Asia Society Texas Center
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
The Houston Museum District welcomed a new cultural institution in 2012 with the opening of Asia Society Texas Center's 40,000-square-foot headquarters. The Yoshio Taniguchi-designed center features a flexible classroom and conference space, an art gallery, and a 273-seat theater. Three lifted gardens and a cafe add to Asia Society’s amenities. Just as inspiring as the building is the programming, which includes innovative artists and speakers from Asia and beyond. Visitors will experience the diversity of Asian art, film and performance.
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The Asia Center was designed by Japanese architect Yoshio Taniguchi and contains 40,000 square feet of space for classes, displays, and performances.
The Asia Center
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
The center was founded in 1979 by former Ambassador Roy Huffington and former first lady Barbara Bush. They recognized that the people of Houston and Americans in general needed to learn more about Asia and its many cultures. The first Asia Center was actually established in New York City in 1956 and served as a model for the Texas Center. In 1995, the center's Board of Directors voted to build the current building, which was finished in the fall of 2011. Yoshio Taniguchi was well known for leading the effort to renovate and expand the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Docent-led tours of Asia Society Texas Center’s exhibitions allow visitors to experience art on a personal level, learn about art historical periods and styles, and hear stories associated with the artwork.
Docent-led tours of Asia Society Texas Center’s exhibitions allow visitors to experience art on a personal level, learn about art historical periods and styles, and hear stories associated with the artwork.
Sources
"Mission & History." Asia Society Texas Center. Accessed June 11, 2014. http://asiasociety.org/texas/about/mission-history.