Chicago 2011
Asian Art Treasures in the Windy City

Visit Chicago with the Asian Art Association and Curatorial Assistant Douglas Wagner, April 8 - 11, 2011!

Join the Asian Art Association to explore the Asian art treasures in one of the world’s greatest museum cities: Chicago. During this tour we will be guided by curators through some of the world’s finest art museums emphasizing their exquisite Asian Art collections. We will also be visiting private homes to view personal collections – a particularly special opportunity for our Asian Art Association members. Our group will enjoy the world class cuisine of Chicago with several group meals and stay at the historic Whitehall hotel in the heart of the vibrant city with a plethora of cultural attractions, shopping, and restaurants all within easy walking distance.

Highlights Include:

- Art Institute of Chicago: A special curator-lead tour of the new Japanese art wing in addition to viewing the impressive permanent collection. We will enjoy a dinner at the museum.

- Smart Museum at University of Chicago: Curator-lead private viewing of 19th century and contemporary Chinese works.

- The Field Museum: Tour of Japanese lacquer, Hall of Jade, Chinese and Tibetan collections as well as the wealth of other museum exhibits.

- Oriental Art Institute: Also on the University of Chicago campus, this museum has rare collections of Near Eastern (Egyptian, Nubian, Assyrian, Persian) and Central Asian art.

- Visits to private collections.

- Free time to enjoy other aspects of the vibrant city like Frank Lloyd Wright and other historic architecture.

--- To learn more about our travel program or if you have questions about an upcoming trip, please contact our Executive Assistant, Beverly Little, at 720-913-0040 or blittle@denverartmuseum.org. Thank you!

To travel with us, please join the AAA. To join our membership, please click here.

Washington DC 2010

Cherry Blossoms and Cloisonné

The cherry blossoms were in full bloom last April, 2010, when fourteen Asian Art Association members and the Curator of Asian Art, Ron Otsuka, traveled to Washington D.C. and Baltimore to explore Asian art. We had beautiful weather and enjoyed a visit to the Hillwood Museum and Gardens to view the cherry trees and Japanese garden. Highlights of the tour included beautiful and intricate Japanese cloisonné enamels at The Walters Art Museum, Himalayan and Southeast Asian art at the Ford Gallery, tours of the collections at the Freer and Arthur M. Sackler galleries, a tour of Korean objects at the National Museum of Natural History, and stunning private collection tours. These private collection visits were such a special and rare opportunity to see incredible works of art in an intimate environment and to learn about the pieces directly from the passionate collectors.

AAA trips are a fantastic opportunity to see art that is otherwise unavailable to the public and to have a lot of fun with other Asian art enthusiasts. We would love to have you join us on future AAA trips!

Photos from private collection tours in Washington DC. Photo credit: Gina Hander

San Francisco 2009

In February of 2009, a diverse group of Asian Art Association members and guests enjoyed four days of spectacular Asian art in San Francisco. “The Dragon’s Gift: The Sacred Arts of Bhutan” exhibition and symposium hosted by the Society for Asian Art was a highlight of the trip. The group also experienced some very special visits to private homes to see some extraordinary personal collections of Asian art. We were wowed with a museum-quality collection of Chinese paintings and furniture, treated to a viewing of a diverse and fascinating collection of Chinese snuff bottles, and delighted with a fun and creative collection of Chinese textiles. In addition to our special, up close and personal exposure to Asian art, the group had great fun getting to know one another, the collectors, and the other art enthusiasts encountered on the trip through dinners and socializing.

Testimonials:

C. Goldstein... "I do not usually join group tours. It just is not my thing. Nonetheless, I wanted to see the Bhutan exhibit and I know many of the people in the AAA, so my husband and I decided we would go to San Francisco with this group and give it a try. The trip exceeded all my hopes and expectations. I had to change my views about group trips. Not only was the Bhutan exhibit worthwhile, Gina was an extraordinary organizer (and that is coming from someone who considers herself to be one), the private collections she arranged were amazing and everyone got along beautifully. There was not one hitch. I loved this experience and intend to go on many other AAA sponsored trips."

M. De Martini... "The exhibit and the tours of private collections were fantastic! I particularly enjoyed the banquet because we heard the inside stories of how the exhibit of Bhutanese art was arranged. Hearing stories about the conservation efforts for the art work that traveled from Bhutan to San Francisco was fascinating. It was interesting to hear how the Bhutan and American museums worked together to teach and learn how to preserve and store the works from the temples. The exhibit was a win-win situation for both sides and it was a wonderful opportunity to be able to see the Bhutanese art in San Francisco."

Photos from private collection tours in San Francisco. Photo credit: Gina Hander

To travel with us, please join the AAA. To join our membership, please click here.