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Press Release
2008-06-25 The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation
(25th June 2008 - San Francisco) In its effort to promote cultural understanding between China and the world, the Hong Kong-based Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation takes great pleasure in supporting collaborations among leading museums to bring the best of Chinese culture to global audiences. Power & Glory: Court Arts of China’s Ming Dynasty will open on 27th June, 2008, at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. The exhibition not only marks the first collaboration among the Asian Art Museum and three major museums in China; it also coincides with the run-up to 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. By supporting the exhibition, the Foundation hopes to focus attention on China’s outstanding artistic achievements. Diplomacy in the Art World The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation encourages collaborations among art institutions to bring quality programmes to the public. Power & Glory: Court Arts of China’ Ming Dynasty is the first-ever cooperative effort among the Asian Art Museum, the Palace Museum Beijing, the Shanghai Museum and the Nanjing Municipal Museum. The exhibition features over 240 artifacts, bringing to life not only the artistic achievement of the Ming Dynasty, but also dialogues between museums in China and the U.S. Mr. Robert H. N. Ho, Chairman of the Foundation, said, “We are pleased to contribute to this project, which offers a platform to advance cultural understanding between China and the States. It brings benefits to audiences and stimulates interactions among museums. We hope to see more great examples of diplomacy in the art world in future.” The Foundation and Asian Art Museum share same visions Operating with a vision to develop San Francisco and the Bay Area into one of the world’s great centers of Asian culture, the Asian Art Museum has seasoned specialists in Chinese art. Its effort to promote Chinese art is one that the Foundation finds worth supporting. The Foundation also shares the belief of Avery Brundage, founding father of the museum and President of the International Olympics Committee from 1952-72, that understanding and tolerance can be fostered among the world’s disparate cultures through the arts and through athletics. The Foundation firmly believes that empathy and mutual understanding are the keys to social harmony, and can be cultivated through an appreciation of the arts. By supporting Power & Glory: Court Arts of China’ Ming Dynasty, the Foundation aspires to focus on China’s artistic achievements in the special year of the Beijing Olympics, hoping to develop deeper understanding between the two cultures and nations. Buddhist Philosophy and the Arts One of the Foundation’s missions is to explore the intersections between Buddhist philosophy and the arts. The Foundation is delighted to find an interesting line-up of Buddhist objects in the Power & Glory exhibition. Audiences will see a Thangka made in Beijing’s imperial workshops as a gift from the Yongle emperor to Tibet. This present, preserved in pristine condition because of Tibet’s dry climate, bears witness to the Yongle emperor’s close association with Tibetan Buddhism. Two architectural segments of an arched gate from the site of the Bao’en Temple, built by the Yongle emperor, also reflect design that took its iconography from Tibetan Buddhism. Textiles used in rituals, silk sutra covers and wrapping cloth featuring auspicious symbols further illustrate the ties between the Ming Court and Tibetan Buddhism. More Buddhist artifacts will come to the Asian Art Museum as The Dragon’s Gift – The Sacred Arts of Bhutan, a multi-year project that aims to conserve and document the living Vajrayana Buddhist culture of Bhutan. They are scheduled to arrive in San Francisco in early 2009. As a Lead Sponsor of the project, the Foundation is delighted to share the success of the conservation project with audience in the U.S. About the Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation With deep roots in Chinese culture, the Robert H. N. Ho Foundation was founded in 2005 with a mission to foster and support Chinese arts and culture, in particular cross-cultural understanding between China and the world. Underlying the Foundation’s philosophy is a strong belief in the importance of educating the whole person and cultivating mutual understanding among people, thus benefiting the growth of the individual as well as society. The Foundation believes that participation in the arts enriches lives, liberates potential and encourages creative thinking. It also helps people approach issues in life, society and the world with greater ingenuity. Since its inauguration, the Foundation has taken an active role in supporting numerous arts and cultural programs internationally. In 2007, it supported Britain Meets the World: 1714–1830, an international partnership between the British Museum and the Palace Museum in Beijing. In early 2008, the Foundation partnered with the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York to present Cai Guo Qiang: I Want to Believe, realizing the museum’s first-ever solo retrospective of a contemporary Chinese artist. The exhibition will travel to Beijing to coincide with the Beijing Olympics in summer 2008, then to the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in early 2009. By joining hands with renowned Chinese writer Pai Hsien-yung, the Foundation is active in the revival and promotion of Kun Opera, an art form classified by UNESCO as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. Touring performances of the Kun Opera classic Peony Pavilion has been ongoing throughout China and are planned for other destinations in the coming years. Convinced that Buddhist philosophy can create an important path for personal and societal transformation, the Foundation supports programmes that provide a variety of view and tools to apply Buddhist insights to everyday life. It also supports programmes that explore the relationship between Buddhist philosophy and the arts - it collaborates with the Honolulu Academy of Arts in a multi-year project that aims to preserve, document and present the living Vajrayana Buddhist culture of Bhutan. The exhibition, The Dragon’s Gift: The Sacred Arts of Bhutan, began in early 2008 and will tour until 2009, embracing such destinations as the Rubin Museum in New York and the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. The project will continue to provide conservation training for Bhutanese monks, create a video archive for Cham ritual dance, and develop a database on Bhutanese arts in museum collections worldwide. The Foundation hopes to inspire other efforts to preserve and revitalize traditional arts and culture. In the arena of performing arts, the Foundation sponsored overseas tours of the Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan and the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, bringing dance and music talents to international stages. In its home base, the Foundation develops arts education programmes and other initiatives that fulfill the cultural needs of Hong Kong society. It designs and operates Through Our Eyes, a creative arts programme that brings a fresh approach to the arts to young people. Through Our Eyes focuses on helping young people find and express their authentic voices through photography and creative writing. It is currently an extra-curricular programme in schools and has served more than 1,000 students from 200 schools in southern China and Hong Kong. Students explore issues of identity, family, community, cultural heritage and the environment. Creative works have been shared with the community in books and public exhibitions, such as the groundbreaking projection event, Wanchai In A Different Light. Students are also provided opportunities to interact with international artists visiting Hong Kong through the Foundation’s effort in crossing over with other local arts events. In the effort to nurture young talent, the Foundation has formed a strategic partnership with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra to provide orchestral fellowships to outstanding young string musicians from China and Hong Kong. The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Orchestral Fellowships offer apprenticeships with the Philharmonic for one full season for music graduates to gain skills and experience as they embark on careers as professional musicians. The Foundation also offers Scholarships for Outstanding Merit to young Chinese musical talents for studying at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. Full scholarships covering the duration of diploma or degree courses are provided annually for six of the most outstanding young musicians entering the Academy. To learn more about the Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation, please visit the official website at www.rhfamilyfoundation.org
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