The Freer Research Center embodies a long tradition of lively and dynamic research at the National Museum of Asian Art. Fostering innovative object-based inquiries into Asian art and American art of the Aesthetic Movement, it offers access to the museum’s resources and staff expertise. The Freer Research Center is responsible for fellowships, programs, and peer-reviewed publications. Formally established in 2024, the Freer Research Center welcomes a global community of leading researchers, emerging scholars, and students with interests in material and visual cultures, digital humanities, collecting histories, and related fields.
When museum founder Charles Lang Freer made his gift to the nation, it was “with special regard for the convenience of students and others desirous of an opportunity for uninterrupted study of the objects.” The Freer Research Center cultivates the next generation of academics and curators through a variety of fellowships. It produces Ars Orientalis, one of the oldest journals devoted to scholarship on Asian art and now open access, as well as other peer-reviewed publications largely related to the museum’s collections. The Freer Research Center also regularly hosts conferences, workshops, and lectures to showcase innovative research.
Helena Chen-Abair
Stephanie Su 
Srishti Sankaranarayanan
Rebecca Selch
