Fellows in the First Asian Art Forum for Museum Directors

Program Year: 2011

In November, 2011, representatives of important museums of Asian art from Asia and the U.S. met in San Francisco for a pioneering Directors Forum organized by The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. The Margaret F. Williams Memorial Fellows in Asian Art Program supported the participation of East Asian museum directors in the Forum, where they shared strategies for fostering greater global awareness of Asian art and cultures while exploring models for collaboration and partnerships among their institutions.

Brayton Wilbur Jr. Memorial Fellows Mr. Mukherjee and Dr. Srisuchat participated in the first Directors’ Forum organized by the Asian Art Museum. The event brought together leaders in the art field from Asia and the United States to consider strategic partnerships and collaborations. At the Forum, Mr. Mukherjee and Dr. Srisuchat discussed various aspects of museum management in their countries, including challenges in conservation, institutional cooperation in programming and staff exchanges.

Established by the late Asia Foundation President Emeritus Ambassador Haydn Williams, the Margaret F. Williams Memorial Fellows in Asian Art Program honors his late wife, whose interest in Asian art was stimulated by their travels together on Asia Foundation visits to the region. Mrs. Williams was also a founding docent at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, the cooperating partner in implementing the fellowship program.

Asia Foundation Trustee Judith Wilbur generously established a fellowship in Asian Art in honor of her late husband and former Trustee, Brayton Wilbur, Jr. The fellowship stems from the Wilburs’ deep interest in Asian art, nurtured through their residence and travel in the region, and their commitment to the work of The Asia Foundation and the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco (AAM). The two institutions are collaborating in the program’s execution, with AAM identifying qualified fellowship recipients, and The Asia Foundation’s Asian American Exchange unit responsible for overall administration.

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