Solidarity for Asian American Community

BOSTON, March 6, 2021

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum values all cultures and backgrounds. We strive to be an inclusive place where everyone feels welcome. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) have been subjected to widespread bigotry and xenophobia, which perpetuates inequities and false narratives that are embedded in our national history.

Our founder, Isabella Stewart Gardner, valued Asian art and culture through her travels and collection of important Chinese and Japanese objects, as well as through her friendships. We seek to honor this legacy through our exhibitions and programs, including our current special exhibition of painting, film, and choreography in Shen Wei: Painting in Motion. And we support and applaud the work of our partners in the community, the Pao Arts Center and Chinese Folk Art Workshop with whom we are collaborating to help foster mutual understanding. This work amplifies the voices of local organizations which actively serve as sites of support, resilience and community-building.

For more information on how you may support Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, see the following resources

• Stop AAPI Hate
• How to support Asian American colleagues amid anti-Asian violence
• Community Action Guide: Responding to AAPI Hate Incidents
• There is no Anti-Racist Movement Without Fighting Anti-Asian Discrimination

And we invite you to please explore the Chinese works of art in our collection and the Shen Wei exhibition in person or online through June 20. We hope you will join us for upcoming free digital programs that discuss the beauty of Shen Wei’s artistry as well as the challenges faced by our AAPI communities in Boston.

Peggy Fogelman
Norma Jean Calderwood Director

Gwill York
Board President, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum