Asian American / Asian Research Institute

Kirk Varnedoe Memorial Lecture Series with Patrick Flores
2026-03-12 18:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | The Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, 1 East 78th Street, New York, NY, United States
This talk reflects on the possibillities of curating Southeast Asia, reconsidering the gestures of art history and exhibition-making that supplement a regional aspiration.

Exhibition Opening - Changing Cultures: Zhen Guo, A Retrospective
2026-03-12 16:00 - 18:00 | Mishkin Gallery at Baruch College/CUNY, 135 East 22nd Street, New York, NY, 10010
The Mishkin Gallery at Baruch College is proud to present Changing Cultures: Zhen Guo, A Retrospective, the first major survey of New York-based artist Zhen Guo (b. 1955, Shandong Province, China). The exhibition is on view from March 12 – June 12, 2026, and is accompanied by an illustrated brochure with a new essay on Guo by curator Gail Levin.
The works on display span nearly sixty years, from Zhen Guo’s first embroidery (Chairman Mao, 1966) to her large-scale papier-mâché and sewn fabric breast sculptures and handmade tufted tapestries created between 2012 and 2025. The show explores an artist’s journey from China to New York; themes include an immigrant’s identity, motherhood, and the violence embedded in patriarchal cultures. Guo’s large-scale “muted landscape” paintings protest environmental injustice.
Zhen Guo’s education was cut short at age twelve, when she was assigned to work in a clothing factory. She later studied, then taught, at Zhejiang Academy in Hangzhou, and immigrated to the United States in 1986. Recent solo exhibitions include “Zhen Guo: Embracing Kali” at Ethan Cohen Gallery, NY (2026), “Unfolding her Life” at Bard College (2024), and “What is My Name” at Connecticut College (2023). Guo has organized numerous exhibitions of feminist art and is the founder and president of the Chinese Feminist Art Alliance, NY. She lives and works in New York, NY.
Changing Cultures: Zhen Guo, A Retrospective, is curated by Gail Levin, Distinguished Professor in Fine & Performing Arts at Baruch College and the Graduate Center, CUNY. Guo’s retrospective follows Dr. Levin’s eponymous exhibition Changing Cultures: Immigrant Artists from China, 1991, on Chinese immigrant artists navigating worlds to express evolving identities. Levin’s most recent project is a biography of American artist Alice Baber, published in February 2026 by Pegasus Press. This exhibition is made possible by the Edith B. Stein Symposium Fund, Friends of the Mishkin Gallery, and the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences at Baruch College (CUNY).

Demilitarizing Hawaiian Lands – Local Struggles, Global Implications (Virtual)
2026-03-12 16:00 - 17:30
Participants: Kyle Kajihiro (moderator), Camille Kalama, and ʻIlima Long
This webinar will discuss the history of (de)militarization in Hawaiʻi and contemporary struggles to reclaim Hawaiian lands, including expiring military leases of Hawaiian trust lands and successful demilitarization campaigns on Kahoʻolawe, Mākua, and Kapūkakī (Red Hill).
Zoom Link:
https://rutgers.zoom.us/j/99388947770?pwd=[REDACTED]
Join by SIP
99388947770@zoomcrc.com
Meeting ID: 993 8894 7770
Passcode: [REDACTED]

Demilitarizing Hawaiian Lands - Local Struggles, Global Implications
2026-03-12 16:00 - 17:30

Bob Crawford & Alexis Coe: America’s Founding Son
2026-03-11 19:00 - 20:00 | New York Public Library – Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, 42nd Street & 5th Avenue, New York, NY, 10018, United States
John Quincy Adams was born nine years before the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and he died as the United States was sliding irrevocably toward Civil War. In between he was a foreign ambassador, secretary of state, sitting president, and finally ex-president and sitting congressperson. In America’s Founding Son, Bob Crawford—best known as the bassist for the Grammy-nominated band The Avett Brothers—traces Adams’s unparalleled life and career. He helped formulate the Monroe Doctrine, which was evoked as recently as the day Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro was arrested. He is also the only ex-president to serve in Congress, where he confronted slaveholders and challenged the nation to live up to its founding ideals.

MOCA PERFORMS - Declaration of Independence, Day 1
2026-03-11 19:00 - 20:00 | Museum of Chinese in America, 215 Centre Street, New York, NY, 10013
Museum of Chinese in America’s Performing-Artist-In-Residence program welcomes a cohort of 3 performing artists to generate a theme-based project. This year’s theme, Declaration of Independence, encourages the resident artists to interrogate what it means to be “American,” to see self-determination, or to stake a claim to visibility, freedom, and belonging.

