(Left): O’Keeffe, Todd Webb, Georgia O’Keeffe Pouring Tea at the Ghost Ranch, 1962, vintage gelatin silver print, 10 x 8 in. (25.4 x 20.32 cm); (Right): Book page, photo by Yoshiyuki Morioka; Courtesy Seizan Gallery

Special Project
MORIOKA SHOTEN: THE BOOK OF TEA
May 20 – 31, 2025
Talk & Music Performance: Saturday, May 24 at 2pm
525 West 26th St, NYC

Seizan Gallery is pleased to present MORIOKA SHOTEN: THE BOOK OF TEA, a special two-week pop-up, featuring the internationally celebrated Tokyo bookstore Morioka Shoten. This marks the bookstore’s first-ever appearance in New York and takes place in their project room.

Founded in 2015 by Toshiyuki Morioka, Morioka Shoten is a one-of-a-kind bookstore that presents just one title per week, accompanied by related artworks, design objects, and cultural programming. For this special New York edition, Morioka has selected The Book of Tea by Okakura Kakuzō (also known as Okakura Tenshin, 1863–1913), a seminal work first published in English in 1906. Blending philosophy, aesthetics, and cultural commentary, the book explores the Japanese tea ceremony (chanoyu) as a lens through which to understand Japanese spirituality, design, and worldview. Over the decades, it has deeply influenced Western artists, writers, and intellectuals—including Georgia O’Keeffe.

Morioka recently traveled to O’Keeffe’s Home and Studio in Abiquiú, New Mexico, where he discovered two copies of The Book of Tea in her personal library, one with handwritten underlines. Photographs taken during his visit, along with a portrait of O’Keeffe by Todd Webb, will be on view alongside a first edition and recent versions of the book.

Installation view, Project Room, Seizan Gallery

Alongside the bookstore, a curated pop-up store explores the culture, history, and aesthetics of the Japanese tea ceremony. Highlights include ceramics by Taro Tabuchi and Keita Matsuyama, “urushi” lacquerware by Eri Asano and Atsuko Nakajima, and a selection of rare vintage objects.

Join them on Saturday, May 24 at 2pm for a special program featuring Morioka’s reflections on his research journey and a live clavichord performance by Akira Uchida, described by Morioka as “an urban alternative to the sounds of the tea house.” Tea will be served by Ippodo Tea from Kyoto.

To learn more and RSVP, click here.

Hustle ’n’ Punch by Kaikai and Kiki, 2009. Takashi Murakami. Acrylic and platinum leaf on canvas mounted on aluminum frame; 300 x 608 x 5.1 cm. © 2009 Takashi Murakami / Kaikai Kiki Co. Ltd. All rights reserved; Courtesy The Cleveland Museum of Art

Takashi Murakami: Stepping on the Tail of a Rainbow
May 25 – September 7, 2025
Member Preview Events: May 16–24, 2025 (reserve tickets)

Discover an incredible exhibition of works from a Japanese artist known for his unique style that examines the cultural energies of contemporary Japan—anime, manga, and the otaku culture that grew around these popular art forms—against the backdrop of Japanese traditions at The Cleveland Museum of Art! Takashi Murakami uses his art to interpret historical events and their lasting effects, such as the end of World War II, the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Visitors can explore how—after shared traumatic events—art can address crisis, healing, outrage, and escapist fantasy. Artworks explore topics such as how people may change when experiencing trauma, how major disasters can lead to outpourings of creative and religious fervor, and how art addressing contemporary passions as diverse as gaming, the metaverse, trading cards, street fashion trends, anime, and manga can be an entry point to engaging the past.

The centerpiece of the exhibition is the re-creation of the Yumedono, or Dream Hall, from Nara Prefecture’s Hōryūji Temple complex in the Ames Family Atrium. The Yumedono is believed to occupy the same location as the home of Prince Shōtoku Taishi, who converted his father, Emperor Yōmei, to Buddhism in the late 500s CE by calling for Buddha to cure the emperor of an illness. Upon the emperor’s recovery, Buddhism was allowed formally into Japan. To this day, the Yumedono houses the Kuse Kannon (a likeness of Prince Shōtoku), which is believed to have the power to save people from suffering.

Members enjoy exclusive early access now through May 24 with free exhibition tickets throughout the run of the show.

To learn more, click here.

The Astor Chinese Garden Court, Ming dynasty (1368–1644), 17th century style. Taihu rocks, granite terrace, ceramic tile flooring, roof tiles, and door frames, various woods (nan wood columns, pine beams, gingko latticework), brass fittings. Purchase, The Vincent Astor Foundation Gift, 1981; Courtesy The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month by exploring the vibrant work of AAPI artists through exclusive tours, talks, and events at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the National Museum of Asian Art in DC!

THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART 

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Member Tour
May 20, 24, 27 & 31, 2025 from 2–2:45pm
Free for Members; no registration required
Meet at Medieval Choir screen from the Cathedral of Valladolid in Gallery 305

In celebration of AAPI Heritage month, The Met is excited to offer Members-only tours that explore the subjects, voices, and narratives found in the over 5,000 years of art in the galleries. No advance registration required, but participation is first come, first served.

