National Museum of Asian Art » Lectures & Discussions

asian art, lectures, scholarly talks, academic lectures, educational

RSS XML iCal Washington, DC — Eastern Time
This hCalendar-compliant page is optimized for search engines. View this calendar as published at archive.asia.si.edu.

Eid | Listening While Muslim

Learn how communities celebrate the end of Ramadan and the beginning of spring. Explore the holiday through a sonic journey with Listening While Muslim and sample coffee from a local vendor while gathering with friends. About Listening While Muslim Listening While Muslim (LWM) is a series of thematic listening parties produced and hosted by Asad Ali Jafri (aka DJ Ase Wonder) and Abdul-Rehman Malik. LWM is a sonic soul journey that crosses continents, languages, and genres, exploring music at the intersection of faith, culture, and politics. This carefully curated experience brings to life stories of solidarity, culture, and radical joy, featuring special guests and immersive musical explorations. This carefully curated experience brings to life stories of solidarity, culture, and radical joy, featuring special guest Zarifa Adiba accompanied by Sannan Mahboob and Karamat Khan. Asad Ali Jafri (aka DJ Ase Wonder) is a cultural organizer, producer, and artist, and Executive Director of Kaleidoscope Dreams… Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/listening-while-muslim-eid-tickets-1985867614493?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true. Categories: Lectures & Discussions. Performances. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible. Saturday, April 18, 2026, 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM.

Conservation Cart Talk | Choosing Materials for Chinese Hanging Scrolls

Join Chinese painting conservator Xiangmei Gu to explore how she selects materials when mounting paintings as hanging scrolls. Learn how she chooses silks for the borders, lines them with Xuan paper, and dyes them with Chinese watercolors to create harmony with the delicate Chinese paintings. Try your hand at picking the right color and experience the trial and error process. Plus, examine and handle the silks, papers, pigments, and brushes used in this traditional practice. Ultimately, you'll learn how these materials support the conservation of Chinese paintings in our collections. Image: Department of Conservation and Scientific Research, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution. Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Gallery 13. Cost: Free. Registration is optional. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1984382944806?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Lectures & Discussions. Gallery Talks & Tours. Demonstrations. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Assisted listening devices. Friday, April 24, 2026, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM.

Saeb Eigner, Artists of the Middle East: Book Talk and Signing

In this lecture, Saeb Eigner offers a journey through more than a century of modern and contemporary art from the Middle East and North Africa, as documented in Artists of the Middle East: 1900 to Now. The book brings together over 250 major artists—from early modernists to today’s leading contemporary voices—across a vast geographic area stretching from Morocco to Iran. Eigner will highlight how cultural heritage, linguistic and literary traditions, and regional socio‑political realities have shaped different art movements and individual practices.      By examining landmark artists such as those active in the mid‑20th century alongside contemporary figures, the lecture will trace continuities and ruptures: how earlier modernist expressions gave way to new forms; how political upheaval, migration, globalization, and cultural exchange influenced artistic production; and how art from the region today speaks to global audiences while remaining rooted in local histories.    After the talk, participate in a Q&A… Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (required). Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/saeb-eigner-artists-of-the-middle-east-book-talk-and-signing-tickets-1981810960933?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Shopping/Book Signing. Lectures & Discussions. After Five. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Friday, April 24, 2026, 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM.

American Council for Southern Asian Art (ACSAA) Symposium XXII: Keynote Panel and Reception

Keynote panel and reception: Thursday, May 7, 4–8 p.m. EDT Symposium: Friday, May 8–Saturday, May 9, 10 a.m.–6:30 p.m. EDT Curator-led tours: Sunday, May 10, 10 a.m.–12 p.m. EDT The American Council for Southern Asian Art (ACSAA) Symposium XXII will be hosted by the Freer Research Center in Washington, DC, on May 7–10, 2026. The symposium begins on the afternoon of May 7 with a keynote panel and reception. On May 8–9, the program will continue with two full days of in-person talks and discussions. We will conclude on May 10 with curator-led gallery tours. Keynote Panel: In the Realms of Friendship: Emotion, Devotion, and Status in the Visual Arts Vidya Dehejia , Annapurna Garimella , Heidi Pauwels , Molly Emma Aitken, ACSAA symposia are opportunities to meet our colleagues, reconnect with mentors and graduate school cohorts, and share one’s current research with the field. Occurring every two years and hosted by academic institutions and museums, often in conjunction with major exhibitions, ACSAA symposia… Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Freer Courtyard, Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (required). Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/american-council-for-southern-asian-art-acsaa-symposium-xxii-tickets-1980384718002?aff=ebdssbdestsearch. Categories: Lectures & Discussions. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Thursday, May 7, 2026, 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM.

