Listen To Our Stories

“Documentation of this manuscript shows us where it has been since the late sixteenth century...”

“Documentation of this manuscript shows us where it has been since the late sixteenth century...”

Joanna Gohmann

Provenance Researcher & Object Historian

“The sheer size of this blown glass vessel and the intricacy of the decoration are striking...”

“The sheer size of this blown glass vessel and the intricacy of the decoration are striking...”

Gio Cirillo Camozzi

Junior Web Designer

“Freer was particularly fond of this object. He displayed this bust in his home next to a large jar from Raqqa...”

“Freer was particularly fond of this object. He displayed this bust in his home next to a large jar from Raqqa...”

Gretchen Welch

Volunteer Docent

“The Yatsuhashi Harumichi Family Album is one of the most fun items to pull out for a researcher...”

“The Yatsuhashi Harumichi Family Album is one of the most fun items to pull out for a researcher...”

Lisa Fthenakis

Archivist

“I always found that the goddess’s soft gaze and kind face comforted me.
And while I can’t confirm if...”

“I always found that the goddess’s soft gaze and kind face comforted me.
And while I can’t confirm if...”

Mary Kong-DeVito

Senior Content Strategist

“When I give tours, I often compare the figures’ defensive and protective character to superheroes...”

“When I give tours, I often compare the figures’ defensive and protective character to superheroes...”

Robin Berrington

Volunteer Docent

“I think this part of the collections can go overlooked, so I wanted to shed light on an object that is tiny in size...”

“I think this part of the collections can go overlooked, so I wanted to shed light on an object that is tiny in size...”

Tellie Simpson

Rights & Reproductions Assistant

“When I read about what it was used for, I fell in love with the object even more. I imagined the time it took to...”

“When I read about what it was used for, I fell in love with the object even more. I imagined the time it took to...”

Jasmine Taylor

Visitor Services Coordinator

“I am always delighted to see the gazelle featured in a gallery. It is exquisite!...”

“I am always delighted to see the gazelle featured in a gallery. It is exquisite!...”

Kathleen M. Morris

Volunteer Visitor Information Specialist

“This knife has been broken, redecorated, inscribed, erased, dyed, cleaned, and redecorated again...”

“This knife has been broken, redecorated, inscribed, erased, dyed, cleaned, and redecorated again...”

Keith Wilson

Curator of Ancient Chinese Art

“Amid the spiraling ferocity of the rain-splattered, thunderous sky emerges a quietly smiling elder fully in control...”

“Amid the spiraling ferocity of the rain-splattered, thunderous sky emerges a quietly smiling elder fully in control...”

Lindsay McAuliffe

Volunteer Docent

“The details on the Buddha’s robes show multiple scenes of his past lives and of heavenly realms...”

“The details on the Buddha’s robes show multiple scenes of his past lives and of heavenly realms...”

Liz Cheng

Head of Web and Digital Media

“My mother is from Vietnam, and I was born in Iran, so I feel a personal connection to the collections...”

“My mother is from Vietnam, and I was born in Iran, so I feel a personal connection to the collections...”

Melinda Jane Tomerlin

Digital Asset Manager

“I relate to the artist’s method because I feel I am having an artist-to-artist conversation with Hideo...”

“I relate to the artist’s method because I feel I am having an artist-to-artist conversation with Hideo...”

Michele LeTourneur

Volunteer Visitor Information Specialist

“While people normally don’t come to the National Museum of Asian Art for biblical manuscripts...”

“While people normally don’t come to the National Museum of Asian Art for biblical manuscripts...”

Mishee Kearney

Museum Lighting Specialist

“This plate depicts King Shapur II aiming his weapon at one boar having already killed the other...”

“This plate depicts King Shapur II aiming his weapon at one boar having already killed the other...”

Paul Ruther

Docent Program Manager

“I enjoy the traditionally handcrafted, beautiful publications by Yamada Unsōdō, who is still in business...”

“I enjoy the traditionally handcrafted, beautiful publications by Yamada Unsōdō, who is still in business...”

Reiko Yoshimura

Head Librarian

“I enjoy the functional simplicity of this box, contrasted with the intricate floral detail on the lid...”

“I enjoy the functional simplicity of this box, contrasted with the intricate floral detail on the lid...”

Ryan Murray

Archivist

“This example is relatively well-preserved, and its elaborate details can be seen if you look closely...”

“This example is relatively well-preserved, and its elaborate details can be seen if you look closely...”

Sunwoo Hwang

The Korea Foundation Assistant Curator of Korean Art and Culture

“My secret pleasure at the museum is to find out an artist’s real personality through the quality of their ink lines...”

“My secret pleasure at the museum is to find out an artist’s real personality through the quality of their ink lines...”

Takako Sarai

Curatorial Assistant

“I was captivated by this tea bowl during my first project working in collections storage...”

“I was captivated by this tea bowl during my first project working in collections storage...”

YinYing Chen

Curatorial Assistant

“When I see this painting, it brings me back to the sights and sounds of Dōtonbori, a town near my home...”

“When I see this painting, it brings me back to the sights and sounds of Dōtonbori, a town near my home...”

Akiko Niwa

Japanese Painting Conservator

“This ancient narrative handscroll tells interesting stories, and I find new details each time I unroll it...”

“This ancient narrative handscroll tells interesting stories, and I find new details each time I unroll it...”

Andrew Hare

Supervisory Conservator,
East Asian Painting
Conservation Studio

“It is irregular in form, but it has its own sort of natural symmetry. As you move the bowl, the lip rises and falls...”

“It is irregular in form, but it has its own sort of natural symmetry. As you move the bowl, the lip rises and falls...”

Brian Abrams

Collections Manager

“As a Chinese brush painter, I so admire the skill of the artist’s brushstrokes, which convey...”

“As a Chinese brush painter, I so admire the skill of the artist’s brushstrokes, which convey...”

Carole Yee

Volunteer Docent

“One of the animals of the Chinese zodiac, the tiger symbolizes strength and bravery. It is the king...”

“One of the animals of the Chinese zodiac, the tiger symbolizes strength and bravery. It is the king...”

Frances Li

Volunteer Docent

“Written on a small piece of cheap paper by a thirteenth-century priest, this poem has always captivated me...”

“Written on a small piece of cheap paper by a thirteenth-century priest, this poem has always captivated me...”

Frank Feltens

The Japan Foundation Associate Curator of Japanese Art

“Growing up, I was familiar with Chinese paintings. My grandfather painted them, but ink paintings...”

“Growing up, I was familiar with Chinese paintings. My grandfather painted them, but ink paintings...”

Grace Jan

The Yao Wenqing Chinese Painting Conservator

“Muhammad is riding a steed known as Buraq, a potent symbol in Muslim traditions that often signifies...”

“Muhammad is riding a steed known as Buraq, a potent symbol in Muslim traditions that often signifies...”

Hussein Rashid

Project Director, The Arts of Devotion