Here is a nice write-up of the upcoming gala and what they hope will become a permanant exhibition at MFAH featuring Chinese artwork.
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases ... 90747.html
Some excerpts:
Philanthropist and Houston Rockets All Star Yao Ming today announced a major collaboration between his Yao Ming Foundation and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH). The Yao Ming Foundation Gala presented by iTalk Global Communications, Inc., the New Global Telecom Service Provider, will take place on Saturday, January 30, 2010 against the grand backdrop of the MFAH's Cullinan Hall. Proceeds from the event will provide funds for the permanent MFAH gallery dedicated to the Arts of China along with support for his foundation's continued efforts toward important programs in China and the United States.
Since he arrived in Houston as the NBA's number-one draft pick in 2002, Yao Ming has become an icon in two distinct cultures and on two continents. As such, he is an important bridge between China and the United States both on and off the basketball court. The Ting Tsung and Wei Fong Chao Arts of China Gallery will open to the public in the summer of 2010 as part of the museum's expanding suite of galleries dedicated to Asian art. Galleries for the arts of Korea, Indonesia, and India have already opened to critical acclaim. The new gallery, together with education programs designed specifically for it, will introduce Chinese art to new and wider audiences, promoting cultural understanding among the millions of school aged children, youth, and adults who visit the museum each year.
Yao Ming has devoted careful attention to his foundation since its inception in 2008, when he pledged two million dollars to rebuild schools devastated by the 8.0 earthquake in Sichuan Province, China. The efforts of his foundation have recently been extended to the local Houston community with the MFAH partnership and a grant to the Houston-based charity Collaborative for Children to rebuild four playgrounds in the Houston/Galveston area destroyed by Hurricane Ike. In the future, he plans to lend support to youth-oriented programs and scholarships in China and the United States.
I'm a MFAH Member, so I'm really looking forward to this. Hopefully it will be a great success for both the Museum and for Yao.