During this program, the resident artists will present works-in-progress and share the creative vision behind their projects. Audience members will have the opportunity to engage in an in-depth conversation with the artists, offering feedback, asking questions, and gaining insight into the cultural contexts and personal motivations that shape each work.
Join us for an intimate evening of artistic exploration, dialogue, and discovery.

Advisors Asian American Career Ceilings “Advice and Networking – Investing”
2026-03-11 18:00 - 19:00
The Committee of 100 Asian American Career Ceilings Initiative has been hosting a series of Advice and Networking events covering different professions. These one hour virtual events enable Asian Americans of all ages to get valuable career advice from experienced and successful Asian Americans. Our previous Advice and Networking events covered technology, finance, investing and consulting.

Book Talk: The Complex: Karan Mahajan with Keith Gessen (Hybrid)
2026-03-11 18:00 - 19:00 | NYPL Stephen A. Schwarzman Building – Margaret Liebman Berger Forum, 476 Fifth Avenue, 2nd Floor, New York, NY, 10018
Follow the illicit liaisons, political ambitions, and mortal betrayals of one prominent Delhi family in a sweeping novel from National Book Award finalist Karan Mahajan.
The Complex: The sons and daughters of SP Chopra, one of India’s political architects, live together in a sprawling Delhi complex, vying for influence in a family shaped by the great man’s legacy. By the late 1970s, the still-young nation is on the brink of transformation, and the Chopras are scrambling to define their own futures. Sachin Chopra leaves for America, followed by his bride, Gita, eager to forge a life beyond the pressures of the family compound. Yet Delhi keeps pulling them back—even as Sachin’s predatory uncle, Laxman, hounds Gita. A man of restless ambition, Laxman ascends through the ranks of a rising Hindu nationalist movement, caught between his political aspirations and his personal transgressions. As India erupts in violence and long-buried secrets come to light, the embattled Chopras must reckon with the cost of power, the weight of tradition, and the shifting nature of love and allegiance.
Karan Mahajan worked on The Complex during his 2018-2019 Fellowship at the Library’s Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers. He will discuss his book with writer Keith Gessen.
To join this event in-person | Please be sure to register for an In-Person Ticket. Doors will open 30 minutes before the program begins. For free events, we generally overbook to ensure a full house. Priority will be given to those who have registered in advance, but registration does not guarantee admission. All registered seats are released shortly before start time, and seats may become available at that time. A standby line will form shortly before the program.
To join the livestream | A livestream of this event will be available on the NYPL event page. To receive an email reminder shortly in advance of the event, please be sure to register! If you encounter any issues, please join us on NYPL’s YouTube channel.

The Complex: Karan Mahajan with Keith Gessen
2026-03-11 18:00 - 19:00 | NYPL Stephen A. Schwarzman Building – Margaret Liebman Berger Forum, 476 Fifth Avenue, 2nd Floor, New York, NY, 10018
Follow the illicit liaisons, political ambitions, and mortal betrayals of one prominent Delhi family in a sweeping novel from National Book Award finalist Karan Mahajan.

Asian American Career Ceilings “Advice and Networking Event – Investing”
2026-03-11 18:00 - 19:00
The Committee of 100 Asian American Career Ceilings Initiative
“Advice and Networking Event – Investing” on March 11, 2026
Call for Advisor Volunteers

Author Event with Michelle Yang | Asian Mental Health Bookclub
2026-03-10 20:00 - 21:00
Join us for a virtual event where we will be chatting with Michelle Yang about her book, Phoenix Girl: A Memoir. Michelle Yang is an advocate who writes on the intersection of Asian American identity, body image, and mental health. This memoir explores how Michelle emigrated to the U.S. from the tight-knit ethnic Chinese enclave in Incheon, South Korea, and had to adapt quickly to survive. With a dominant, impulsive father in charge-who protects the family from everyone but himself-and a mother who never finds her power, Michelle craves safety and security.
The event will take place on Tue March 10 2026 at 5pm PST. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to hear from our author!

AAPI Mental Health Forum
2026-03-10 09:00 - 13:30 | CPC One, 45 Suffolk Street, New York, NY, 10002
Our AAPI Mental Health Forum, entitled Building and Strengthening Mental Health in AAPI Communities is organized by the CPC Community Resiliency & Support Services (CRSS) program. We are excited to welcome Dr. Chau Trinh-Shevrin, who will deliver a keynote address, along with a panel of mental health experts who will share their insights and expertise on improving and destigmatizing access to mental health services. Please RSVP at this AAPI Mental Health Forum registration link or use the QR code provided in the attached flyer. For more information, please contact Sumon Chin (schin@cpc-nyc.org) or Amy Eng (aeng@cpc-nyc.org).