American Council for Southern Asian Art (ACSAA) Symposium XXII: Day 1

Keynote panel and reception: Thursday, May 7, 4–8 p.m. EDT Symposium: Friday, May 8–Saturday, May 9, 10 a.m.–6:30 p.m. EDT Curator-led tours: Sunday, May 10, 10 a.m.–12 p.m. EDT The American Council for Southern Asian Art (ACSAA) Symposium XXII will be hosted by the Freer Research Center in Washington, DC, on May 7–10, 2026. The symposium begins on the afternoon of May 7 with a keynote panel and reception. On May 8–9, the program will continue with two full days of in-person talks and discussions. We will conclude on May 10 with curator-led gallery tours. ACSAA symposia are opportunities to meet our colleagues, reconnect with mentors and graduate school cohorts, and share one’s current research with the field. Occurring every two years and hosted by academic institutions and museums, often in conjunction with major exhibitions, ACSAA symposia are one of the primary ways that members gather, share ideas, and participate in the ACSAA community. To learn more about ACSAA, its current board members, and its… Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (required). Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/american-council-for-southern-asian-art-acsaa-symposium-xxii-tickets-1980384718002?aff=ebdssbdestsearch. Categories: Lectures & Discussions. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Friday, May 8, 2026, 10:00 AM – 6:30 PM.

American Council for Southern Asian Art (ACSAA) Symposium XXII: Day 2

Keynote panel and reception: Thursday, May 7, 4–8 p.m. EDT Symposium: Friday, May 8–Saturday, May 9, 10 a.m.–6:30 p.m. EDT Curator-led tours: Sunday, May 10, 10 a.m.–12 p.m. EDT The American Council for Southern Asian Art (ACSAA) Symposium XXII will be hosted by the Freer Research Center in Washington, DC, on May 7–10, 2026. The symposium begins on the afternoon of May 7 with a keynote panel and reception. On May 8–9, the program will continue with two full days of in-person talks and discussions. We will conclude on May 10 with curator-led gallery tours. ACSAA symposia are opportunities to meet our colleagues, reconnect with mentors and graduate school cohorts, and share one’s current research with the field. Occurring every two years and hosted by academic institutions and museums, often in conjunction with major exhibitions, ACSAA symposia are one of the primary ways that members gather, share ideas, and participate in the ACSAA community. To learn more about ACSAA, its current board members, and its… Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (required). Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/american-council-for-southern-asian-art-acsaa-symposium-xxii-tickets-1980384718002?aff=ebdssbdestsearch. Categories: Lectures & Discussions. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Saturday, May 9, 2026, 10:00 AM – 6:30 PM.

American Council for Southern Asian Art (ACSAA) Symposium XXII: Curator-led Tours

These tours are part of the American Council for Southern Asian Art (ACSAA) Symposium XXII. ACSAA membership is required to attend. Join or renew your ACSAA membership. To conclude the symposium, our curators will lead tours of two exhibitions at the museum. Debra Diamond will lead tours of Of the Hills: Pahari Paintings from India’s Himalayan Kingdoms at 10 and 11 a.m. , Emma Natalya Stein will lead tours of Vishnu’s Cosmic Ocean at 10 and 11 a.m. Registration for this year’s symposium is free due to the generous support of the Elizabeth Moynihan Curator of South and Southeast Asian Art Endowment. Additional support is provided by Catherine Glynn Benkaim and Barbara Timmer. For more information, please visit the program page or email FreerResearchCenter@si.edu. Image: Procession of musicians, ceremonial textile (detail); India, Gujarat state, for the Indonesian market, 16th–17th century; block-printed plain-weave cotton (mordant- and resist-dyed); National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution,… Venue: Asian Art Museum, East Building. Building: East Building. Event Location: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. Cost: Free. Register in advance (required). Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/american-council-for-southern-asian-art-acsaa-symposium-xxii-tickets-1980384718002?aff=ebdssbdestsearch. Categories: Lectures & Discussions. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Sunday, May 10, 2026, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.

Sneak Peek | Marine Predators in Prehistoric Japan's Worldview

Prehistoric shell midden sites along the Japanese coasts provide a treasure trove of information for archaeologists. The conditions are excellent for the preservation of organic materials, such as artefacts, animals, and plants that include subsistence resources, as well as buried human remains. The data from excavations offers a peek into the fascinating life of prehistoric fishermen, including their tragedies and perils.      This presentation focuses on two of the potentially most dangerous marine species: sharks and the cone sea snail, a small but highly venomous invertebrate. Their representation in material culture indicates that both species also played an important symbolic role. Shark teeth (fossilized teeth of megalodons and other contemporaneous species) were fashioned into amulets and ritual adornments. Perhaps surprisingly, so were cone snail shells. Archaeology tells us more about their role in prehistoric life and society—even if the lack of written texts prevents us from grasping their full me… Event Location: Zoom. Cost: Free. Register in advance (required). Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_zwkjd0lGTJG3Ia9TFiffzQ. Categories: Webcasts & Online. Lectures & Discussions. Accessibility: Captioning. Tuesday, May 19, 2026, 12:00 PM – 12:40 PM.