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Asian Art Council

The Asian Art Council (AAC) is a support organization for the Department of Asian Art of the Art Institute of Chicago, which houses one of the major U.S. collections of Asian art from Japan, China, Korea, South and Southeast Asia, the Himalayas, and the Islamic world.

The Asian Art Council (AAC) acts as a forum for education and discussion about Asian art—from ancient to modern—through lectures, demonstrations, gallery walks, and visits to private collections. The AAC biannual newsletter provides information about events and Asian art across the country. Through dues and fundraising functions, the AAC provides financial support to the department for acquisitions of Asian art objects. Additionally, members are able to give their voices to the selection of these objects at the Annual Meeting.

Events hosted by the AAC have included lectures on such topics as Indian Art in the Era of Globalization, Great Shrines of Iran, American Collectors of Asian Art, Kangxi Porcelain; demonstrations of the Japanese arts of bamboo basket making and ikebana; visits to private collections of Asian objects such as Southeast Asian ceramics and bronzes, Chinese jades, and Japanese paintings; and curator-led travel to museums and collections in other cities.

Membership

The Asian Art Council invites you to become a member, which you can do online or by sending in a form.

Membership Levels:

Student  $10
Individual  $125
Family  $180
Lapis Circle  $375*
Lacquer Circle  $600*
Jade Circle  $1250*
Gold Circle  $3000*

*These levels provide access to an additional, curator-designated event.

Read our biannual newsletter: spring 2013

Honorary Chairpersons

Marilynn Alsdorf
H. George Mann
Margot Pritkzer
Thomas Pritkzer
Roger L. Weston

President 

Edmund J. Lewis

Vice Presidents 

Heather Black
Nancie Dunn
H. George Mann
Betty Seid

Secretary 

Marion Wood Covey

Treasurer 

James M. Trapp

Jack Beem
Heather Black
Frances Blair
Marion Wood Covey
Nancie Dunn
Ethel Gofen
Ann Grube
Edward Horner
Richard Horwood
Barbara Kipper
Diane Levy
Edmund J. Lewis
H. George Mann
Charles H. Mottier
John Notz
Richard Pegg
James C. Roche
Betty Seid
Allen R. Smart
Katherine Tsiang
Pooja Vukosavich
Daniel S. Walker, Michael Hobor, James Trapp, ex officio

Newsletter Editor

Betty Seid

Asian Art Council Coordinator 

Susan Packard

Encounters with Asia: Pursuing China’s Past
Join us for this seminar series presented by the Asian Art Council
For more information, contact Susan Packard at (312) 443-7282.

To Adorn the Body, Venerate the Ancestors, and Feast Friends from Afar:
Jades and Bronzes of Ancient China
Colin C. Mackenzie, senior curator of early Chinese art, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
Tuesday, April 9, 11:00 a.m.
Nichols Board of Trustees Suite
Asian Art Council members: $20 lecture, $50 lunch and lecture
Nonmembers: $30 lecture, $60 lunch and lecture

Escorts for Eternity
Elinor Pearlstein, associate curator of Chinese art, Art Institute of Chicago
Tuesday, April 16, 11:00 a.m.
Nichols Board of Trustees Suite
Asian Art Council members: $20 lecture, $50 lunch and lecture
Nonmembers: $30 lecture, $60 lunch and lecture

Performing the Divine: Buddhist, Taoist, and Confucian Practice in Chinese Art
Stanley Murashige, associate professor of art history, theory, and criticism, School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Tuesday, April 23, 11:00 a.m.
Nichols Board of Trustees Suite
Asian Art Council members: $20 lecture, $50 lunch and lecture
Nonmembers: $30 lecture, $60 lunch and lecture

Refinement of Taste: Chinese Ceramics of the Tang and Song Dynasties
Robert D. Mowry, Alan J. Dworsky Curator of Chinese Art and head of the Department of Asian Art
Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Harvard University
Tuesday, April 30, 11:00 a.m.
Nichols Board of Trustees Suite
Asian Art Council members: $20 lecture, $50 lunch and lecture
Nonmembers: $30 lecture, $60 lunch and lecture

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