The History Lesson Exchange
May 16 - August 4, 2024
The History Lesson Exchange is a collaborative art project that invites visitors to the Newark Museum of Art to contribute stories, knowledge, reactions, and questions inspired by the artworks on view in the Arts of Global Asia collection. Social practice artist Kuo creates a space for dialogue about Asian cultural history and its impact on present-day concerns, including global politics, anti-Asian violence, and climate change.
Join the artist for a workshop to exchange History Lessons and contribute to the mixed-media scroll made with upcycled materials. Or write and respond to a History Lesson at any time during the museum’s public hours.
Located at the Newark Museum of Art’s Community Lab (3rd floor): 49 Washington Street, Newark, NJ 07102. Active Lab Hours listed below:
Artist-led workshop
June 8: 2-4pm
July 27: 2-4pm
August 3: 2-4pm
Drop in and meet the artist!
May 16: 11am-1pm and 2-4pm
May 19: 11am-1pm and 2-4pm
June 9: 11am-1pm and 2-4pm
July 28: 11am-1pm and 2-4pm
August 4: 11am-1pm and 2-4pm
History Fragments Scroll - base layer, awaiting sketches and text excerpts, and other collage elements to be added on during active Lab hours.
History Fragments Scroll
This installation includes portions of History Lessons that visitors have completed in the Community Lab. It will grow continually and shift during the project period.
The scroll base and collage elements are created from upcycled plastic packaging collected from Asian American grocery stores. According to the artist, the use of these materials points to today’s global interconnectivity and is a celebration of the creative reuse practiced in many Asian communities.
Participants are invited to contribute to the scroll during the active Lab hours shown above.
Other elements of the History Lesson Exchange include: a reading nook for visitors to sit and enjoy a selection of printed materials and books on Asian and Asian-American cultures and issues; and a community board where local community members may leave announcements on upcoming events, business cards, and/or resources for Asian Americans, the Asian-American diaspora, and others.
About the Community Lab
The Community Lab is a new initiative and project space where visitors can help the Newark Museum of Art rethink and refresh its galleries. From NMOA: Your voice matters and will guide a collaborative redesign of our world-renowned Arts of Global Asia collection. By listening to your stories, we aim to create an accessible and inviting experience for all. The Community Lab offers workshops, demonstrations, participatory activities, and online questionnaires, as well as collaborative art projects, to amplify the community’s relationship to Asian art in the Museum’s collection.