Look Who it Was Random video

How Artists Predict the Future | Melissa Chiu | TEDxPennsylvaniaAvenue

3,932 views · Published 17 May 2017 · 11:06 · Indexed 23 September 2026

Channel: TEDx Talks · 2017 · Nonprofits & Activism

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Director of the nation’s museum of modern art, The Hirshhorn Museum, Melissa Chiu draws connections between art works and change, especially technology. By looking at the issues artists are focusing on today, and how museums are showing them, gives us insights into the momentous changes and how these could impact on our daily lives: from the immersive experience of Yayoi Kusama’s art installations that presaged virtual reality to Ai Weiwei’s use of social media for political commentary.

Dr. Melissa Chiu is Director of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the national museum of modern and contemporary art, a Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C. She is a leading authority on international art, with a specialization in the Asia-Pacific region, and has organized nearly 30 exhibitions including a retrospective by Zhang Huan, a survey of Yoshitomo Nara, and an exhibition of art from China’s Cultural Revolution. 

She has served on numerous panels including Pew, Institute of Museum and Library Services, and New York State Council on the Arts and has served on the board of Association of Art Museum Directors, American Association of Museums, and Museums Association of New York.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

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