Page 28 - China, 5000 years : innovation and transformation in the arts

opportunity to express my particular gratitude to
Hao Zhan, Director, and Wan Jiyuan, Li Li, and
You Shu.
I would also like to express my gratitude to Gianni
De Michelis for his inspiration and generosity, and
for nurturing this project at its inception and
remaining a strong supporter and advisor. Ji
Chaozhu and Simon Jiang also must be thanked for
their support.
One of the astonishing aspects of this exhibition is
the large number of lenders from all over China
who recognized its historic importance and
contributed to its success by allowing precious
works from their collections to travel to the
Aexhibition venues. separate page is devoted to a
—list of our lenders thirty-nine in total in the
—traditional section of China: 3,000 Years but I
would like to take this opportunity to offer them
our deepest gratitude for their enormous generosity
and cooperation, without which this exhibition
would not have been possible.
In the United States, there were also a large
number of people without whom we would not
have been able to bring this exhibition to fruition.
It has been a privilege and an honor to work with
Sherman Lee on this Aproject. deep debt of
gratitude is owed to him, and also to his wife,
Ruth, who accompanied Professor Lee on his many
visits to China in preparation tor this exhibition.
I would also like to thank Howard Rogers, who
served as consulting curator and as general editor of
this catalogue. Having worked closely with
Professor Lee over a period of many years, he has a
deep appreciation and sensitive understanding of
Professor Lee's vision. His own formidable grasp of
all aspects of Chinese art is the result of more than
thirty years of involvement in the field, including
eighteen years as a professor of Chinese art history
at Sophia University, Tokyo. Howard Rogers's wife,
Mary Ann, herself an expert in Chinese art, was
also ever generous in her support. David
Sensabaugh, Ann Wardwell, Pat Berger, and Jan
Berris also provided important advice.
At the Guggenheim, Jane DeBevoise, Director of
the China Exhibition Project, assisted by Manon
Slome, Project Assistant Curator, oversaw all aspects
of the exhibition planning, coordination, and
execution, from checklist and loan negotiation to
installation planning and design, as well as catalogue Director of Institutional Development; Ruth Taylor,
development and execution. With considerable
managerial expertise, indefatigable energy, true team
leadership, and impressive facility with the Chinese
language, Jane DeBevoise ably moved each stage of
the project toward completion. Manon Slome
coordinated the myriad details of the exhibition
planning and design with intelligence and
INTRODUCTION AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
determination, and, together with Xiaoming
Zhang, who impressively managed the
English/Chinese dual-language database, and
Emily Wei and Nicole Lin, who provided key
research and organizational support, formed the
hub of the exhibition, holding together the
project's many varied spokes. Our thanks are due
also to Frances Yuan, Eileen Hsu, and Andrew
Leung, who provided research for the didactic
material, and to our interns Patty Chang, Shihong
Aldin, Jackie Chien, Simon Murphy, and Katherine
Cheng for their tireless efforts and their valuable
contribution to the complicated administration of
this multifaceted project. Suzanne Quigley, Head
Registrar for Collections and Exhibitions; Mary
Jane Clark, Project Registrar; and Joan Hendricks,
Associate Registrar, professionally handled the
logistics of the international transportation of the
Aobjects. highly skilled staft of conservators,
including Project Conservator Tracy Power of the
Asian Art Museum of San Francisco; Gillian
McMillan, Senior Conservator (Collections);
Carol Stringari, Senior Conservator (Exhibitions);
Eleanora Nagy, Assistant Conservator; and Ellen
Pratt, Project Conservator, oversaw the care and
condition of the precious objects in the exhibition
at every stage of the project. The exhibition design
is the work of Arata Isozaki and Adegboyega
Adetope. The Art Services and Preparations
department lent their considerable expertise to the
installation of the exhibition. In particular, I wish to
thank Karen Meyerhoft, Director of Exhibition and
Collection Management and Design; Scott Wixon,
Manager of Art Services and Preparations; Peter
Read, Manager of Exhibition Fabrication and
Design; Jocelyn Brayshaw, Acting Chief Preparator;
Liz Jaff, Assistant Paper Preparator; Joseph Adams,
Senior Museum Technician; Richard Gombar.
Museum Technician; Mary Ann Hoag, Lighting
Designer; and Jocelyn Groom, Exhibition Design
Coordinator. David Horak also provided invaluable
assistance with the installation. Len Steinbach,
Director of Information Technology, provided
constant support for the many sophisticated
technical requirements of a dual-language database.
I would also like to thank Marilyn Goodman,
Director of Education, and Diane Maas, Education
Program Manager, who developed an outstanding
education program; Rosemarie Garipoli, Deputy
Director for External Affairs, and George McNeely,
Director of Budget and Planning; and Jay A.
Levenson, former Deputy Director for Program
Administration, who steered the project at its early
stages. Patrick Seymour of Tsang Seymour Design,
together with Marcia Fardella, Graphic Designer,
Susan Lee, Assistant Graphic Designer, and Jessica
Ludwig at the Guggenheim, produced the
exhibition's many graphic-design elements with
sensitivity and expertise.
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