Veronica Roberts chose to begin her role as director of the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University on July 5for a special reason: That week, a collection of ceramic face masks by the late San Francisco artistRuth Asawawere to make their debut in the museum’s permanent collection.
But the opening of “The Faces of Ruth Asawa” wasn’t just about revealing a new acquisition of work by an acclaimed Bay Area artist. The installation also officially launched the Cantor’s Asian American Art Initiative, a permanent program with significant funding by the Institute of Diversity in the Arts at Stanford and theTerra Foundation for American Art. The initiative is dedicated to the study of artists and makers of Asian descent, as well as to collecting, preserving and exhibiting works by Asian American and Asian diaspora artists.
In the six months since, the AAAI has premiered two more exhibitions: “At Home/On Stage: Asian American Representation in Photographyand Film,” which is on view through January; and “East of the Pacific: Making Histories of Asian American Art,” which closes in February. More exhibitions for 2023 are to be announced too.
“I wanted to be there to share that moment with the staff and the public,” said Roberts, a San Francisco native who remembers visiting the Cantor as a child with her grandmother. “One of the reasons I took the job was because I was so excited about the AAAI. I can’t think of another museum with an initiative of this type with a focus on Asian American artists anywhere.”
Roberts became director after a period of turmoil at the storied peninsula institution.
The Cantor was founded in 1894 as the Leland Stanford Jr. Museum and for many years was perhaps best known for its Rodin sculpture garden. During Director Connie Wolf’s tenure from 2012 to 2016, the museum acquired a collection of 120,000 images by Andy Warhol as well as painter Edward Hopper’s famed “New York Corner.”
But more recently, the shutdowns of the coronavirus pandemic and a report that alleged a toxic workplace under the Cantor’s most recent director,Susan Dackerman, took a toll on staff morale, leaving a number of positions vacant. Roberts’ arrival and the debut of the Asian American initiative’s first exhibition in the same week heralded a fresh start.
“I’m not the only one who can change the culture here, but obviously I have an important role as the director for setting the kind of workplace that we have,” Roberts said.
As part of that reset, Roberts has made being available in person to museum staff a high priority. In October, Christina Linden joined the Cantor as director of academic and public programs, filling a key leadership position. But ultimately, one of key factors that Roberts believes has helped the museum community heal is having the AAAI to unite around.
“It’s wonderful to be able to focus on something that everyone believes in,” Roberts said. “In some ways my job was made easier by this landmark project that every single person on the staff has contributed to and feels good about.”
The AAAI is directed by assistant professor of art history at Stanford Marci Kwon and associate curator Aleesa Pitchamarn Alexander, whom Roberts’ promoted from her previous assistant curator role.
In the new year, Roberts is looking to fill a newly created curatorial assistant position dedicated to the AAAI and establish a publications department. The museum is also exploring partnering with other institutions for joint acquisitions, exhibitions and programs that would further the goals of the AAAI.
“We’re not interested in owning this space,” Roberts said about Asian American art. “We’re in preliminary discussions about how to partner with institutions of different sizes and missions to amplify this work that is being done.”
It was important to her and Alexander that the position not require an advanced degree so it would be open to someone at the beginning of their career.
“This is a job about the future of the (museum) field, it requires a bachelor’s degree, not a Ph.D.,” said Roberts. “This position will give someone the chance to develop an expertise. … It’s important to me that the structure and the organization itself speak to the values and the mission of the AAAI and the museum.”
Cantor Art Center:11 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday. Free. 328 Lomita Drive at Museum Way, Palo Alto. 650-723-4177.https://museum.stanford.edu
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated plans for the Cantor Center’s Asian American Art Initiative in 2023. Museum director Veronica Roberts is creating a new AAAI curatorial assistant position.