The USC Pacific Asia Museum occupies a landmark building in the heart of Pasadena. (Photo/Tom Bonner)
USC Pacific Asia Museum receives largest-ever gift from East West Bank
The Pasadena-based bank, chaired by USC Trustee Dominic Ng, bridges worlds, communities and people through their support of the arts.
The USC Pacific Asia Museum, the first university museum in the United States dedicated to the arts and cultures of Asia and the Pacific Islands, has received the largest single gift in its history from East West Bank.
The bank’s landmark investment will significantly enhance and grow USC PAM’s exhibitions program, which engages visitors with historical and contemporary art in its landmark building in the heart of Pasadena — a gateway between USC, Southern California and a global arts community
“The arts have always been a core part of USC’s mission to enrich the human mind and spirit,” USC Interim President Beong-Soo Kim said. “East West Bank shares our commitment to build understanding, encourage dialogue, and connect our global community through art. We are deeply grateful for their generous support of the USC Pacific Asia Museum.”
Founded more than 20 years ago, East West Bank’s art program was established to foster cultural connections and dialogue by bridging East and West. Beyond its own collection, the bank has supported leading art museums and cultural institutions including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), The Broad, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, The Huntington, the Asian Art Museum, the Bowers Museum and now the USC Pacific Asia Museum.
“Art is a universal language that speaks to us across time and place and illuminates our shared human experience,” said USC Trustee Dominic Ng, chairman and CEO of East West Bank. “East West Bank’s philosophy is rooted in the belief that art has the power to build bridges, connecting cultures, communities and generations while fostering dialogue, understanding and appreciation. We are proud to support institutions like USC and USC PAM that share this mission, helping us reach further together and expand horizons.”
Through this investment, East West Bank will serve as lead sponsor of all USC Pacific Asia Museum exhibitions for the next two decades. In addition, the bank will give back directly to the community by underwriting free museum admission during the week of Lunar New Year and throughout Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and on opening and closing weekends of all exhibitions presented in the newly named East West Bank Exhibition Hall.
Upcoming exhibition in USC Pacific Asia Museum’s East West Bank Galleries
The museum’s upcoming exhibition, Mythical Creatures: The Stories We Carry, will be the first presented in the East West Bank Galleries when it opens Feb. 14. Mythical Creatures is an immersive artwork blending experiences like wraparound video and AI video interactions with more than 100 objects from USC PAM’s collection, as well as newer works by more than 20 contemporary artists. Visitors will navigate a shadowy night crossing filled with demons, explore an immigrant’s first apartment, and meet dragons, cranes, guardian spirits and a Jin Chan frog.
“This transformational gift, and the exhibitions it will make possible, mark an important new direction for the USC Pacific Asia Museum,” said Bethany Montagano, director of USC Museums. “The East West Bank Exhibition Hall, Galleries and Courtyard will become dynamic spaces where science and art, research and imagination, and past and future converge — and where art meets people right where they are.”
