Though the Asian Art Museum is closed for renovation through fall 2019, the Gardner Center for Asian Art and Ideas has been out and about hosting a dynamic array of public programs in Seattle and beyond. Until the museum’s reopening, Gardner Center events, including the popular Saturday University Series, will be held primarily at the Seattle Art Museum. We will continue to host our summer World Music Series in Volunteer Park.

Gardner Center events explore the vast diversity of Asia and its presence in the world. From history and culture to global development and urban design, we exchange ideas that include dialogue on challenging contemporary issues. We also invite you to experience a range of artistic expression related to Asia.

The Gardner Center has long-term partnerships with the Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington and the Elliott Bay Book Company.

Learn more about the renovation and expansion of the Asian Art Museum.

CONTACT US

206.442.8480
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Office Hours:
Tuesday – Thursday
10 am – 5 pm

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The Gardner Center invites scholars, writers, artists, global development experts, and others engaged with Asia to share their ideas, projects, and experiences. Using a multidisciplinary approach, our inquiry is dedicated to encounters across cultures—within Asia, between Asia and the rest of the world, and within the museum.

Asia Talks range from authors producing great writing from and about Asia, to local women from South Asia discussing family jewelry traditions, to a daylong session on an Asian art form.

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TRANS PLANTS: Collecting, Gathering, and Globalizing Plants

March 16–April 27
Seattle Art Museum

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Consider plants in and out of their native environment, and how plants become an art material in bonsai and Chinese gardens. Hear stories of a delicious mushroom that only grows in the wild, farming eucalyptus as a colonial endeavor, and a hunt for rhododendrons in China.

Please note: There will be no talks on March 23 and April 13.

Auditorium seating is primarily through advance series subscriptions with limited individual lecture tickets sold at the door.

Held in partnership with the University of Washington’s Jackson School of International Studies, and the Elliott Bay Book Company.

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From classic masterpieces to new popular cinema, Asian films are screened outdoors in the Volunteer Park Amphitheater on Friday nights in the summer, and in the Asian Art Museum auditorium during other seasons.​​​

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​The a​rts provide powerful experiences for​ and insights between people who don’t share a spoken language or similar background. The Gardner Center presents occasional Asia-related performances and visual artists’ demonstrations. From contemporary Korean music to Bollywood dance styles to traditional textile techniques, these are special opportunities to engage with artists in action.

Every year, Tasveer and the Gardner Center co-present Yoni Ki Baat (a South Asian adaptation of The Vagina Monologues), created by an entirely new cast with their original stories.

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