Asian Cultural Council founded by John D Rockefeller 3rd history., Gala News and Global impact! See below!

My Opinion: It's important to incorporate diversity as an artistic exchange fostering understanding into our everyday lives. The Asian Cultural Council founded in 1963 by John D Rockefeller 3rd. has been doing just this for sixty two years. 

Our Fineartmagazineblog.blog.blogspot, and SunStormFineartmagazine.com applaud Asian Cultural Council the Foundations  collective efforts sustained over time to enrich lives everywhere through the arts. ~Art Opens the window to our would~ Jamie Forbes Publisher, Finearmagazinebog.blogspot.com & Sunstormfrineartmagazine.com

In 1963, John D. Rockefeller 3rd established the Asian Cultural Program of the JDR 3rd Fund to support cultural exchange in Asia and the United States through grants to individuals and organizations working in the visual and performing arts. With Porter A. McCray as Founding Director, the Asian Cultural Program developed its signature grantmaking style, emphasizing individually tailored programs based on the needs of each grant recipient.

John D. Rockefeller 3rd articulated the continuing impact of the organization’s approach towards international exchange: “Traditionally, Americans have viewed international relations primarily in political and economic terms with comparatively little attention given to the cultural dimension…The result is that our world outlook has tended to be bound by our own culture instead of being broadened by a sensitivity to other cultures.”

From his own experience of traveling and working throughout Asia, John D. Rockefeller 3rd believed that “enhanced knowledge of other cultures was a worthwhile end in its own right…and as a means to a further end—through knowledge and respect for other cultures we come to respect and appreciate the peoples themselves.”

In 1980, the Asian Cultural Council (ACC) was established as a 501(c)3 nonprofit to continue the work of the Asian Cultural Program. ACC established offices in Tokyo (1983), Hong Kong (1986), Taipei (1995), and Manila (2000), as well as partner foundations, to carry out our founder’s belief that “the fostering of cultural relations can be a form of insurance for the future of this dangerous, but exciting world.”

 

This Years Asian Cultural Council Raises $1.6M at 2026 Gala, Advancing Cultural Exchange and Global Impact

The biennial benefit held on May 6, 2026 honored Michelle Yeoh and Wendy O’Neill, celebrating more than six decades of cultural exchange and global impact.

The Asian Cultural Council (ACC), a global nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing international dialogue, understanding, and respect through cultural exchange between the U.S. and Asia, announced it has raised$1,631,500at its 2026 Biennial Gala, held on Wednesday, May 6 at the Rainbow Room in New York City. The evening brought together artists, philanthropists, and cultural leaders to celebrate ACC's 63-year legacy of fostering worldwide connection.

  

"The success of this year's gala reflects our community’s deep commitment to cultural exchange,” stated Judy Kim, Executive Director, Asian Cultural Council. “The gala recognized two honorees whose careers and commitments exemplify that mission: Michelle Yeoh and Wendy O’Neill. Michelle has redefined what is possible for Asian artists on the world stage, using her platform as an actress and global advocate to champion greater representation, cultural understanding, and artistic excellence. Wendy, through more than fifteen years of visionary leadership and unwavering dedication to ACC, has helped shape and strengthen this organization’s impact for generations of artists and cultural leaders. Both embody the belief, central to ACC’s mission, that cultural exchange is not a passive act, but a force for lasting change. We are deeply grateful to everyone who joined us and whose generosity made this evening such an extraordinary success.”

The evening also featured captivating performances by two ACC alumni, Grammy Award–winning violinist Jennifer Koh (ACC grantee 2011) and renowned Indian Kuchipudi dancer Shantala Shivalingappa (ACC Grantee 2008, 2010, 2012). Their work serves as a living testament to the impact of ACC.

Michelle Yeoh was presented with the 2026 Gala Honoree distinction for a career spanning over sixty films and a sustained commitment to humanitarianism. A trailblazing figure in global cinema, Yeoh won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2023 for her performance in Everything Everywhere All at Once and has given voice to a generation of strong, complex Asian female characters across decades of acclaimed work, from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Crazy Rich Asians to Wicked and Star Trek: Discovery. Beyond the screen, she has spent a decade serving as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme, where she focuses on empowering the world’s most vulnerable populations.

