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| The Asia Society | |
|---|---|
| Name | The Asia Society |
| Founded | 1956 |
| Founder | John D. Rockefeller III |
| Type | Nonprofit cultural and educational organization |
| Headquarters | New York City |
| Region served | Asia, North America, Europe, Australasia |
| Leader title | President and CEO |
| Leader name | John S. Thornton |
The Asia Society is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1956 to promote understanding and strengthen relationships between Asia and the rest of the world. It advances public policy, arts, education, and business engagement across diverse Asian regions through exhibitions, conferences, publications, and partnerships. The organization operates global centers and collaborates with governments, corporations, foundations, and cultural institutions to convene experts and audiences on transnational issues.
Founded in 1956 by John D. Rockefeller III amid Cold War geopolitics and postwar reconstruction, the institution emerged alongside contemporaries such as the Ford Foundation, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Council on Foreign Relations, and Asia Foundation. Early programs addressed relations involving Japan after World War II, China and the People's Republic of China question during the Korean War aftermath, and development in South Asia following independence movements like those led by Jawaharlal Nehru and Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Over decades, leadership exchanged with figures connected to institutions such as Columbia University, Harvard University, Brookings Institution, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, and the United Nations. The organization expanded its footprint during eras marked by events including the Vietnam War, the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, the 1997 Asian financial crisis, and the rise of China as an economic power, establishing centers and programs reflecting shifts in diplomacy, trade, and cultural exchange.
The organization’s mission emphasizes cultural diplomacy, policy dialogue, and arts presentation, partnering with entities like the Smithsonian Institution, Metropolitan Museum of Art, National Endowment for the Arts, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and corporate actors such as Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, and General Electric. Programs span public policy forums that convene participants from United States Department of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Japan), Ministry of Foreign Affairs (China), and regional bodies like the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Asian Development Bank. Educational initiatives collaborate with universities including Yale University, University of California, Berkeley, Peking University, National University of Singapore, and London School of Economics. Arts programming features exhibitions and performances alongside institutions like the Tate Modern, National Gallery (London), Mori Art Museum, National Centre for the Performing Arts (Beijing), and artists connected to movements such as Chinese contemporary art, Indian modernism, and Japanese avant-garde.
The organization maintains centers that engage regional capitals and cultural hubs, including sites associated with New York City, Hong Kong, Beijing, Tokyo, Mumbai, Seoul, Singapore, Sydney, Los Angeles, and Houston. These centers collaborate with local partners like the Asia Society Hong Kong Center, China Development Research Foundation, Japan Foundation, India International Centre, Korea Foundation, and Singapore Press Holdings. Regional programming responds to developments such as the Belt and Road Initiative, Trans-Pacific Partnership, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, and bilateral relationships like US–China relations, India–China relations, and Japan–South Korea relations.
Governance has historically featured trustees and board members drawn from philanthropic families, corporate boards, and academic institutions, including links to Rockefeller family, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Gates Foundation, and leading corporations like Microsoft and ExxonMobil. Funding mixes endowment income, philanthropic grants from foundations such as the Henry Luce Foundation, program fees, corporate sponsorships, and government grants tied to agencies including the US Agency for International Development and national arts councils. Oversight practices intersect with nonprofit regulation contexts such as Internal Revenue Service rules, Charities Commission frameworks in various jurisdictions, and reporting expectations embraced by institutions like Independent Sector.
Signature initiatives include policy convenings comparable to forums by the Munich Security Conference and the World Economic Forum, arts projects that have exhibited works connected to artists shown at the Venice Biennale and Documenta, and educational programs that produced analyses akin to those in publications by the Council on Foreign Relations and Foreign Affairs. The organization issues reports, white papers, and periodicals collaborating with presses like Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, and Columbia University Press, and has published research on topics intersecting with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, ASEAN Economic Community, China–Pakistan Economic Corridor, and climate dialogues referencing the Paris Agreement and UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. It has also produced multimedia projects and catalogues featuring scholarship by experts from Stanford University, Princeton University, National University of Singapore, Tsinghua University, and think tanks such as Center for Strategic and International Studies and Chatham House.
The organization has faced scrutiny similar to debates affecting institutions like Brookings Institution and Carnegie Endowment for International Peace over corporate sponsorship, perceived influence on programming by donors, and partnerships involving state-linked entities such as sovereign wealth funds and government-affiliated bodies. Controversies have involved programming choices during periods of heightened tensions in Hong Kong protests, Tiananmen Square commemorations, and debates over cultural exchanges with institutions tied to People's Republic of China leadership. Critics have compared governance transparency and donor disclosure practices to standards advocated by watchdogs like Transparency International and Open Society Foundations-supported initiatives.
The organization has influenced public diplomacy and cultural exchange comparable to achievements by the Asia Foundation, British Council, and Goethe-Institut, receiving recognition from municipal and cultural awarders such as the Municipal Art Society and partnerships with major museums and universities. Its programs have shaped discourse on issues involving global trade, regional security, and cultural heritage, informing policymakers, artists, and scholars connected to forums like the United Nations General Assembly, APEC summit, and academic conferences at Harvard Kennedy School and Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. Through exhibitions, convenings, and publications, it has contributed to cross-cultural networks spanning diplomatic, corporate, and academic spheres.
Category:Cultural organizations in the United States Category:Non-profit organizations based in New York City