Asia Society Texas Center

Very cool venue and amazing architecture. They rent out the space for private parties so it’s a good location with a parking lot out front. There’s also a huge auditorium and a sitting area to relax and look out to the misting infinity pool or the rock! The exhibits are sparse and they rotate through so it’ll be a quick visit unless there’s a speaker scheduled or an event.

I am never disappointed when I go to this museum. Besides the wonderful exhibits, always soothing to look at and peaceful, the museum itself feels like a sanctuary, a place to go to get away from the fast faced life.
Translated vases — very touching to read the story and so beautiful to look at. Yeesookyung finds the beginnings of entirely new forms, piecing together gathered shards of broken pottery with gold leaf — the Korean word geum for crack is the same for gold. A broken ceramic piece finds another piece and they rely on each other. the crack symbolizes the wound is emphasized with the gild. It’s a metaphor of a struggle for life that makes people become more mature and beautiful as they overcome sufferings.
Drawn from Nature — four artists — each equally impressive. The article and picture in the Houston chronicle peaked my interest — my favorite was Seon Ghi Bahk’s Charcoal and nylon threads hanging from the ceiling. Charcoal is concentrated carbon left behind in lump form after wood is burned — the beauty of the design which included the shadow is breathtaking. It looks like the pieces of charcoal threaded with nylon is floating — frozen and suspended in time.
We ate lunch at the museum’s little café — the Lemon artichoke soup was the best soup I have every had and their chicken salad sandwich was delicious and so packed I had a hard time getting my mouth opened wide enough to take a bite. This little gem is on my list of restaurants to go to when in that neck of the woods.

Finally, a museum catering to the multiple countries, cultures, religions and artists emerging out of the Asian continent. Aside from the contemporary and serene architecture, which any of the helpful doscents would happy to walk to through, the museum caters to your inner artist, historian, anthropologist and politician. This museums offers workshops, exhibitions and lectures for any age group that are worth attending.
Asia Society has the friendliest museum staff in the history of museum staff, trust me, I’ve had my fair share of pretentious curators and employees only interested in catering to donors rather than actually talking or getting to know their visitors.
I decided to become a member when I learned that I would get discounted tickets, free entry to any exhibitions, and perks on events & such. It’s been a couple of months and I’ve already had the opportunity to enjoy a variety of programs that fit my schedule and those that unveiled me to multiple ideas and experiences I wouldn’t have been exposed to at any other museum. Their specifically targeting events and open dialogue allow the visitor to be both comfortable and evoked at every visit.
I highly recommend you visit this museum, check out their architecture tour, and grab a bite at their café that features a variety of Asian delicacies.

I too came here for the Mandala’s closing ceremony and while they need to work on their crowd control and general experience of the event, it was quite interesting and special. The building is beautiful and there is plenty of street parking if you don’t want to pay for the lot but as I was walking around after the Mandala, I couldn’t really see any other exhibitions going on. This really is one of those places that you have to do some research before visiting to see what’s on display.
Back to the Mandala, for the life of me, I don’t understand why they put it in the small dimly lit room when the other much bigger room with huge floor to ceiling windows was available. They had several spot lights (par36 bulbs I believe) shining directly on the mandala, but then this did a disservice to the rest of the event and caused issues with photography since the mandala was 2 – 3 stops brighter than the surrounding area.
It was also so crowded that only the people in the first 2 rows (first row had seats, everybody else stood) had a view of it while everybody was sweating next to each other elbow to elbow and asking people to duck. Everybody behaved except for one little kid who would push his way around with the parents thinking it was cute, but I still think they need to use the other room or perhaps an even bigger room.
I’ll keep my eye out for future events here.

*This is an exhibit hall, not a museum, so check the website for the events before coming!
That being said, I came here for the Tibetan mandala live demonstration and I was impressive by this clear-​cut beautiful building! On the second floor is a nice lounge with sofas and tables with a stellar view, so it’s a great place to work or study if you live nearby.
The well-​maintained spaces are perfect for art display, but unfortunately, the rooms are not designed to handle large crowds. That means that if you want to see artworks in peace at your pace, you may want to avoid the exhibit’s special events like opening and closing ceremonies. If you do want to attend a potentially popular event, come early if you don’t want to get squeezed out of the door.
The lot across the building is paid parking, but there are plenty of free street parking around. Asia Society is also close to the metro stop so this place is easy to reach either way. Definitely recommend coming to one of the world-​class exhibits that this center occasionally holds!
—
tl;dr version:
1) Stellar art exhibit space with great working lounge
2) Avoid or come early to special events to beat the crowd
3) Free street parking available

