Asia Art Archive in America’s second annual Leadership Camp, a four-part closed seminar, took four case studies as departure points. The aim of the seminar was to collectively and actively workshop emergent and/or alternative models of leadership rooted in and representative of Asia, and to tilt abstract discussions towards cultural practice, whether this be heading a museum, curating an exhibition, or making objects.

Imelda Marcos, former first lady of the Philippines and briefly in exile, served as our first and controversial case study. The so-called “Steel Butterfly” was now an elected congresswoman of the Ilocos Norte district, mother of politicians, and continues to be an arts patron, gay icon, and alleged grafter. No prior knowledge of Marcos is necessary, and subsequent case studies were selected by participants. Some initial questions include:

• What Asian social structures—political, corporate, religious, civil, familial—can inform models of contemporary leadership, and how might artists, curators, gallerists, and scholars in Asia and elsewhere productively and selectively deploy these?
• To the extent that it is often said that many communities in Asia privilege the well-being of the collective over the individual, what are the implications for individual leadership, in government as well as in the arts?
• Has de-imperialization and global racialization confounded the colonial-era binary West/non-West as well as the Cold War ideological guidepost liberal humanism v. communism, and what power structures—and positions of power—have replaced them?
• Are there forms of leadership that do not coalesce around people, but rather around technologies, ecologies, collectives, motifs, or entities? What does leadership without human subjects look like?

Leadership Camp was co-organized by Christopher K. Ho and AAAinA’s Ali Wong and Hilary Chassé. Prior to the first session on Sunday, March 4, 5-8pm at Asia Art Archive in America, participants received PDFs of the readings we will use as points of departure by email.

Application Due Date: Midnight Sunday, November 12, 2017

First Event: Mixer for previous and incoming Leadership Camp participants on Sunday, December 3, 7–8:30pm  at 43 Remsen Street, Brooklyn NY (light refreshments served)

First Session: Sunday, March 4, 2018; subsequent meetings May, July, and September 2018

Selected participants was notified on November 22, and are encouraged to attend all four sessions, to take place on Sundays in March, May, July, and September of 2018.

Leadership Camp II Participants:

Umber Majeed
Vijay Masharani
Lu Zhang
Neil Wu-Gibbs
Melissa Liu
Eleanor Hildebrandt
Heidi Lau
Risha Lee
Beth Citron
Connie Kang
Kris Ercums
Mimi Wong
Ambika Trasi
Rakhe Balaram
Simon Wu

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.