Four-Day Celebration to Mark Grand Opening of Taniguchi-Designed Texas Headquarters
HOUSTON, October 7, 2011 — Save the Date! Asia Society Texas Center has announced it will officially open its new headquarters in the heart of Houston’s Museum District with a four-day celebration April 12-15, 2012.
A glittering array of dignitaries from around the world will be on hand for the festivities, which kick off on Thursday, April 12, with the Tiger Ball, ASTC’s annual gala. Attendees will sip champagne and sample Asian hors d’oeuvres in the elegant surroundings of the $48.4 million Center, designed by the distinguished Japanese architect Yoshio Taniguchi, before moving across the street for a sumptuous dinner in a block-size party tent.
This first public unveiling of the Center will be followed on Friday evening by a cocktail party for ASTC members and invited guests. The general public is invited to tour the building on Saturday and Sunday, when ASTC hosts a free Open House and First Look Festival. Food, performances, and kids’ activities will be part of the fun along with tours of the Center, including the 280-seat Brown Foundation Performing Arts Theater, 4,000-square-foot Louisa Stude Sarofim Gallery, and 3,000-square-foot Edward Rudge Allen III Education Center. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is planned for Saturday morning.
Highlight of any visit will be the chance to see Treasures of Asian Art: A Rockefeller Legacy. Comprising more than 60 masterpieces from the Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection at Asia Society New York, the exhibition opens on April 14 and runs through September 16.
Regular programming will begin immediately after the Grand Opening, with a performance and reading by distinguished Rumi translator Coleman Barks among the first programs.
For more information about the Tiger Ball, including table and ticket prices, the members' cocktail party, and the First Look Festival, please contact John Bradshaw Jr., Director of Development & External Affairs, at 713-496-9904, [email protected]. For general inquiries please contact Fritz Lanham, Director of Communications & Marketing, at 713-496-9909, [email protected].