Play - Jesa
2026-03-10 - 2026-04-05 | The Public Theater, 425 Lafayette St, New York, NY, 10003
JESA by Jeena Yi, directed by Mei Ann Teo, is a riotous and heart-wrenching new play that explodes the idea of the “perfect family gathering.” When four estranged Korean American sisters reunite in Orange County to perform their father’s Jesa—a traditional ritual honoring the dead—old wounds erupt, secrets surface, and ghosts (literal and emotional) refuse to stay buried. With razor-sharp dialogue, explosive humor, and unexpected tenderness, JESA asks how we honor our ancestors when we can barely stand each other. Come for the sibling brawls and burning shrimp, stay for the aching truth of what binds us.

Danny Koo, Violin, with Ensemble Edge
2026-03-09 19:30 - 21:30 | Carnegie Hall, 157 West 57th Street, New York, NY, 10019
With a commitment to sharing the beauty of classical music with a broader audience, violinist Danny Koo continues to expand the boundaries of classical performance through artistry and vision.

Affordability, Antitrust, and Inequality: Lina M. Khan and Paul Krugman in Conversation (Virtual)
2026-03-09 18:30 - 20:00 | CUNY Graduate Center, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY, 10016
Hear from two leading economic thinkers about how to solve the complex crisis of affordability.
In-person reservations for this event are currently full, but please join the livestream.
Affordability was a central theme of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s campaign, and it is now a hot topic in national politics across party lines. Two leading thinkers, Lina M. Khan and Paul Krugman, discuss innovative solutions to the affordability crisis and how affordability, antitrust, and inequality are related. Khan is the former chair of the Federal Trade Commission and was most recently a co-chair of the Mamdani transition team. Krugman is a Nobel laureate, former New York Times columnist, and research professor of Economics at the CUNY Graduate Center.
Presented with the Stone Center on Socio-Economic Inequality.
A video of this event will be posted later on our YouTube Channel.

Affordability, Antitrust, and Inequality: Lina M. Khan and Paul Krugman in Conversation
2026-03-09 18:30 - 20:00 | CUNY Graduate Center, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY, 10016
Hear from two leading economic thinkers about how to solve the complex crisis of affordability.

Storied Women: Asian American Playwrights in Conversation
2026-03-09 18:30 - 20:00 | Asia Society, 725 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10021
New York City welcomes a bountiful gathering of Off-Broadway stage productions this Spring, focusing on sisterhood, motherhood, and family: Chinese Republicans (Alex Lin, Roundabout Theatre), Meat Suit (Aya Ogawa, Second Stage Theater), and JESA (Jeena Yi, Ma-Yi Theater in residence at the Public Theater), among others. This panel discussion, moderated by Carolina Đỗ, celebrates talent, community and hard work, delving deep into fascinating tales of Asian America and the creative minds and lives behind them.
This program is presented by Asia Society in association with the Asian American Arts Alliance, a nonprofit dedicated to strengthening Asian American artists and cultural groups through resource sharing, promotion, and community building.

Supporting Queer Arab/SWANA Americans in Psychotherapy
2026-03-09 17:00 - 20:00
“Queer second-generation Arab/SWANA Americans are a rich, vibrant, and diverse community, yet, are marginalized within multiple contexts. Anti-Arab, anti-immigrant, and cisheteronormative structural norms and policies in the United States intersect with intense cultural and religious beliefs about the incompatibility of sexual and gender diversity and Arab/SWANA identity” (Alsamadi, 2025, p.1). Consequently, queer Arab/SWANA Americans may seek psychotherapy for support in managing stress related to intersectional oppression and disenfranchisement (Alsamadi, 2025; Chaney et al., 2020; Habhab, 2018; Ikizler & Szymanski, 2014; Khatib et al., 2023).
The unique needs of this population are rendered invisible in psychology training programs and continuing education programming. As such, this workshop will teach attendees (1) relevant cultural values within Arab/SWANA communities; (2) common themes in psychotherapy with queer second-generation Arab/SWANA Americans; and (3) how the Keeping Radical Healing in Mind (KRHM; Adames et al., 2023) therapeutic approach is relevant to queer second-generation Arab/SWANA Americans. The workshop will conclude with a collaborative case example where attendees will apply the KRHM therapeutic approach to a composite clinical case of a queer second-generation Arab/SWANA American client.

