The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art has announced South Korean singer-songwriter Eric Nam will take the stage as the headline performer at the museum’s centennial celebration in May.
The museum was established in 1923 with an initial collection by its founder Charles Lang Freer, of which the collection has grown to some 46,000 artworks. The museum became the first fine art museum to be part of a Smithsonian institution in Washington, DC in 1923.
In celebration of the museum’s 100th anniversary, the museum is commemorating its centennial with a year-long series of events and programs. The cornerstone of the activities is the Asian Pacific American Heritage Festival on May 1 to May 13. During the festival, the museum and its surroundings will be transformed into a celebration of Asian arts and cultures.
Nam will perform on May 13 at the end of the two-week festival in the Smithsonian’s Arts and Industries Building. American singer-songwriter Raveena will also take the stage as a headline performer.
“Eric Nam and Raveena are two of the biggest names in music today. Raised in the U.S. and inspired by their respective backgrounds, these artists embrace Korean and Indian influences as means of experimentation and self-expression and truly embody the Asian American experience. We are delighted to welcome them to the mainstage during our centennial celebrations,” said Chase F. Robinson, director of the museum, in a recent statement.
In the interview with The Korea Herald in November, Robinson said the museum is aiming to strengthen cultural ties with the Korean art scene, hoping to present more exhibitions of Korean artists and Korean art in the future. The museum recently held the “Once Upon a Roof: Vanished Korean Architecture” exhibition, which closed in October in conjunction with the National Museum of Korea.
