Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art Has Named Sol Jung the Shirley Z. Johnson Assistant Curator of Japanese Art

Black and white photo portrait of Sol Jung The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art has named Sol Jung the inaugural Shirley Z. Johnson Assistant Curator of Japanese Art. Jung was appointed to this role in September 2021. The position is made possible by a landmark bequest from the late Shirley Z. Johnson, a pioneering collector, friend and trustee of the museum, distinguished attorney and philanthropist. The largest single gift to the museum since its founding, the bequest enables the museum to deepen the study of Japanese art, especially ceramics and metalwork, and to educate the public through new initiatives.

In this role, Jung stewards the museum’s collection of pre-modern, modern and contemporary ceramics, lacquer ware and metalwork, which together number over 3,000 works. Jung also collaborates with the curatorial team and across departments to contribute significantly to the museum’s Japan-related initiatives. As the museum prepares to celebrate its centennial in 2023 and embark on its next 100 years, Jung will play an important role in highlighting Japanese objects and their connections across cultures.

“Colleagues and I are excited that Sol Jung has joined our curatorial team,” said Chase F. Robinson, the Dame Jillian Sackler Director of the museum. “Her perspective and contributions will strengthen our voice at a time of great opportunity for the museum as we approach our centennial.”

“I am delighted to join the National Museum of Asian Art during such an exciting time as we approach its centennial,” Jung said. “I am grateful for the late Shirley Z. Johnson’s visionary gift, which supports the museum’s continued commitment to preserving and studying Japanese objects. I am especially honored to continue Ms. Johnson’s initiative to promote research on modern and contemporary Japanese metalwork. I look forward to working with my colleagues to expand our understanding of Japanese objects in relation to the greater context of Asian art history and culture.”

Jung specializes in Japanese art history with a focus on how transnational maritime trade affected Japan’s visual culture during the premodern period. Jung received her Bachelor of Arts with distinction in the history of art at the University of Pennsylvania and her Master of Arts in art and archaeology from Princeton University, where she successfully defended her doctoral degree at the end of October. Jung curated Princeton University Art Museum’s first thematic exhibition of Korean ceramics entitled “Korean Ceramics: From Archaeology to Art History.” She has examined the reception of Korean tea bowls, called kōrai jawan in Japan, during the 16th century. Fieldwork at several maritime settlement sites in Japan and analysis of period tea documents, literary texts and archaeological remains have informed her research, which has been supported by the Metropolitan Center for Far Eastern Art Studies and the Kyujanggak International Center for Korean Studies.

About the Museum’s Strength in Japanese Art

The Japanese art program at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art is the first and largest interdisciplinary program outside of Japan focused on Japanese art, film and culture. It is devoted to researching, exhibiting, publishing and promoting the arts and culture of Japan from pre-history to the present, nationally and internationally. The museum’s collection of more than 12,000 objects from Japan spans four millennia and includes paintings, ceramics, metalwork, sculpture, lacquer and modern and contemporary photography and graphic arts. The program is overseen by an interdepartmental team of Japanese specialists, including curators, conservators and a curator of films who presents a robust series of Japanese films.

About the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art

The Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art, are located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Committed to preserving, exhibiting and interpreting exemplary works of art, the museum houses exceptional collections of Asian art, with more than 45,000 objects dating from the Neolithic period to today. Renowned and iconic objects originate from China, Japan, Korea, South and Southeast Asia, the ancient Near East and the Islamic world. The Freer Gallery also holds a signiﬁcant group of American works of art largely dating to the late 19th century. It boasts the world’s largest collection of diverse works by James McNeill Whistler, including the famed Peacock Room. The National Museum of Asian Art is dedicated to increasing understanding of the arts of Asia through a broad portfolio of exhibitions, publications, conservation, research and education.

Collections: Korean

The simple forms, spare decoration, and monochrome glazes of Joseon period (1392–1910) teabowls first attracted Charles Lang Freer to Korean ceramics. He expanded his collection to include Goryeo dynasty (918–1392) celadons, which had once adorned palaces, Buddhist temples, and private residences of the aristocracy. The same aristocratic patrons commissioned exquisite Buddhist paintings, such as the three rare examples now held by the museum.

During the last twenty years of his life, Freer acquired nearly 500 Korean art objects, including approximately 130 Goryeo and 80 Joseon ceramic pieces. When the Freer Gallery of Art opened its doors in 1923, Freer’s assembly of Korean art was considered unparalleled in quality and historical scope.

Memories of a Lunar New Year Past

an elaborate drawing of a bearded man with highly decorated clothing holding a staff — A pair of prints of guardian figures, or “door gods,” resembling these were pasted on the outer doors of the family home where I stayed to protect us from evil forces. These woodblock prints on paper date to the early 20th century. Freer Gallery of Art Study Collection, FSC-GR-627.

Decades ago in Taiwan, I had the unforgettable experience of staying with a friend’s family to celebrate Lunar New Year. I spent the holiday blanketed by family warmth and feeling giddy from constant sensory stimulation. The only quiet moments were those spent paying respect to the ancestors through activities such as burning incense in front of their photographs.

On New Year’s Eve, several generations gathered to sweep the floor, symbolically casting out lingering negativity. Then we exploded firecrackers to invite the ancestors to the evening’s family banquet, saving more for midnight, when, joining the neighborhood cacophony, we ignited our missiles to scare off evil forces. The house was ablaze with auspicious red and gold decorations, pictures of protective gods (including door gods), and images of chubby children emblematic of happiness.