Sacred Paper: Korean Ritual Arts + DEMONSTRATIONS
2026-03-09 17:00 - 19:00 | Charles B. Wang Center – Stony Brook University, 100 Nicolls Rd, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, United States
Korea’s ritual paper arts reveal a remarkably inventive tradition in which humble mulberry paper becomes an expressive material of extraordinary range. Sacred Paper: Korean Ritual Arts highlights two regional practices that transform fragile fibers into complex sculptural forms. In Chungcheongnam-do, the Seolwi Seolgyeong tradition creates intricate cut-paper structures that define and organize ceremonial space. Artist Jongseung Park demonstrates how paper can be shaped into protective architectural forms through precise cutting, layering, and assembly. Along the East Sea Coast, Dr. Heera Shin presents folded flowers, lanterns, and ornaments that animate ritual settings with color and movement. Shown together, these works celebrate paper’s versatility, regional diversity, and enduring craftsmanship.
This exhibition is curated by Jinyoung Anna Jin, the director of Asian art and culture at the Charles B. Wang Center, and the Academic Center for K-Religions at Sogang University in Seoul.
The exhibition and related public programs are sponsored by the Academy of Korean Studies and the Korea Foundation.

The Ozu Diaries
2026-03-06 18:00 - 20:00 | Japan Society, 333 East 47th Street, New York, NY, 10017, United States
During his lifetime, director Yasujiro Ozu maintained a trove of personal diaries that reveal a remarkably intimate side of the legendary filmmaker. Pulling from essays, home movies, archival photos, and recollections of Ozu-gumi (Ozu staff/collaborators) like Kogo Noda and Kinuyo Tanaka, The Ozu Diaries attempts to unmask the mystique surrounding Ozu’s persona. With fascinating anecdotes—such as Ozu hearing a rumor that Setsuko Hara could not act prior to working with her—and contributions by Kiyoshi Kurosawa and Wim Wenders, The Ozu Diaries offers a glimpse of one of cinema’s greatest masters, an auto portrait told through his own words.
Dir. Daniel Raim, 2025, 140 min. DCP, color, in Japanese, English, Chinese, French with English subtitles. With Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Wim Wenders, Tsai Ming-liang, Kyoko Kagawa.
Get 25% off when you purchase a ticket for The Ozu Diaries and Late Autumn in the same transaction ($8 off non-members / $5 off for members)!

Rapa Nui Voice, Stance, and Subjectivities
2026-03-06 18:00 - 19:30 | Asian American / Asian Research Institute, 25 West 43rd Street, Suite 1000, New York, 10036, United States
Miki Makihara draws from her new co-authored book, Language and Political Subjectivity, to explore a central challenge for Rapa Nui (Easter Island) language and political activists.

Leading with Impact: Celebrating Asian American Voices in the Boardroom
2026-03-06 12:00 - 13:00
Asian American women remain underrepresented in corporate boardrooms, yet those who serve bring strategic insight, cultural fluency, board leadership, and drive long-term value creation.
Leading with Impact: Celebrating Asian American Voices in the Boardroom convenes accomplished board leaders Jane Li and Judy Lee, moderated by Lisa Lim, for a candid conversation on serving on public and private equity–backed company boards in the U.S. and globally.

2026 BRES Research Symposium
2026-03-06 09:00 - 17:00 | CUNY Graduate Center, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY, 10016
The BRES Collaboration Hub is excited to announce that we’re a hosting the 2026 BRES Research Symposium on Friday 03/06/26 at CUNY Graduate Center in the Sociology Lounge (Rm 6-112). We will be kicking off at 9AM with opening remarks and diving into panel sessions throughout the day! Our BRES Faculty Fellows will be discussing their projects and impacts they’ve made. Our Doctoral Fellows will be moderating, so you don’t want to miss these thoughtful conversations!
2026 BRES Symposium schedule

Book Talk and Signing: At the Limits of the Gaze
2026-03-05 19:00 - 20:00 | Japan Society, 333 East 47th Street, New York, NY, 10017, United States
Join Aperture and Japan Society for a panel discussion celebrating the impact and influence of Takuma Nakahira, a crucial figure within the history of Japanese photography. This special event is organized on the occasion of the release of At the Limits of the Gaze, the first English-language collection of Nakahira’s influential writings on photography. The book’s editors and translators Daniel Abbe and Franz Prichard will be joined by Maggie Mustard, Assistant Curator of Photography in the Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs at the New York Public Library, and Miwa Susuda, Manager of Dashwood Books and Publisher of Session Press.