Came here to the mandala sandpainting event happening this weekend and wasn’t disappointed. I wish they had more stuff on display but sadly they didn’t. Admission is free. You’ll be greeted at the door by a guard. There’s a café inside serving food inside. I thought I’d never have to do parallel parking again living in the suburbs but I was able to find street parking right by the museum. 4 stars overall. I look forward to seeing the other exhibits they have in the future.

very nice Museum, not so many arts, but its bigger than what it look like from outside. I loved the glass window upstairs which allow you to see the smoking roof from close distance. as far as i remember it was free to get in. plus it was very organized and clean atmosphere. nice fun for the family.

Beautiful facility with tons of great art and information. I like this facility and their different events. Having the Asia society in our community is definitely a bonus to us all.
The art displays are often thought provoking and sometimes make you uncomfortable, as good art should. The building itself is a bit of art too. I very much enjoy the facility and will go there again and again.

So you’re Asian and you know the Asia Society exists, but you’ve never been there. Join the club.
We came here as part of an architectural tour of the building and to see the current exhibits. The building itself is beautiful! It’s laid out in a way that creates a calm environment to view the exhibits and has a lovely infinity pool on the second floor! The museum also had areas for community events or classes that seemlessly flow into an outdoor space.
The exhibit we saw was a display of Japanese theater masks. It was laid out so that each room worked together to tell the whole story and there was an interactive portion at the end.
At the end of the tour, we had a nice lunch catered by the café. The sandwiches and soups were yummy and hit the spot after waking around for an hour.
Overall it was a really nice experience and a hidden gem in Houston’s museum scene.

I wouldn’t really call this a museum. It’s more of a building designed to house special events, lectures, social events, etc. today when I visited they were ‘in between’ displays upstairs so there was really nothing to see. The first floor had a few pictures of life in Asia along with a café.
The building’s architecture is interesting and unique. Admission is free but I don’t see this as being a tourist attraction unless you come here for some other event.

What a lovely place! It’s great for a date, families, and for teachers! They have an Art and Architecture tour once a month along with really neat art exhibits too. Apparently, and I haven’t experienced this, but they have lectures and talks with artists pretty regularly. It’s a gem that Houston needed and I’m glad it’s here!

Beautiful, element, fairly new place to hold parties, conferences, or meetings. It was my first time there this past Saturday and I immediately fell in love with the location and the design of it. There is also a gallery inside for you to relax and learn more about the world. Love it.

First of all, this museum is beautiful! The big reflective pool of water on the second floor overlooking an expansive green lawn, and bright open space inside. It’s just really peaceful to look out from the seconf floor window.
But on to the more important keys to this museums success, the many many opportunities to visit/​get involved/​explore. I’ve been to multiple evening events here from upscale galas, to the Asian Street Festival tonight.
In the short amount of time they’ve been open they’ve found ways to attract a multitude of people with a variety of interests. They celebrate the arts and culture from the east, so you can go admire the Bhatik’s from Indonesia for instance. They also touch on the harder stubjects we need to be discussing like the video and panel discussion on human trafficking coming up this week.
Keep it up Asia Society! I’m looking forward to all the ways I can stay involved!

The Spotlight is definitely on Asia!
This museum is a hidden «gem» because of its superior architectural design which will leave you in amazement from room to room. It is absolutely stunning!
We attended the «Spotlight on Asia — Cocktails and Cultural Fusions — Travel the Silk Road» event. As a professional meeting/​event planner, this event was flawless. The event production sponsors delighted us with fantastic wines and spirits as well as delicious culinary eats and entertainment. The staff was in cultural attire representing Asian influences from around the world. It was grand!
Kudos to the following sponsors who did a phenomenal job:
Unilocal!
Glen Gondo Sushi
Boheme
Triniti
Papercity Magazine — If you want your pics from the photographers that night visit
SmileBooth
AJ’s Urban Décor
Texas Hookah
…any many more!
The entertainment was incredible! From free Henna and Hookah in lovely Chao Foundation Green Garden to the music from the LEGENDARY DJ Kalkutta and DJ Sun on the turntables. We danced the night away!
WELL DONE!!!

