| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| HTA ID | HTA-0482 |
| Title | Phantoms — Contemporary Asian Art at the Asian Art Museum |
| Date | 2012 |
| Date Confidence | HIGH — "Phantoms of Asia" exhibition ran May–September 2012 at the Asian Art Museum; giant lotus installation confirmed |
| Program | KRON 4 News Weekend |
| Station | KRON-TV, Channel 4, San Francisco |
| Duration | ~3:00 (estimated) |
| Format | Feature / Interview |
Henry covers the "Phantoms of Asia" exhibition at the Asian Art Museum, featuring a giant lotus installation in Civic Center. He interviews museum director Jay Xu and curator Alison Harding. The piece marks a shift for the museum: "Contemporary art has not been a huge part of the Asian Art Museum in the past. Now it is."
Henry's opening is visual and immediate: "Here's a brand new site in the Bay Area. It is a giant lotus. It sits up there in Civic Center." The 25-foot-wide lotus sculpture serves as both the exhibition's icon and a landmark for the city.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| People | Henry Tenenbaum (Reporter), Jay Xu (Director, Asian Art Museum), Alison Harding (Curator) |
| Organizations | KRON-TV, Asian Art Museum of San Francisco |
| Locations | Asian Art Museum, Civic Center, San Francisco |
| Subjects | Contemporary Asian art, museum exhibitions, public art, cultural institutions |
| Themes | Tradition meets contemporary, public art, institutional evolution |
| Tone | Curious, appreciative, visual |
"Here's a brand new site in the Bay Area. It is a giant lotus."
"Contemporary art has not been a huge part of the Asian Art Museum in the past. Now it is."
"For the next three months, it will be the icon for San Francisco in the Civic Center."
Feature piece — likely shot on location at the museum/Civic Center given the visual description of the lotus. The exhibition was a major institutional statement by the Asian Art Museum under Jay Xu's leadership.
| Type | Reference |
|---|---|
| Theme | Museum exhibitions — Picasso at War (HTA-0461), Houdini (HTA-0475) |
| Theme | San Francisco arts/culture — ongoing KRON coverage |
| Era | KRON San Francisco period (late) |
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Transcript source | Phantoms+at+the+SF+Asian+Art+Museum.txt |
| Video source | Not located |
| Storage location | Transcript: local (/KRON/) |
| Analysis mode | Transcript Only |
| Date analyzed | 2026-07-05 |
| Access notes | Partial transcript (beginning section). |
"Phantoms of Asia: Contemporary Awakens the Past" was a landmark exhibition that positioned the Asian Art Museum as a venue for contemporary art, not just historical collections. Jay Xu became director in 2008 and transformed the museum's programming. The giant lotus by Korean artist Choi Jeong Hwa became a temporary San Francisco landmark.