Grounds of Displacement: The 2026 A/P/A Graduate Student Working Group Symposium
2026-03-05 - 2026-03-06 | A/P/A Institute at NYU, 244 Greene Street, New York, NY, 10003
The A/P/A Graduate Student Working Group’s 2026 symposium, “Grounds of Displacement,” highlights interdisciplinary scholarship that examines the structures of accumulation, removal, extraction, and dehumanization that have shaped Asian/Pacific/American worlds through the construction of global empires and superpowers. A series of panels featuring graduate students from across the US, and a keynote by Professor Mingwei Huang (Dartmouth College) will explore these topics.

Alliance at a Crossroads: America’s Transformation and Japan’s Strategy
2026-03-04 18:30 - 19:30 | Japan Society, 333 East 47th Street, New York, NY, 10017, United States
The U.S.-Japan alliance now stands at a crossroads. Under an America First approach, Japan is being called upon to take a more active role in supporting regional and global stability. President Trump and Prime Minister Takaichi met in Japan last October, reaffirming their shared commitment to advancing toward a New Golden Age for the U.S.-Japan Alliance. With the two leaders expected to meet again this spring, attention is turning to how the alliance should adapt to a changing international environment. At a time when coordination among middle powers is gaining attention, how should Japan shape and strengthen its partnership with the United States? Drawing on analysis from his recently published book, Joshua W. Walker, President and CEO of Japan Society, will discuss how Japan can strategically leverage its soft power, including omotenashi, while enhancing its presence and influence in the international community through the U.S.-Japan alliance.

Exihibition - In Transit, In Formation (Opening Reception)
2026-03-04 18:00 - 20:00 | Korean Cultural Center NY, 122 E 32nd St, New York, NY, 10016
This exhibition brings together four artists—Kakyoung Lee, Buhm Hong, Hong Seon Jang, and Sun You—whose practices unfold between movement and becoming. Transit functions as a condition of passage through time, labor, and cultural frameworks, while formation describes processes through which forms and identities take shape without closure. Working across sculpture, installation, animation, and video, the artists operate within these open-ended conditions, occupying a dual state: always en route, and at the same time, becoming something else.
These four artists share more than a generational proximity. Based in New York and shaped by contemporary Korean diasporic conditions, they have remained in ongoing dialogue for over a decade—observing one another’s practices, exchanging questions, and developing their work independently, yet in close awareness of one another. The exhibition emerges from a sustained familiarity, where distinct practices have evolved over time along parallel trajectories.

Queens Borough President Lunar New Year Celebration
2026-03-04 17:00 - 20:00 | Queens Borough Hall, 120-55 Queens Blvd, Kew Gardens, NY
The Lunar New Year is just around the corner, join us for our annual Celebration on Monday, February 23 at Borough Hall! We’ll have cultural performances, honors for local community leaders, refreshments and much more.

Alternative Career Pathways Panel
2026-03-04 16:00 - 17:30
The Asian American Feminists Section graduate representatives Phuong and Shebati will be hosting an event on March 4 on Alternative Career Pathways beyond academia. Please see the sign up information below. Please feel free to invite your friends and students.
We have four amazing panelists, who will talk about leveraging academic skills to forge an alternate pathway, whether that means fully leaving academia or staying involved with academia while also pursuing other work.

Mitsui Lunch-Time Forum: India: The Emerging Giant?
2026-03-04 12:30 - 13:45 | Baruch College – Library Building, 137 East 25th Street, New York, NY, 10010
Mr. Ghose is a Founding Partner and CEO of System Two Advisors, LP, where he focuses on the start‐up business operations and strategic direction of the firm. Prior to System Two, Mr. Ghose was the Co‐President and Chief Strategy Officer of Roc Capital, responsible for overseeing the firm’s marketing and investor relations as well as implementing short‐term and long‐term firm strategies. Prior to joining Roc Capital, Mr. Ghose was a Senior Member of the Prime Services Group at Credit Suisse. Prior to joining Credit Suisse, he was a member of the Global Portfolio Trading & Equities Swaps desk at Goldman Sachs. Prior to that he was one of the limited partners at Spear, Leeds & Kellogg and was part of the integration team when the firm was acquired by Goldman Sachs in 2000.
Mr. Ghose is the founder of Indus Advisors LLC, which launched the first India‐focused exchange traded fund on the NYSE/ARCA in partnership with Invesco PowerShares. Mr. Ghose received his BA degree in Economics from Bombay University in India in 1988, and his MBA in Finance and Investments from the Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College in 1994. Mr. Ghose serves on the advisory board of the Weissman Center for International Business at Baruch College. He has also served on the board of Viteos Fund Services & Gravitas Technology, Inc.
Library Building, Room 750
Soda and sandwiches will be served. No registration needed.