To learn more, click here.

Storytime at The Met—Exploring AAPI Art
Tuesdays & Thursdays, May 1–29, 2025 from 10:15–10:45am & 11–11:30am
Free; Museum admission is not required
81st Street Studio, Ruth and Harold D. Uris Center for Education

Look, listen, sing, and have fun with Storytime! Join them every Tuesday and Thursday for picture-book readings connected to objects in The Met collection. This month, enjoy books celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander artists. Storytime is recommended for families with children ages 18 months to 6 years old.

To learn more, click here.

Storytime at The Met Cloisters—Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
Tuesdays, May 20 & 27, 2025 from 11:30am–12pm
Free with Museum admission
The Met Cloisters, Gallery 6, Pontaut Chapter House

Look, listen, sing, and have fun with Storytime! Join Met educators every Tuesday for picture-book readings in English and Spanish connected to objects at The Met Cloisters and to their uptown community. Recommended for families with children ages 18 months to 6 years.

To learn more, click here.

Ceremonial Teahouse: Sunkaraku (Evanescent Joys), c. 1917. Designed by Ōgi Rodō (Japanese, 1863–1941); Courtesy Philadelphia Museum of Art

PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF ART

Asian Art Tour 
May 19, 22–26, & 29–31 2025 from 2–3pm
Free with Museum admission
Meet in Great Stair Hall, near Gallery 251

On this guided tour, visit rare architectural settings and discover intriguing works of art from Asia, including some of the oldest objects in the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s collection. Please note space is limited to 20 participants, first come, first served until capacity is met.

To learn more, click here.

Ten Times Better and Chinatown Cha-Cha Screening & Performance
Saturday, May 21 from 1–3pm
Tickets: $25 (includes Museum admission)
Eli Kirk Price Room & Williams Forum

Experience how dance transformed the lives and work of George Lee and The Grant Avenue Follies in this double-feature screening of Ten Times Better and Chinatown Cha-Cha, curated by the Philadelphia Asian American Film Foundation. The films will be followed by a special performance by the Grant Avenue Follies.

To learn more, click here.

Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Arthur M. Sackler Collection, The Alice S. Kandell Collection, Photo by John Bigelow Taylor

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF ASIAN ART

IlluminAsia Festival: Tours, Zoom, Performances & Panel Discussions
May 1–31 2025 (dates & times vary)
Free; Registration required for some events

The National Museum of Asian Art is pleased to celebrate Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with their annual IlluminAsia Festival! Throughout the month of May, they invite you to learn, reflect, and foster connections through Asian arts and cultures. This year’s IlluminAsia Festival celebrates Asian American storytelling. Asian American and Asian diasporic cultural identity and storytelling is part of Asia’s cultural fabric, especially in the context of the United States. Storytelling connects communities to their heritage and shapes the way we understand and connect with one another. The festival events bring people together to celebrate AANHPI experiences, perspectives, and achievements in arts and culture.

To view the full calendar of events, click here.

 

 

Courtesy China Institute

One-Day Symposium: Forging the Sacred: Imagery, Ritual & Power in Shang–Zhou Bronzes
Saturday, May 24, 2025, 9:30am-5:30pm
Tickets: $25 (Members & Students); $40 (Adult)
40 Rector St, 2nd fl⁠⁠

Held in conjunction with the China Institute Gallery’s exhibition Eternal Offerings: Chinese Ritual Bronzes from the Minneapolis Institute of Art, this one-day symposium brings together leading scholars in art history and archaeology to explore the ceremonial and political dimensions of bronze in the Shang and Zhou dynasties.

Through several presentations, speakers will examine how bronze vessels and images were not only crafted as material objects but also forged as instruments of sacred authority, ancestral communication, and social hierarchy. Topics will include the symbolic language of bronze iconography, the role of bronze in royal legitimation, and new insights from recent archaeological discoveries. Together, these perspectives shed light on how bronze shaped early Chinese ritual practice, political culture, and systems of meaning.

The symposium invites scholars, students, and the public to reflect on the enduring legacy of one of ancient China’s most powerful ceremonial technologies.

To learn more and reserve your tickets, click here.

Portraits of Three Famous Poets: Kakinomoto no Hitomaro, Lady Ise, and Ono no Komachi; Tosa Mitsuoki (Japanese, 1617–1691), Tosa Mitsunari (Japanese, 1646–1710), Tosa Mitsutaka (Japanese, 1675–1710), 1691. Triptych of hanging scrolls: ink, color, gold and silver on silk; Image: 39 1/2 × 17 3/8 in. (100.3 × 44.1 cm); Overall with mounting: 73 3/4 × 22 3/8 in. (187.3 × 56.8 cm); Mary and Cheney Cowles Collection, Gift of Mary and Cheney Cowles, 2021; Courtesy The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Three Perfections: Japanese Poetry, Calligraphy, and Painting
Tuesday, May 20, 2025 at 5pm (ET)
Zoom Webinar

The Japanese Art Society of America welcomes members for their upcoming Zoom talk by John T. Carpenter, Mary Griggs Burke Curator of Japanese Art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, on the themes covered in his recently published book The Three Perfections: Japanese Poetry, Calligraphy, and Painting, co-authored with Tim T. Zhang, research associate in the Department of Asian Art. This volume accompanies the exhibition, currently on view at The Met, that commemorates the extraordinary gift of more than 300 Japanese paintings and calligraphies from collectors Mary and Cheney Cowles.

