Asian Art Gallery

In collaboration with the Nealis Program in Asian Studies, the Frances M. Maguire Art Museum is proud to announce its first permanent Gallery of Asian Art. Opening to the public on November 10, 2025, the gallery features Edo-period and 20th-century Japanese woodblock prints, a Chinese Qing-dynasty ancestor portrait, Tibetan Buddhist thangka paintings, Indonesian shadow puppets, Mughal court paintings, and 19th-century South Asian
portrait miniatures. Among its highlights is a traditional altar installation for a statue of Nezha, the Third Prince—a Chinese protective deity with roots in ancient Indian religions—carved and consecrated on Saint Joseph’s Hawk Hill campus by renowned Taiwanese statue artist Chen Zongwei during his 2023 residency.

As part of the opening celebrations, Tibetan artist Losang Samten will spend the week at the Maguire creating a sand mandala in the Great Hall. Visitors are welcome to watch him work each day between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. On Friday, November 14, from 12:30 - 2:30 we will have the opening reception of the gallery which includes the ceremonial sweeping away of the mandala—a ritual gesture that embodies the central Buddhist principle of impermanence. We invite students, faculty, and community members to join us in celebrating an inspiring week of Asian art at the Maguire.

The Gallery of Asian Art and associated programming is generously sponsored by the Nealis Program in Asian Studies.