A viewing of the Florence and Herbert Irving Galleries for the Arts of South and Southeast Asia at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, followed by a reception in the Museum's celebrated Temple of Dendur in The Sackler Wing, will take place on Wednesday, May 22, 2002, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. A highlight of the evening's festivities will be a program of traditional dances and costume of India beginning at 7:30 p.m.
This event is organized by the Museum's Multicultural Audience Development Initiative with the assistance of Lal Motwani, who received the Governor's Award for Excellence — for outstanding achievements and community service to the Empire State — at the 2002 Asian American Heritage Awards. Founded in 1998, the initiative reflects the Museum's founding mission to educate and inspire by reaching out to all of its constituencies, including the many diverse communities that comprise New York. Its objectives are to increase awareness of and participation in the Museum's collections, programs and activities, and to diversify its visitorship and membership. Strengthening its ties to the Indian and Indian American community is an important component of the initiative's overall program.
The Museum has also established a Multicultural Advisory Committee. Composed of the cultural leadership of the Hispanic, Latino, African American, and Asian American communities, the committee meets on a regular basis, articulating a strategy for establishing a mutually beneficial alliance that fosters interest in the Museum among its many diverse constituents.
The members of the Asian American Committee are:
Lillian Cho, Executive Director of the Asian American Arts Alliance
Lal Motwani, President, Global Organization of People of Indian Origin, New York; Sindhi Circle, Inc., New York; Society of Indo-American Engineers and Architects, New York
Susan J. Onuma, Esq., Board of Governors, Japanese-American National Museum
Usha Subrahmanyam, Art Consultant
Henry Tang, Chairman, Committee of 100
Bonnie Wong, President, Asian Women in Business
This event, as well as others planned by the Multicultural Audience Development Initiative and its committees, reinforce and underscore the Metropolitan Museum's ongoing commitment to its founding mission to educate and inspire.
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Note: The May 22 event is by invitation. Press interested in photo or interview opportunities should contact Barbara Livenstein in the Metropolitan Museum's Communications Department at 212-650-2128 (fax 212-472-2764) in advance of the event.
May 14, 2002