The Pacific Asia Museum, which focuses on the classic and contemporary arts of Asia and the Pacific Islands, continues its 40th anniversary celebration through the end of 2011 with special events and the installation of a new exhibition, The Art of Pacific Asia. The Museum also includes ongoing programs such as brush painting classes, tai chi and a free Family Festival on October 23, which is co-sponsored by the museum's Korean Arts Council.

Pacific Asia Museum is pleased to present a new permanent gallery featuring The Art of Pacific Asia. The Museum's collection features Asian and Pacific Islander artworks spanning 5,000 years, which range from fine and decorative art to popular and folk arts. These objects reflect centuries of trade, creative endeavors, and cultural practices. Visitors to Pacific Asia Museum are invited to explore the collections, recognizing that societies develop as part of an interrelated world culture, and that each object in the collection has a story to tell. The Art of Pacific Asia introduces the geography, materials and meaning behind the art which visitors will enjoy throughout all the galleries at Pacific Asia Museum.

The Art of Pacific Asia has four distinct sections: Geography; Materials and Techniques; Religious Art; and Ceremony and Celebration. The objects presented in these sections are intended as tools for understanding the Pacific Asia Museum collection.

In honor of its 40th Anniversary, the museum will share the extraordinary range and quality of its art collection and provide visitors the opportunity to view over 50 of the most important objects in the collection, many of which are not on regular display because of their sensitivity to light.