Critical Foundations
What is featured in Mia’s Asian art collection?
Introduction
Mia celebrates Asian art with a collection that:
- spans 7,000 years—from 5000 bce to today;
- features more than 12,000 artworks and cultural resources, including paintings, sculptures, prints and drawings, period rooms, textiles, decorative arts, photography, video, and mixed media; and
- highlights creativity from Asian communities all over the world, including our own Twin Cities!
Mia devotes one–fifth of its total gallery space to the art of Asia, considerably more than most North American art museums. The museum, and its collection, is divided into departments. These categories are reflected in the ways artworks are displayed in our galleries. However, it is important to note that these categories are not fully representative of the diversity of Asian arts and cultures from around the world. In addition, because so many Asian artworks are fragile and sensitive to light, Mia only displays a fraction of its entire collection of Asian art at any one time. While Mia rotates the artworks every few months, we encourage you to look through our collections site and explore based on your own interests!
Video: Not Us
Video Discussion
What do you think is the main message of Bao Phi’s “Not Us”? What about the performance makes you think so? In what ways does this performance speak directly to you? Why is it important to address the invisibility of Asian people?
Teaching and Learning Strategies
When you visit Mia’s Asian galleries or look at the collections online, reflect on the following questions with your students:
- What stories are being told? What stories are absent?
- Why is it important to think about what is or isn’t on display in art museums?
- Why is it important to think critically about the big role museums play in supporting dominant narratives about Asia?