When an art museum is joined to an academic institution, how does the purpose and agenda differ from state or private museums? In China, with certain exceptions, there has not been a long-standing tradition of art museums affiliated with academic colleges. Conversely, in North America and western Europe, many university art museums serve as the repository of art and artifacts for research and critical examination. For this special RAS Art Focus, we will be holding our session at the newly launched Institute of Contemporary Art at New York University Shanghai with the in-house Curator Michelle Yeonho Hyun, who will lead us through the current exhibition and discuss the role of university art museums and their vital relationship to the community they serve. This session is part of a series where we explore the ecology of contemporary art in Shanghai and examine important facets that have not been frequently discussed and studied.

For more information about the Institute of Contemporary Art at NYU Shanghai, please visit: https://ica.shanghai.nyu.edu​

Michelle Yeonho Hyun is the director/curator of the ICA at NYU Shanghai. She was previously a curator at the Shanghai Project, Gwangju Biennale 20th anniversary exhibition, UCSD University Art Gallery, and has worked on projects for the New Museum, Creative Time, and What, How & for Whom (WHW) curatorial collective.