Wendy O'Neill received the 2026 Blanchette Hooker Rockefeller Award, presented to philanthropists who have made outstanding contributions to advancing international understanding between Asia and the U.S. Established in 2009 in honor of ACC's first Chairman and wife of John D. Rockefeller 3rd, the award recognizes O'Neill's exceptional support and dedicated service to ACC, including eleven years as Chair of the Board of Trustees, and her enduring belief in the transformative power of cross-cultural dialogue. Her academic grounding in East Asian and Chinese history — combined with early professional experience in China trade and investment — has informed her work across institutions such as the China Medical Board, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.

Proceeds from the gala help sustain ACC’s grant programs for artists, scholars, and arts organizations. Since its founding in 1963, ACC has awarded over $100 million to support approximately 6,000 fellowship exchanges across 16 disciplines to grantees from 26 countries and regions. 

 

About The Asian Cultural Council (ACC)

The Asian Cultural Council (ACC) is a grant-giving and grant-seeking global nonprofit organization founded and headquartered in New York City that fosters cultural exchange between the U.S. and Asia, and within Asia. ACC awards grants to artists, scholars, arts professionals, and organizations, enabling them to fully immerse themselves in a culture other than their own to advance international dialogue, understanding, and respect. For more information, please visit  https://www.asianculturalcouncil.org.

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#artfundiversity#artfunforall#artfunchinese#artfuncelebration 

 

 

 

MC2 GAllery's disertatin on Yang Yonglian China 1980 is an interesting read.

The gallery offers insight into the background of works by Yang Yongliang with in a Chinese context of the times. It's good to learn directly through art cultural  understanding. 

FOCUS YANG YONGLIANG 杨泳梁 (China, 1980) The Peach Blossom Colony (桃花源记) Broken Bridge, 2011, ed. 3, 90 x 260 cm, stampa Epson Ultra Giclée su carta Epson Hot Press Natural Broken Bridge, 2011, ed. 3, 90 x 260 cm, Epson Ultra Giclee Print on Epson Hot Press Natural Ci sono momenti in cui ci si ferma davanti a un’opera e ci si rende conto che non si sta semplicemente guardando un’immagine, ma si sta assistendo a un dialogo silenzioso e profondo tra epoche lontane. Questo è l'effetto magnetico che si sperimenta al cospetto del lavoro di Yang Yongliang, uno degli artisti più complessi, colti e celebrati della scena contemporanea internazionale. La sua ricerca non si limita alla superficie della fotografia digitale, ma scava all'interno della memoria storica e culturale, ridefinendo il concetto stesso di paesaggio nell'era moderna. Attraverso una tecnica sublime e una visione filosofica radicale, l'artista mette in scena il dramma del presente con la grazia della pittura classica. There are moments when one stops in front of an artwork and realizes that they are not merely looking at an image, but witnessing a silent and profound dialogue between distant eras. This is the magnetic effect experienced in the presence of the work of Yang Yongliang, one of the most complex, cultured, and celebrated artists on the international contemporary scene. His research does not limit itself to the surface of digital photography, but digs deep into historical and cultural memory, redefining the very concept of landscape in the modern era. Through a sublime technique and a radical philosophical vision, the artist stages the drama of the present with the grace of classical painting. Lonely Angler, 2011, ed. 7, 40 x 112 cm, stampa Epson Ultra Giclée su carta Epson Hot Press Natural Lonely Angler, 2011, ed. 7, 40 x 112 cm, Epson Ultra Giclee Print on Epson Hot Press