May 15 - September 18, 2002              

Organized by the Asia Society in collaboration with
The Studio in a School Association

Seeds of Creativity is an exhibition about how we look
at art. What are the qualities of an object that attract
us, that intrigue us, that capture our imaginations?
What inspires us and what do we take away with us?
This exhibition uses the Mr. and Mrs. John D.
Rockefeller 3rd Collection of Asian art as the catalyst
for exploring these questions. Students from seven
New York City schools visited the Asia Society
Museum and guided by contemporary artists, made
new creations based upon the works that inspired
them.

In an innovative approach to museum exhibition,
student works are displayed along with the
Rockefeller pieces that motivated them. As the
visitor views the virtual tour of Seeds of Creativity,
he or she can see how students absorbed the works
that they saw. Responses varied from student to
student, from class to class. What students saw,
what elements they selected and chose to
emphasize in their own creations throws light both on
varying impact of a work of art and on the process of
individual artistic creation. By displaying these fresh
reinterpretations, we hope to encourage other young
visitors to appreciate Asian art and be emboldened to
create.