USC Pacific Asia Museum (Pasadena, CA)

Being that I don't live far from the USC Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena, CA, I can't believe I've never visited this museum until now. Although this museum is not a typical vast space museum, it carries a lot of art and beauty of Pacific Asia. Aside from their pleasant koi pond and gift shop that has interesting items to purchase, I was able to enjoy the permanent exhibits based on Pacific Asia art. The permanent galleries display artwork of 5,000 years ago. I found the art work here intriguing due to the fact that there is not only decorative art but also folk art. Within each piece, carries culture and traditions. There are also audio tours available which is always nice for those that would like to extend their learning and visit


The gallery of Korean art has various art forms but I mostly observed the Korean paintings and ceramics. Religion played a role in the art as the pieces are in different sections based on different belief systems (ie Buddhism, Shamanism and Confucianism). I have never really analyzed Korean art therefore this was a first for me. This museum also displays contemporary Korean artists techniques and inspirations which was quite interesting.


There are a lot of admirable Chinese art as well. I especially appreciated the beautiful ceramic pieces. The details and significance of the ceramic art were so appealing to me; perhaps because I teach ceramic courses. The visual aids, as well as media available in this section of the gallery are very useful to enhance visitors' knowledge and experiences. This gallery also has many paintings, textiles and sculptural art from China.


The cultural aspect of the art, as well as the beauty of each art piece exhibited in this museum are all captivating. Visit the Pacific Asia Museum, especially on 2nd Sundays of the month since it's free on those days!