Natural Tra Tradizione e Pixel: Le Radici di un Maestro Between Tradition and Pixels: The Roots of a Master Between Tradition and Pixels: The Roots of a MasteBorn in Shanghai in 1980, Yang Yongliang grew up on a unique temporal ridge, where rural and ancient China was suddenly overwhelmed by an unprecedented vertical urbanization. While his hometown transformed before his eyes from an old river district into a megalopolis dominated by mirrors, steel, and concrete, the young artist pursued a rigorous, traditional, and academic training. For years, he studied classical Chinese painting, Shanshui — the sacred and spiritual art of painting "Mountain and Water" — and ancient calligraphy under the guidance of the great master Yang Yang. This dual identity, characterized by an eye trained in the rarefied poetry of the Song and Yuan dynasty masters and a body immersed in the deafening noise of 21st-century Shanghai's construction sites, constitutes the cornerstone of his entire production. Yang Yongliang realized that the traditional brush and ink were no longer sufficient to document and process the trauma of the present. He thus made a revolutionary gesture: he replaced water with digital photography and rice paper with the computer screen, treating pixels and digital files exactly as if they were drops of black ink to be calibrated on the page. Nato a Shanghai nel 1980, Yang Yongliang è cresciuto su un crinale temporale unico, in cui la Cina rurale e millenaria veniva improvvisamente travolta da un’urbanizzazione verticale senza precedenti storici. Mentre la sua città natale si trasformava sotto i suoi occhi da antico distretto fluviale a megalopoli dominata da specchi, acciaio e cemento, il giovane artista portava avanti una formazione rigorosa, tradizionale e accademica. Ha studiato per anni la pittura classica cinese, lo Shanshui — l'arte sacra e spirituale di dipingere la "Montagna e l'Acqua" — e la calligrafia antica sotto la guida del grande maestro Yang Yang. Questa sua doppia identità, caratterizzata da un occhio educato alla poesia rarefatta dei maestri delle dinastie Song e Yuan e da un corpo immerso nel rumore assordante dei cantieri della Shanghai del XXI secolo, costituisce la chiave di volta di tutta la sua produzione. Yang Yongliang ha intuito che il pennello e l'inchiostro tradizionali non erano più sufficienti per documentare e metabolizzare il trauma del presente. Ha così compiuto un gesto rivoluzionario: ha sostituito l'acqua con la fotografia digitale e la carta di riso con lo schermo del computer, trattando i pixel e i file digitali esattamente come se fossero gocce di inchiostro nero da calibrare sul foglio. Born in Shanghai in 1980, Yang Yongliang grew up on a unique temporal ridge, where rural and ancient China was suddenly overwhelmed by an unprecedented vertical urbanization. While his hometown transformed before his eyes from an old river district into a megalopolis dominated by mirrors, steel, and concrete, the young artist pursued a rigorous, traditional, and academic training. For years, he studied classical Chinese painting, Shanshui — the sacred and spiritual art of painting "Mountain and Water" — and ancient calligraphy under the guidance of the great master Yang Yang. This dual identity, characterized by an eye trained in the rarefied poetry of the Song and Yuan dynasty masters and a body immersed in the deafening noise of 21st-century Shanghai's construction sites, constitutes the cornerstone of his entire production. Yang Yongliang realized that the traditional brush and ink were no longer sufficient to document and process the trauma of the present. He thus made a revolutionary gesture: he replaced water with digital photography and rice paper with the computer screen, treating pixels and digital files exactly as if they were drops of black ink to be calibrated on the page.

