AT A GLANCE: The Transformed Asian Art Museum Visitor Experience

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A premier exhibition space for Asian art in the U.S. — Key Project Facts:

Timeline:

Planning and Design: Commenced 2015
Major Construction: Commenced 2018, Completion 2019–2020 (rolling)

Scope:

Size: 28,000 sq. ft. additional space, 63,000 sq. ft. space renovation
Program: 8,500 sq. ft. exhibition pavilion; 7500 sq. ft. roof terrace;
2,000 sq. ft. pavilion lobby

Leadership:

Jay Xu, Director and CEO, Asian Art Museum
Akiko Yamazaki, Board Chair and Capital Campaign Chair, Asian Art Museum
Kulapat Yantrasast, principal-in-charge, wHY Architecture Studio

Campaign/Cost:

$103M raised privately, of which $38M to fund expansion construction

Features of the museum’s transformation are focused on deepening visitor engagement through:

• Exceptional new spaces for contemporary art, as well as acquisitions and commissions;
• Reimagined approaches to displaying masterpieces across the museum’s 31 refreshed collection galleries;
• Expansive upgrades to education classrooms;
• Innovative digital capabilities and wayfinding to foster high-impact learning throughout; and
• New circulation, lounge and lobby spaces to enhance internal flow, allowing audiences to connect past to present in real time.

• 
  The Akiko Yamazaki and Jerry Yang Pavilion

  With 8,500 square feet of continuous gallery space — the most in San Francisco — this new pavilion endows the museum with unparalleled freedom and flexibility to create exhibitions that raise the bar for interpretation, technology and design. The inaugural immersive digital experience from teamLab, the world-famous international art collective, takes advantage of the pavilion’s unique features.

• 
  The East West Bank Art Terrace

  The city’s largest rooftop art terrace, this new 7,500-square-foot outdoor venue will be a destination for contemporary sculpture, including work by Ai Weiwei, and commissioned installations. Visitors can also experience special live performances while enjoying refreshments or participating in an evening event.

• 
  Hambrecht Contemporary Gallery; Lee Gallery

  Dedicated to new acquisitions and commissions from contemporary artists, these galleries — previously special exhibition spaces — allow museum audiences to participate in critical conversations and hear from today’s most important Asian, Asian American, and Asian diaspora voices.

• 
  Masterpiece Experience

  Tablets, projections, photo murals and other appealing didactic materials enable visitors to learn more about masterpieces across 31 refurbished galleries. By exploring artworks’ cultural, historical and geographic contexts, this augmented approach will ensure that each visitor has a personally meaningful, multilayered opportunity to engage with some of the most significant works in the collection.

• 
  Koret Foundation Education Center; Shriram Experiential Learning Center

  Invitingly illuminated and equipped with a state-of-the-art audio-visual system, the multifunctional Koret Foundation Education Center is a hub for an integrated suite of student-centric offerings for learners of all ages. The Shriram Experiential Learning Center further expands the museum’s versatile educational program, cultivating a new generation of art enthusiasts with drop-in, self-directed activities.

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