Museum Insights: Chase Robinson, Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art

Join us for a special presentation at the Almaty Museum of Arts featuring Chase F. Robinson, one of the leading voices in cultural diplomacy and museum leadership. Robinson has served as director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art since 2018, leading major international partnerships and expanding the museum’s global engagement and collections.

Dr. Chase F. Robinson will outline the history and future vision of the National Museum of Asian Art, examining the current and potential representation of Central Asia within the museum and identifying opportunities for cultural collaboration between the Smithsonian and Kazakhstan.

We invite artists, museum professionals, academics, students, cultural organizations, and anyone interested in arts, cultural heritage, and international collaboration to join this event.

Chase F. Robinson is the director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art since 2018, a scholar of Islamic history and culture and a leader in cultural diplomacy and museum innovation. During his tenure, the museum has expanded its collections, increased public engagement, strengthened international partnerships and advanced global efforts in cultural heritage protection and provenance research. Previously, Robinson served as president and provost of the City University of New York Graduate Center and was a professor of early Islamic history at the University of Oxford. He is the author and editor of numerous influential works on Islamic civilization, including Islamic Civilization in Thirty Lives: The First 1,000 Years. Robinson earned his bachelor’s degree from Brown University and his doctorate from Harvard University.

As the United States of America approaches its 250th Independence Day celebration, the event is part of the U.S cultural diplomacy and U.S.-Kazakhstan collaboration in the arts and cultural heritage.

The event takes place in English. Participation is free upon registration.