Dinner was a parade of endless, richly aromatic delicacies, which carried as many good wishes as they did calories. A bowl of mandarin oranges symbolizing wealth decorated the table to which the family matriarch (and chef) brought heaping plates of steamed dumplings (jiaozi) shaped like silver ingots. Many of the dishes traditionally served during the feast have names that are puns alluding to wishes and good tidings. Jiaozi is a pun signifying that at the midnight exchange between the old and new year, prosperity arrives. We consumed a fish head to tail, indicating a favorable start and finish to the year. The Chinese word for fish is a homophone for a word meaning “surplus.” The name of a crab dish we were served sounds like the word for “harmony.” Dessert was a sweet glutinous rice cake called niangao, which plays on a pun meaning “a year of heights.” As we chewed, we whispered, “Step-by-step go higher” (bubu denggao), but we were too satiated to move.

a drawing of a red-faced, bearded man with highly decorated clothing holding a staff — One of a pair of “Door Guardian” prints. This one portraying Yuzhi Gong. Freer Gallery of Art Study Collection, FSC-GR-626.

Renewed the next day, we watched dragons and lions dance down local streets accompanied by crashing gongs and rhythmic drums. Chinese New Year’s riotous joy is indelible.

Meeting Our Mentors

When you visit an art museum, you might see objects worth far more than your college debt. You might encounter a gaggle of tourists taking selfies or sidestep a security guard who gives you a wary side-eye look. Sure, you could come upon all of these things while perusing the galleries, but have you ever wondered what happens behind the scenes? Who acquires the art? Who plans and sets up the displays? How does this all get done?

Enthralled by these questions, I was determined to learn more about the objects in the National Museum of Asian Art collections. To start this quest, I met Louise Cort, the museum’s curator emeritus of ceramics. Since she joined the Smithsonian in 1981, she has extensively researched Asian ceramics, from ancient sites in Southeast Asia to the nuances of the Japanese tea ceremony.

A woman in a black long sleeve shirt stands near a white ceramic vase in a glass case, she faces a group of three people and is speaking to them about the object in the case. — Louise Cort in the Freer. Photo by Cory Grace

As we walked in the quiet corridors of the Freer Gallery, she told me how she first discovered her interest in Asian art. In high school, she lived in Japan as part of a summer study abroad program. She was amazed by the variety and beauty of Japanese art. She wanted to learn more about Japanese art and culture when she returned to America. I can only hope that one day I’ll have a life-changing experience on par with her own trip to Japan!

Next up, I toured the Japanese galleries with Frank Feltens, Japan Foundation Assistant Curator of Japanese Art. I vaguely recall skimming through Japan’s Heian era in my AP world history textbook, and I know very little about the literature and art of Japan. Luckily, Dr. Feltens introduced me to the Tale of Genji, one of the world’s first novels. Scenes from this popular story were often reinterpreted on folded screens.

Dr. Feltens described how different colors were made from crushed minerals. He also explained that Japanese noblemen sometimes requested the figures have indistinguishable faces so viewers could imagine themselves as part of the scene. His insight was fascinating, and I couldn’t help but ask more questions about the work he showed me that day.

All in all, I felt truly honored to meet not one but two curators at the National Museum of Asian Art. I was in awe of their dedication and perspectives on Asian art and culture, and I was inspired by their personal stories and knowledge. When I get to college, I’ll try to take a class in Japanese art so I can continue my exploration of East Asian art!

Artwork, a gold paneled image shows cherry blossom trees with individuals standing around them. In the right portion of the painting is an aerial view of a room with people inside of it. — The Tale of Genji Chapter 34; Kashiwagi catches sight of the Third Princess Tosa Mitsuoki Japan, Edo period, 17th century Ink, color and gold on paper Gift of Charles Lang Freer Freer Gallery of Art, F1904.118

Grace Chung is a senior at McLean High School in Virginia. She is a three-year member of the Teen Council and loves learning about art and history. In high school she serves as a class council member, director for Relay for Life, and variety quiz bowl captain. Some of her favorite things are tea, jokes, and creating art.

As a member of the Teen Council, I have met bimonthly with a group of teenagers from high schools across the DC area. We talk about museums, culture, and art, and we also plan a teen night at the National Museum of Asian Art, the Smithsonian’s Asian art museums.

Part of my time is spent with my teen mentor, Dr. Antonietta Catanzariti, a scholar of ancient Near Eastern art. I was paired with Dr. Catanzariti due to my interest in Islamic art. We meet once a month to talk about her work, my interests, and her job as a curator. I imagined a curator plans exhibitions and converses about art all day. After learning about Dr. Catanzariti’s work, I now realize there is much more to her job, from research to site visits. Yes, it is true that some of a curator’s time is filled with planning exhibitions, but Dr. Catanzariti recently traveled to Uzbekistan to visit the Karakalpakstan State Museum of Art (called the Nukus Museum) and help its curators take care of the diverse collections. The Russian-born artist Igor Savitsky (1915–1984) founded the Nukus Museum, and today it has the greatest collection of avant-garde Russian art outside of Russia. Who knew? In spending time with Dr. Catanzariti, I have found that professions in the art world are much more than what they seem. Yes, curators plan and organize exhibitions, but they do so much more than that.

Jake Morton is a junior at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School in Bethesda, Maryland. A member of the National Honor Society, his favorite subjects are history and English. He likes to cook, play tennis, and read in his free time.

Lunar New Year: Your Birthday Too

a bowl of tteokguk — Image © Korea Tourism Organization

On Lunar New Year’s Day in Korea, we eat tteokguk, a traditional rice cake soup. There is a belief that eating this soup will make you one year older. My uncle used to say, “If you don’t eat this, you should consider your friends your elders.”

Korea has an interesting system for calculating age. You become a year older each January 1 instead of on your specific birthday. And when a baby is born, they are already a year old because pregnancy is factored into the child’s age. As a result, if you go to Korea, you will be considered one or two years older than you were before you arrived!

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