The five primary areas addressed in the book include: kana calligraphy of the 11th to 14th centuries; bokuseki, or Zen monks’ calligraphies of medieval times; courtly styles of calligraphy and paintings of the early modern period; Ōbaku Zen calligraphy of the 17th century; and literati painting of the 18th and 19th centuries. By way of background, please see the in-depth interview with Cheney Cowles published in Impressions 41 (2020), “Cheney Cowles: A Seattle Collector Makes a Statement.”

To learn more and register, click here.

Ewer (Brocca) (detail), Medici Porcelain Manufactory, ca. 1575–80. Soft-paste porcelain. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917 (17.190.2046)

Daylong Symposium
Creative Convening—Monstrous Beauty: A Feminist Revision of Chinoiserie
Saturday, May 17, 2025 from 10:30am–4pm
Free with museum admission (kindly register)
The Met Fifth Avenue – The Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium

Dive deep into the themes found in The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s current exhibition,  Monstrous Beauty: A Feminist Revision of Chinoiserie, through dynamic conversations, presentations, and readings by leading scholars, designers, and writers. Explore how the decorative style of chinoiserie shaped both European women’s identities and racial and cultural stereotypes around Asian women in this critical look at the historical style and its afterlives.

Below is the schedule of events:

10:30 am: Welcome and Introduction
Sarah Lawrence, Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Curator in Charge, European Sculpture and Decorative Arts, The Met
Iris Moon, Associate Curator, European Sculpture and Decorative Arts, The Met

11 am: Reading
Sally Wen Mao, Poet

11:15 am: Session I – Conversation: Chinoiserie’s Contested Histories
David Porter, Professor of English and Comparative Literature, University of Michigan
Michele Matteini, Associate Professor of East Asian Art, Architecture and Visual Culture, New York University
Moderated by Iris Moon, Associate Curator, European Sculpture and Decorative Arts, The Met

12:15 pm: Roundtable Discussion: Why It’s Time to Rethink Chinoiserie—A Critical Look at Interior Design
Michael K. Chen, Principal, Michael K Chen Architecture
Aileen Kwun, Writer, editor, and creative director
Moderated by Dung Ngo, Editor in Chief, AUGUST Journal

1 pm: Break

2 pm: Session II
Artist Conversation: Heidi Lau and Patty Chang
Moderated by Howie Chen, Curator, 80 Washington Square East Gallery, New York University

2:30 pm: Conversation: Beauty Standards and Aesthetics
Alka Menon, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Yale University, and author of Refashioning Race: How Global Cosmetic Surgery Crafts New Beauty Standards
Elise Hu, Journalist, podcaster, entrepreneur, and author of Flawless: Lessons in Looks and Culture from the K-Beauty Capital

3:15 pm: Keynote
Anne Anlin Cheng, Professor of English, Princeton University

4 pm: Closing Remarks
Iris Moon, Associate Curator, European Sculpture and Decorative Arts, The Met

To learn more and register, click here.

John Thomson, Portrait of a Woman, albumen silver print, c.1870

Sun and Silver: Early Photographs of China by Lai Fong and John Thomson
Through June 10, 2025
10 West 18th Street, 7th Floor
Open by appointment

The Loewentheil Photography of China Collection is pleased to announce the extended run of Sun and Silver: Early Photographs of China by Lai Fong and John Thomson, now on view through June 10. This landmark exhibition unites masterworks by two towering figures in 19th-century photography of China. Lai Fong, the most celebrated early Chinese photographer, and John Thomson, his prominent foreign contemporary, each played a pivotal role in shaping the early artistic and technical development of photography in China. This major exhibition gives viewers the opportunity to compare and contrast Lai Fong’s expressive artistry and technical ingenuity alongside Thomson’s stylistic virtuosity. This show reveals the intricate and fascinating relationship between the works of these two photographers who crossed paths, competed for patrons, and had a meaningful influence on one another and the art of photography.

Sun and Silver: Early Photographs of China by Lai Fong and John Thomson spans the careers of both artists through the finest examples of vintage prints, all dating to the 1860s and 1870s. It also presents works by other 19th-century photography studios in China that share the themes and subjects of Lai Fong’s and Thomson’s photographs. The exhibition suggests new ways of looking at the origins of photography in China.

This exhibition presents a tiny sliver of the holdings of the Loewentheil Collection, the most important collection of early China photographs in the world.

To learn more and schedule an appointment, click here.