Ode to the Goddess of Luo River, 2011, ed. 3, 95 x 350 cm, stampa Epson Ultra Giclée su carta Epson Hot Press Natural Ode to the Goddess of Luo River, 2011, ed. 3, 95 x 350 cm, Epson Ultra Giclee Print on Epson Hot Press Natural Il Mito di "Peach Blossom Colony": Il Paradiso Perduto The Myth of "Peach Blossom Colony": The Paradise Lost Il celebre progetto Peach Blossom Colony, realizzato nel 2011, affonda le sue radici concettuali in un caposaldo della letteratura classica cinese, The Peach Blossom Spring, scritto nel 421 d.C. dal poeta Tao Yuanming. Quel testo antico narrava la storia senza tempo di un pescatore che, camminando lungo un sentiero costeggiato da alberi di pesco in fiore, scopriva per caso l'ingresso di una grotta nascosta. Al di l' di quell'antro si apriva un’utopia geografica e sociale: un villaggio rurale protetto dove gli abitanti vivevano in totale armonia con i cicli della natura, del tutto ignari delle guerre, dei sanguinosi cambi di dinastie e dei tumulti del mondo esterno. Una vera e propria via di fuga dorata dalla pesantezza della realtà storica. Yang Yongliang riprende questo mito fondativo e lo traspone nell'era dell'Antropocene, ponendo allo spettatore una domanda tanto poetica quanto spietata: cosa è rimasto di quell'utopia letteraria oggi? Dove può rifugiarsi lo spirito dell'uomo contemporaneo quando persino la natura più remota e sacra è stata colonizzata dal cemento, dalla speculazione e dal profitto industriale? La colonia di cui parla l'artista non è più un rifugio di pace, ma un territorio occupato e stravolto dalle logiche della produzione di massa. The celebrated project Peach Blossom Colony, created in 2011, sinks its conceptual roots into a cornerstone of classical Chinese literature, The Peach Blossom Spring, written in 421 AD by the poet Tao Yuanming. That ancient text told the timeless story of a fisherman who, walking along a path lined with blossoming peach trees, accidentally discovered the entrance to a hidden cave. Beyond that cavern opened a geographical and social utopia: a protected rural village where the inhabitants lived in total harmony with the cycles of nature, entirely unaware of wars, bloody changes of dynasties, and the turmoils of the outside world. A true golden escape from the weight of historical reality. Yang Yongliang takes up this foundational myth and transposes it into the era of the Anthropocene, asking the viewer a question as poetic as it is ruthless: what is left of that literary utopia today? Where can the spirit of contemporary man find refuge when even the most remote and sacred nature has been colonized by concrete, speculation, and industrial profit? The colony the artist speaks of is no longer a haven of peace, but a territory occupied and overturned by the logic of mass production. Peach Blossom Collony, 2011, ed. 3, 85 x 234 cm, stampa Epson Ultra Giclée su carta Epson Hot Press Natural Peach Blossom Collony, 2011, ed. 3, 85 x 234 cm, Epson Ultra Giclee Print on Epson Hot Press Natural L'Illusione Ottica e il Peso del Dettaglio Urbano The Optical Illusion and the Weight of Urban Detail L'esperienza visiva davanti a quest'opera si configura come un esercizio di pura seduzione intellettuale basato su un contrasto formale sbalorditivo. Da lontano, l'immagine rapisce lo sguardo per il suo lirismo quasi mistico e senza tempo. Si vedono montagne maestose che emergono da nebbie impalpabili, cascate che scendono silenziose tra i picchi rocciosi, alberi secolari che si arrampicano sui costoni e specchi d'acqua immobili che invitano alla meditazione più profonda. L'atmosfera generale è rarefatta, classica, solenne. Tuttavia, quando ci si avvicina a pochi centimetri dalla superficie della stampa fine art, avviene lo shock visivo che ha reso l'artista un punto di riferimento in tutto il mondo. Quella che da lontano appariva come roccia millenaria modellata dal vento si rivela essere una stratificazione spaventosa e brulicante di grattacieli identici, piloni elettrici, viadotti autostradali, ciminiere e complessi industriali. La nebbia poetica che avvolge le valli non è vapore naturale, ma la cappa pesante dello smog che soffoca le odierne metropoli asiatiche. I rami degli alberi si confondono con le braccia meccaniche delle gru da cantiere, e i sentieri un tempo percorsi dai vecchi saggi sono ora solcati da camion, ruspe e macerie. L'artista non ricorre all'intelligenza artificiale; fotografa personalmente per mesi ogni singolo dettaglio, ogni cantiere e ogni edificio della Cina in trasformazione, per poi assemblare meticolosamente migliaia di scatti in un collage digitale monumentale la cui gestazione richiede mesi di straordinaria perizia tecnica. The visual experience in front of this artwork takes the form of an exercise in pure intellectual seduction based on a stunning formal contrast. From a distance, the image captures the gaze with its almost mystical and timeless lyricism. One sees majestic mountains emerging from impalpable mists, waterfalls descending silently between rocky peaks, ancient trees climbing the ridges, and still mirrors of water inviting deep meditation. The general atmosphere is rarefied, classical, and solemn. However, when one approaches within a few centimeters of the fine art print surface, the visual shock that has made the artist a global reference occurs. What appeared from afar as ancient rock shaped by the wind reveals itself to be a frightening and teeming stratification of identical skyscrapers, power pylons, highway viaducts, smokestacks, and industrial complexes. The poetic