is one of the largest burial sites ever constructed. Estimated at nearly 250,000 square feet—or more than four American football fields—it includes a scale replica of the emperor’s imperial palace, complete with stables, offices, an armory and even a zoo. Ancient historians also described “flowing rivers” of mercury, of which trace amounts have recently been confirmed by scientists.
Perhaps most impressive are the estimated 8,000 terracotta figures excavated to date, including warriors of all ranks (all individually constructed, no two faces are alike), acrobats, musicians and horses. The tomb complex took 700,000 laborers nearly 40 years to build.
In 1994, the museum, then located in Golden Gate Park, was among the first to present the terracotta warriors to a U.S. audience. The 2013 exhibition offers a new generation of visitors the rare chance to view the clay figures up close. Visitors will also discover new secrets from the tomb, with more information than ever before on the First Emperor, his reign, and his quest for immortality.
“Celebrating 10 years in our Civic Center home calls for something extraordinary,” said Jay Xu, executive director, Asian Art Museum. “In China, history is being unearthed. Bringing a chapter of this epic story to San Francisco—with 10 life-size sculptures from one of the most significant discoveries of our time—is a great way to commemorate this occasion.”
We’ve been eager to share something exciting with you, and now it’s time:
Your Asian Art Museum sports a new vision, a new brand promise, and a new logo – unveiled this week. We’re reinventing ourselves to engage a broader audience.
Our Vision is to spark connections across cultures and through time, and our brand promises to: Awaken the Past, Inspire the Next. We’ll use art to unlock the past and bring it to life, and act as a catalyst for new art, new creativity, and new thinking. We’ll feature more contemporary art, often drawing connections to historic art in our collection. We invite you to experience the beauty and depth of Asian art and cultures, and to be inspired.
Our new logo reflects our Vision. It says we have a new perspective. It’s bold and confident. And, it invites all to engage. (Did you know an upside-down A is a mathematic symbol for “for all”?)
THURSDAYS - 2011: February 24, April 21, May 12, June 30, August 18 5-9 pm | $10 Admission
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“Bali has long held a special place in the Western imagination, not only for its reputation as a tropical paradise, but for its artistic culture. Here, art, performance, and ritual are a part of the everyday.
While Bali is widely appreciated as a vibrant center of visual and performing arts, there has never been an in-depth exploration of its artistic traditions in the United States until now. Bali: Art, Ritual, Performance brings the art and artists of this special Indonesian island to San Francisco so that you can experience firsthand its culture, beliefs, and practices. See not only artworks but explore the context in which they were made and used, as the museum comes alive with the kinds of music and performance that fill Balinese ritual life.
The 131 artworks on view—many borrowed from international collections and never before seen in the U.S.—range from simple, yet deftly woven images of the rice goddess to elaborately carved and gilded chairs. There will be puppetry, gamelan performances, masked dances, and more to provide a museum experience as unique and mesmerizing as Bali itself. The Asian Art Museum is the exclusive venue for this exhibition.
Seeing how it was built makes me feel it has less power now, like it has less control over me. In my daily nightmares it usually has a solid core of molybdenum or that Terminator II kind of metal. And sometimes, on a few nights, the good ones, it’s creamy nougat.
Mmmmmm, nougat.
But, as you can see, it’s mostly just air in there, it’s not solid at all:
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You Maniacs!You blew it up! Ah, bless you! God bless you all to Heaven!
Now, for some reason, San Francisco went all out this year for the City of Shanghai and its World Expo. So, the AAA deserves credit for that when the City considers related matters in the future. (I mean, your World Expos, your America’s Cups, your Olympics, they mostly lose money right? They’re mostly a bad thing for the hosting cities and regions but mostly a good think for the politicians who make the deals and “win” the right to host whatever. Of course, I’m generally skeptical of those who want to take The People’s land, money, opportunities, whatever to pay for some extended party for the greater glory of a few electeds. Anyway…)
A nice ambiance just off Larkin Street, non?
Here’s the news:
“Asian Art Museum Open for Business
SAN FRANCISCO, November 18, 2010- San Francisco’s Asian Art Museum will keep its doors open and maintain operations despite financial challenges faced by the Asian Art Museum’s Foundation, which is the private fundraising arm of the Museum.
“The Museum is fortunate to have the support of donors from around the world. Donations from individuals, the Museum’s board, and our corporate and Foundation partners remain strong” said Jay Xu, director of the Asian Art Museum. “I want to assure the Museum’s visitors, our 17,000 members, and all of our donors and hundreds of volunteers that the Museum will continue to be a leading center for Asian learning in the future.”
While the City solely owns the Museum’s building and its collections, the City and the Foundation jointly fund the Museum’s staff, facilities, and operations.
The Museum continues to maintain its role as a vital source of Asian art and culture, averaging nearly 300,000 visitors per year. Like many other cultural organizations in California and across the United States, the Foundation is facing challenges stemming from the economic downturn and related market disruptions. The Foundation is attempting to renegotiate its debt financing with its principal creditors. As a measure of prudent management of fiscal responsibility, the Foundation has engaged outside professionals, and, with City officials, has begun to work on these negotiations.
“While this has been a difficult situation, it will have no impact on the Museum’s core operations,” said Tony Sun, chair of the Asian Art Commission and Asian Art Museum Foundation, the Museum’s dual governing boards.
The Museum looks forward to welcoming visitors to its current critically acclaimed exhibition, Beyond Golden Clouds; Five Centuries of Japanese Screens, on view through January 16, 2011, as well as the upcoming major exhibitions Bali: Art, Ritual, Performance, on view February 25 through September 11, 2011, and Maharaja: The Splendor of India’s Royal Courts, on view Oct 21, 2011, through April 8, 2012.
About the Asian Art Museum The Asian Art Museum is a public institution whose mission is to lead a diverse global audience in discovering the unique material, aesthetic, and intellectual achievements of Asian art and culture. Holding more than 17,000 Asian art treasures spanning 6,000 years of history, the Museum is one of the largest museums in the Western world devoted exclusively to Asian art.
Information: (415) 581-3500 or www.asianart.org Location: 200 Larkin Street, San Francisco, CA 94102″
Now yesterday, Jackson West pointed out that a stickerer of the Buddha was “caught on tape” (so to speak) on one of a series of videos being used to promote Kodak’s new Flip-like digital video camera, the rugged, waterproof Play Sport Zx3. But then, somebody edited the vid, so now you can’t see the culprit on the video.
Sadly, it appears that one of the scenes featuring this green-screen gentleman got cut. (Really, it’s an awesome video all-around. Thanks Kodak Marketing Department!)
