East of the Pacific: Making Histories of Asian American Art

Rather than offering a singular narrative, the show is organized around vital moments in Asian American history from the mid-nineteenth century to the present, underscoring the ways in which artists of Asian descent have contributed to our shared history. Drawing primarily from the collection of the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University, the exhibition features ceramics, drawings, paintings, photographs, and prints by more than thirty Asian American artists, including Ruth Asawa, Bernice Bing, Dong Kingman, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Chiura Obata, Roger Shimomura, and Toshiko Takaezu. The presentation at the Columbus Museum of Art incorporates works from the American collection, as well as paintings by a new generation of contemporary artists of the Asian diaspora from CMA’s Scantland Collection.

This exhibition is organized by the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University as part of the museum’s Asian American Art Initiative and curated by Aleesa Pitchamarn Alexander, Robert M. and Ruth L. Halperin Associate Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art and Co-Director of the Asian American Art Initiative. The Cantor gratefully acknowledges support from the Terra Foundation for American Art and Pamela and David Hornik.

The presentation at the Columbus Museum of Art is organized by Molly K. Eckel, Shackelford Family Assistant Curator of American Art, with Grace Tran, Art Bridges Fellow.