mist enveloping the valleys is not natural vapor, but the heavy shroud of smog suffocating modern Asian metropolises. The branches of the trees blend with the mechanical arms of construction cranes, and the paths once walked by ancient sages are now furrowed by trucks, bulldozers, and debris. The artist does not resort to artificial intelligence; he personally photographs every single detail, construction site, and building of China in transformation for months, meticulously assembling thousands of shots into a monumental digital collage that requires months of extraordinary technical expertise. Enjoyment Of The Moonlight, 2011, ed. 3, 82 x 225 cm, stampa Epson Ultra Giclée su carta Epson Hot Press Natural Enjoyment Of The Moonlight, 2011, ed. 3, 82 x 225 cm, Epson Ultra Giclee Print on Epson Hot Press Natural Una Critica Silenziosa e il Consenso Istituzionale A Silent Critique and Institutional Acclaim Il successo planetario di Yang Yongliang risiede proprio in questa sua straordinaria capacità di non urlare e di non cedere a una protesta ecologica banale o didascalica. La sua è una critica silenziosa, condotta con le armi della grande bellezza e del rigore compositivo. Attira lo spettatore attraverso l'armonia rassicurante della tradizione e poi lo mette brutalmente davanti allo specchio della modernità, mostrando come il progresso cieco stia esaurendo non solo il paesaggio fisico, ma l'anima spirituale di un intero popolo. Oggi, l'importanza storica del lavoro di Yang Yongliang è ampiamente sancita dalle più importanti istituzioni museali del globo, che hanno inserito le sue visioni digitali all'interno delle loro collezioni permanenti. Le sue opere sono entrate a far parte di templi dell'arte del calibro del British Museum di Londra, del Metropolitan Museum of Art di New York, del Museum of Fine Arts di Boston, della Art Gallery of New South Wales a Sydney e del prestigioso M+ Museum di Hong Kong. Questo immenso riconoscimento istituzionale posiziona l'artista stabilmente tra i grandi maestri contemporanei che hanno saputo utilizzare il mezzo tecnologico per ridefinire i confini della fotografia d'avanguardia e della videoarte. The global success of Yang Yongliang lies precisely in this extraordinary ability not to shout and not to yield to a banal or didactic ecological protest. His is a silent critique, conducted with the weapons of great beauty and compositional rigor. He attracts the viewer through the reassuring harmony of tradition and then brutally places them in front of the mirror of modernity, showing how blind progress is exhausting not only the physical landscape but the spiritual soul of an entire people. Today, the historical importance of Yang Yongliang's work is widely sanctioned by the world's most prominent museum institutions, which have included his digital visions within their permanent collections. His works have become part of art temples of the caliber of the British Museum in London, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney, and the prestigious M+ Museum in Hong Kong. This immense institutional recognition firmly positions the artist among the great contemporary masters who have successfully used the technological medium to redefine the boundaries of avant-garde photography and video art. The landscape without Night, 2013,  ed. 7, 105 x 210 cm, Stampa Epson Ultra Giclée su carta Hanhemuhle Photo Rag Baryta Fineart The landscape without Night, 2013, ed. 7, 105 x 210 cm, Epson Ultra Giclee print on Hanhemuhle Photo Rag Baryta Fineart Paper Un Dialogo Aperto con la Visione dell'Artista An Open Dialogue with the Artist's Vision I grandi artisti si riconoscono dalla capacità di rendere visibile l'invisibile, e Yang Yongliang ci riesce mostrando le macerie del nostro tempo travestite da paradiso incontaminato. Peach Blossom Colony resta un monito visivo di rara potenza, che ricorda come ogni centimetro di cemento gettato nel mondo rischi di cancellare per sempre un pezzo del nostro giardino interiore. Per coloro che desiderano approfondire l'universo dell'artista e sono interessati a valutare le sue opere e la carriera che svolge, la Galleria mette a disposizione la propria esperienza: è possibile richiedere il catalogo delle opere disponibili. Great artists are recognized by their ability to make the invisible visible, and Yang Yongliang succeeds by showing the ruins of our time disguised as an pristine paradise. Peach Blossom Colony remains a visual warning of rare power, reminding us how every centimeter of concrete poured into the world risks erasing a piece of our inner garden forever. For those who wish to delve deeper into the artist's universe and are interested in evaluating his works and the career he pursues, the Gallery offers its expertise: it is possible to request the catalog of available works. Appreciation of the waterfall, 2011, ed. 5, 52 x 211 cm, stampa Epson Ultra Giclée su carta Epson Hot Press Natural Appreciation of the waterfall, 2011, ed. 5, 52 x 211 cm, Epson Ultra Giclee Print on Epson Hot Press Natural MC2GALLERY - PROGRAM - SETTEMBRE  |  SEPTEMBER 2026 BASTIAAN WOUDT SOLO SHOW MC2GALLERY, Via Maroncelli 7 - Milan, Italy ART-VERONA 9-11 OTTOBRE / OCTOBER Verona Fiere - Italy

mc2gallery Italy - Montenegro info@mc2.gallery www.mc2.gallery www.artsy.net/mc2gallery tel: +382 69100110 mobile MNE: +382 69100104 mobile ITA: +39 3396632187

Mc2gallery, 21 Novembar 2A, 85320, Tivat, Montenegro #mc2allery#fineartmagazineblog.blogspot.com#sunstormfineartmagazine.com #artfunsummer#artfundiversity#artfunchinese#artfunbeauty