Compassion and Culture: A Conversation with Museum Directors

The Manchester China Institute (MCI)promotes excellence in China studies at the University of Manchester. MCI hosts in-person talks, workshops, and roundtables, and well as webinars with a global reach. Our public events are free and open to all. The University of Manchester is committed to academic independence and thefreedom of speech. The views speakers present are entirely their own, and do not represent those of the University of Manchester or the Manchester China Institute and its directors.

Manchester China Institute

In this talk, Museum Directors Esme Ward & Xiaowen Zhu reflect on the links between compassion and culture, drawing on their work on China.

Manchester Museum

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS<a href="https://www.zhuxiaowen.com/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Xiaowen Zhu</a> has worked internationally in Shanghai, New York, Los Angeles, London and Berlin as a director, author and lecturer. She was previously Assistant Director at Times Art Center Berlin and has conceived exhibitions with established and emerging artists from all over the world. Zhu is the author of Oriental Silk (Hatje Cantz, 2020) and Encounters (Shanghai Educational Publishing House, 2022). She is a prolific speaker and has lectured about contemporary art and culture at universities around the world. Zhu has been featured in Apollo magazine’s 2022 list of 40 Under 40 Asia Pacific Thinkers. Photo credit: Photograph by Haishu Chen

<a href="https://www.nationalmuseums.org.uk/members/manmuseum/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Esme Ward</a> is Director of Manchester Museum, at the University of Manchester, the first woman in the museum’s 130-year history to hold this role. She has led the ambitious <a href="https://www.museum.manchester.ac.uk/making-the-museum/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">hello future</a> transformation of Manchester Museum, which reopened in February 2023, into a larger, more extraordinary place to visit. Her commitment is to renew the creative and civic mission of the museum to bring more joy, inspiration, and care to the communities it serves with a mission to build understanding between cultures and a more sustainable world.Esme has worked in university museums for over 20 years; previously as Head of Learning and Engagement across the Whitworth and Manchester Museum embedding award-winning health and culture, early years, and age friendly work. Esme is Honorary Professor of Heritage Futures at the University of Manchester; Co-chair of the University Museums Group representing university museums on the National Museum’s Directors’ Executive Council; Board member Oxford Road Corridor Board and is Environmental Sustainability Lead for Manchester Cultural Leaders Group.

ABOUT THE ORGANISERSThis event is co-organised by the <a href="https://www.mci.manchester.ac.uk/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Manchester China Institute</a> and <a href="https://www.museum.manchester.ac.uk/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Manchester Museum</a>, with support from <a href="https://www.eseacontemporary.org/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">esea contemporary</a>and <a href="https://www.creative.manchester.ac.uk/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Creative Manchester</a>, as part of a wider event series about "how can the arts build empathy and understanding between UK and China".

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Compassion and Culture: A Conversation with Museum Directors

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Compassion and Culture: A Conversation with Museum Directors

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