USC PAM is a dynamic, imaginative, and innovative teaching and learning resource for USC and surrounding communities, featuring an exhibition program that connects the past and present. Amplifying artist voices and lifting up community narratives, our special exhibitions reflect the diversity of our Asian communities across USC and Los Angeles and serve as a springboard for thought-provoking discussions about the most prescient issues at the center of Asian American transnational life and experience including; belonging, identity and memory.

As a museum dedicated entirely to the Pacific Asia world, USC PAM is uniquely positioned to help expand visitors’ understanding of historical and cultural contexts of the artworks displayed in our galleries and special exhibitions. Our museum focuses on representation of the incredible diversity of Asia and the Pacific Islands and their diasporas in each of our special exhibitions. Through object selection, didactics, and further contextual elements, the goal of our exhibitions is to instill curiosity and create meaningful insight for visitors to see the complexity of Asian art and culture and to connect to the contexts and meanings behind the artworks displayed. Because of this effort, visitors have the opportunity to expand their understanding of an incredibly important, yet often misunderstood, part of the world. Visitors also have the opportunity to find connections to their own unique experiences and interests by exploring our museum’s offerings.