I visited this venue for the CulturemapHOU event this past weekend and was truly wowed by the lovel artwork, beautfil view of the surrounding neighborhood and the lovely décor (infinity pool on second level).
I won to tickets to private Airborne toxic Event concert. We were treated to great tequila paired with food and sweet treats.
The Asia Society staff on site were so sweet, even when asking people to refrain from taking pictures of the artwork!

One of the most chic, elegant, and intriguing museums in Houston. It may not be as «capacious» or «grand» as the Museum of Fine Arts or even the Museum of Natural Sciences; however, it is a building you must visit if you are in the area. They exhibit unique art that I find a bit non-​orthodox, but I find it to actually be a PLUS! They currently have a HAPA (Half Asian) Exhibition, which will be up until April 2014!
Their events also seem to be extraordinarily awesome! The Spotlight Asian «Cocktails and Fusions» event was absolutely one of the best events I’ve attended in Houston. The sushi was fresh, abundant and colorful! The night was filled with laughter, friendly individuals from all walks of life, and elegant décor!
Major THANKS to Unilocal’s amazing David N!

So until yesterday I had no idea what this place is or does.
Thanks to David N for the Spotlight Asia tickets, I got to find out. This place is basically a neat little cultural museum. There appeared to be a theater, but I didn’t get to check it out. The exhibits were pretty neat, but what was really awed me was the building itself. Rather than rehash what everyone else is saying, just read Melissa M. or David N.‘s reviews about the building, it’s pretty spot on.

Very nice Unilocal event. Dressy… great sushi and sake! Thanks Unilocal!Thanks Asia Society! Very well done :-)
Some interesting art work. Didn’t stick around for the Hookah, but maybe next time… :-)

I love the new building. The new space is clean lines, cool water features, and lots of space. I heard about this organization through Instagram of all things! I read about their current exhibit and had to join. They have different membership plans to suit each person including student and educator discounted rates. I joined before ever stepping foot in the building and after having visited, I’m glad to support them.
I think of this building as a beautiful space for visiting exhibits and educational lectures, but it has its own personality and beauty beside those exhibits that are here briefly. The building has a walkway up to it that enters a very minimalist door. There is a large flat rood that is actually a water feature that creates fog occasionally. We were lucky enough to drive up and get out as the whole roof was enveloped in this fog; it was beautiful. I don’t know how often it happens, but it’s a lovely touch. The entrance is a little confusing. As you enter, you aren’t totally sure where you should go. There are some very large open spaces on both floors that I assume will be used for different exhibits. The first floor current has a multimedia exhibit about being of mixed Asian decent. I am half Japanese and the exhibit was very interesting to me but also to my white husband. There are photos, videos, and notes written about «what are you?». I read that it was interactive and I saw photos of people with handwritten notes but I didn’t see any way I could interact and leave my photo and note.
On a lower level is the entrance to the lecture hall and on the upper level is a lot of open space as well as an exhibit hall that is large but easy to miss. When you head upstairs, there is a lovely view of a rock garden as well as the water feature on the flat roof. There is a large well lit exhibit hall that currently has a variety of different traveling pieces from the Smithsonian. Some of the art is really weird (like videos of a lady eat cherry tomatoes with a stick or drinking orange juice from a glass with a whole in the side). Some of the art is really cool (huge pencil drawings on long flowing and braided hair). I found that some of the art just seemed weird to me, but if I kept moving I found something that appealed to me.
As someone who has always been interested in the Asian side of my family, I’ll be keeping my eyes on this place and their rotating exhibits.
Parking is easy. There is street parking as well as a surface lot across the street.

I thought I had visited all of the museums in this area but it wasn’t until recently that I realized I missed one of the most beautiful buildings. It’s a smaller museum with only a small handful of artifacts but the architecture of the space is what makes up for the lack of items inside.
Everything about it is planned and executed immaculately. The grass and stones that encompass the outside grounds to the doors and glass that make up the infrastructure. But the most glamourous spot is the infinity pool area up at the top with smoke coming off of it. A real engineering marvel.
The art inside is simply displayed. At the time of my visit the info cards were not yet finished and a handout was given.
Also, they have a very state of the art theater downstairs, with a decent sized stage and luxury seats.