Christie Chang

What inspired you to become a curator?

I had majored in Japanese Studies at college because I was interested in the language and culture. After I graduated, I went to live and work in Japan and while I was there, I became fascinated with Japanese art, especially ceramics. I studied ceramics, flower arrangement, and calligraphy for almost two years with teachers there and came to understand how closely art is related to people's beliefs and how we can understand a culture by understanding its art. After I left Japan, I decided to study Japanese art history and completed a master's degree, after which I was lucky enough to be offered a job at a museum: Pacific Asia Museum (now USC Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena, CA). I hadn't planned to become a curator, but as soon as I started the job, I knew that it fit perfectly my love not only of art but of research and of organizing material. For me, there is nothing more rewarding than being able to learn about a new aspect of art, create a story about it, and then share it with others.

What is the most memorable exhibition you have curated?

There have been many! One of my first major exhibitions focused on a Japanese folk painting tradition called Otsu-e from the town of Otsu near Kyoto. The paintings are whimsical but also full of important cultural, social, and philosophical information about Japanese popular culture. I was able to do some original research, meet living artists, and publish a catalog to accompany the exhibition, so it was completely satisfying. Another career highlight was curating the exhibition Folding Paper: The Infinite Possibilities of Origami for tour with IA&A. The subject of contemporary origami was fascinating and not well researched by art historians, so it was exciting to delve deep into it, explore various trends, styles, and innovators and help to establish it as an artistic genre worth studying.

How do you decide which artwork will go on display in an exhibition?

It's different with each exhibition, but, in a nutshell, once I have decided I want to focus on an area of art, I ask myself what is interesting and important about it and why other people should care about it too. I then select works that will fit together to create an interesting story that will hopefully cause museum visitors to become excited about the art too.

If you could work with any artist in the history of art, who would it be?

Otagaki Rengetsu was a Japanese Buddhist nun who created ceramics in the 19th century that she inscribed with her poetry in her beautiful calligraphy. She was a fascinating character in her time, very successful as an artist and published as a poet, and her work was an early example of mixed media art in Japan. I love her ceramics and her story. I curated a small exhibition of her ceramics, calligraphy, and poetry at Pacific Asia Museum years ago and I felt like I came to know her through that. I know she would have many interesting stories to tell about art and life.

What project(s) are you currently working on?

I am currently working on the exhibition Washi Transformed: New Expressions in Japanese Paper with IA&A. The exhibition spotlights the works of nine contemporary Japanese artists—both in Japan and overseas—who use traditional handmade washi (Japanese paper) as their medium for creating highly innovative works of art, from small conceptual sculptures to large screens and installations. Like with the contemporary origami exhibition, I think that museum visitors will be surprised and amazed at the diverse range of works that these artists are creating.

What inspired you to become a curator?

When I began to work at the AMA | Art Museum of the Americas, I worked very closely with the curator of the permanent collection. I found it fascinating, the way in which she would tell stories about the museum collection. Every exhibition offered a totally new narrative, even ones that included the same pieces. Right then, I realized that I wanted to do similar work. She became my mentor, imparting her knowledge about this trade. A few years after she retired, I formally became the curator of the collection.

What is the most memorable exhibition you have curated?

The most memorable exhibition so far is Cultural Encounters: Art of Asian Diasporas in Latin America & The Caribbean, 1945-Present, funded in part by a research and planning grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. It is a very large-scale project that I have been working on for more than five years. I traveled around Latin America—to five countries—for research, and met in person and by email more than 40 artists, or their families. I have already written more than 50 texts for the project, and during this time had two babies. I can’t wait to see the exhibition realized and installed next year! The exhibition opens in May 2020 at the Morikami Museum in Delray Beach, Florida.

How do you decide which artwork will go on display in an exhibition?

It is a balancing act. There are many aspects to be considered. Once I have the theme of the exhibition, I usually make a large preselection based on the general idea. Then I narrow it, based on the aesthetic that we’re aiming for.

Sometimes, as in the case of Cultural Encounters, the exhibition could include an array of aesthetics that match very well with the overall subject. Other times, I look for a particular feel for the exhibition, or particular media.

I also try to balance established artists with up-and-coming artists, who may be doing great work but haven’t been recognized or exposed as much. One of the most important things is to strive for a balanced gender representation, which we sometimes achieve with greater success than at other times.

If the installation is going to take place at the AMA, and if it features pieces from our collection, I map out the layout in my head, and once we physically place all the artworks into the galleries, I start working with them in the space. Sometimes, right in that space is where I see that some pieces are stronger or weaker than I had believed. So, distribution becomes key in the final selection of the pieces.

If you could work with any artist in the history of art, who would it be?

That is a very difficult question; I have many different favorite artists, but I would love to work with one of the artists in Cultural Encounters, who has passed away. His name is Manabu Mabe. He is a Japanese-Brazilian artist whose family I met in São Paulo, when I went there to conduct research for the exhibition. It was fascinating to hear his wife talking about her husband’s work, and how he approached his practice. He arrived in São Paulo with his family at a young age. His family first came to work on a coffee plantation, and later they owned a plantation, but Manabu didn’t want to follow in the family trade and decided to become an artist, developing in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s a deep gestural abstraction, departing from Japanese calligraphy. He also became a great supporter of and guide to many Japanese artists who developed fruitful careers in Brazil. After visiting his studio and meeting his family, I would love to have been able to work with him for a retrospective exhibition. He is an example of a very important and understudied artist.

What project(s) are you currently working on?

I am currently co-curating the next exhibition at AMA, Home + Place: Visual Memory, with Olga Herrera, independent curator and scholar. It’s an exhibition of the work of Dominican artists Iliana Emilia and Scherezade Garcia, opening on September 26, 2019. Another exhibition that I’m co-curating—with Hilary Hatfield, President of Art Collector's Athenaeum—is a dialogue exhibition between DC-based artist Freya Grand and AMA’s permanent collection. I am also co-writing with Olga Herrera a paper on the Bolivian artist Maria Luisa Pacheco for the next College Art Association Conference in February 2020.