Jacqueline Chao Appointed Cecil and Ida Green Curator of Asian Art at Dallas Museum of Art
DALLAS, TX – August 30, 2022 – Jacqueline Chao has been appointed the Cecil and Ida Green Curator of Asian Art at the Dallas Museum of Art (DMA), as was announced today by Dr. Agustín Arteaga, the DMA’s Eugene McDermott Director. Chao joins the Museum from Dallas’ Crow Museum of Asian Art, where she has served as Senior Curator of Asian Art, and brings a breadth of curatorial, research and teaching experience to the role. At the DMA, Chao will oversee the care and presentation of the Museum’s significant holdings of Asian art, guide the acquisition of new works into the collection, organize special exhibitions highlighting Asian art, and contribute new scholarly research and writing. Chao will begin at the DMA on September 6, 2022.
“As we continue to expand the global scope and impact of the DMA’s collection and curatorial team, while deepening connections with our community here in Dallas, we could not be more thrilled to welcome Jacqueline to the DMA,” said Arteaga. “With her extensive understanding of Asian art across eras, mediums, and traditions, coupled with her already significant contributions to Dallas’ cultural landscape during her time at the Crow and UT Dallas, she will bring a rigorous and engaging curatorial approach to the DMA’s collection and thought-provoking exhibition program.”
With a Ph.D. in the History and Theory of Art, Chao’s specialty is in Chinese art, with an emphasis on traditional and contemporary Chinese ink painting, visual culture and creative practice. She is also well-versed in Buddhist art and philosophy, ceramics and a variety of historical as well as modern and contemporary Asian artists whose work connects with tradition. Her research has been widely published and presented at notable institutions, conferences, and symposia worldwide.
During her tenure as Senior Curator of Asian Art at the Crow Museum, a position she has held since 2016, Chao oversaw the study, research and care of the museum’s collections while curating and organizing over 20 original exhibitions, leading the acquisition of over 150 Korean and Japanese works, and authoring a forthcoming handbook to the museum’s collections. Chao was also the lead curator for the Crow Museum’s gallery reinstallations, including the museum’s 20th anniversary exhibition, following its multimillion-dollar renovation and expansion of its Dallas Arts District space in 2018.
Chao’s commitment to a deepened and broadened understanding of Asian art and culture in a global context is evidenced by her exhibitions at the Crow Museum, which have ranged from the historical (Vishnu: Across Time and Space, 2021) to the contemporary (Hidden Nature: Sopheap Pich, 2017), spanning disciplines and demographics to emphasize the diversity within Asian art and among Asian artists globally. Her work has also highlighted artists working locally: beginning in 2020, she curated a trio of exhibitions for the museum’s Texas Asian Women Artists Series, which included Beili Liu: One and Another (2020); Divine Spark: Kana Harada (2021), which traveled to the Asia Society Texas Center, Houston last year; and JooYoung Choi: Songs of Resilience from the Tapestry of Faith (2022).
“I am honored to be joining Agustín and the exceptional curatorial team and staff at the DMA, and to have the opportunity to expand awareness and understanding of the arts of Asia – both locally in Dallas and on a global scale,” said Chao. “I am inspired by the museum’s mission and look forward to bringing new exhibitions and acquisitions of Asian art, as well as new stories about the collection, to all communities.”
“The Crow Museum is so proud of Jacqueline’s many and meaningful contributions to the museum over her tenure with us. The Crow would not be where it is today without her tremendous vision and support of new art histories in Asian Art,” said Amy Hofland, Senior Director of The Crow Museum of Asian Art at UT Dallas. “We look forward to continuing our work together in our warm and collaborative relationship with the Dallas Museum of Art to continue celebrating the profound contributions of Asian art and culture in North Texas. The Dallas Arts District is very fortunate to keep this treasure in our midst."
Chao has lectured widely on a variety of subjects in Asian art, and is currently an affiliate faculty member of the Edith O’Donnell Institute of Art History at The University of Texas at Dallas. She previously taught courses in Asian Art History at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago as well as at Arizona State University. She holds a B.A. from the University of Toronto and completed her doctorate and master’s degrees in Art History at Arizona State University.
About the Dallas Museum of Art
Established in 1903, the Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) is among the 10 largest art museums in the country. With a free general admission policy and community outreach efforts, the DMA is distinguished by its commitment to research, innovation and public engagement. At the heart of the Museum and its programs is its global collection, which encompasses 25,000 works and spans 5,000 years of history, representing a full range of world cultures. Located in the nation’s largest arts district, the Museum acts as a catalyst for community creativity, engaging people of all ages and backgrounds with a diverse spectrum of programming, from exhibitions and lectures to concerts, literary events, and dramatic and dance presentations. The DMA is an Open Access institution, allowing all works believed to be in the public domain to be freely available for downloading, sharing, repurposing and remixing without restriction. For more information, visit dma.org.
Regional Media:
Aschelle Morgan Director of Communications and Public Relations 214-922-1802 amorgan@dma.org
National/International Media:
Maria May / Delaney Smith / Emma Gold
Resnicow and Associates
214-207-6082 / 214-207-6082 / 212-671-5186
mmay@resnicow.com / dsmith@resnicow.com / egold@resnicow.com
Link to official press release
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