On May 28 Nerman Museum patrons Tony and Marti Oppenheimer were the keynote speakers at the first China National Art Forum, presented by Shanghai University.
Now based in in Santa Barbara, Calif., the former Leawood residents spoke about the role of art philanthropy in America and the creation of the Oppenheimer Collection of contemporary art at Johnson County Community College. The collection, founded in 1992 and displayed in galleries at the college’s Nerman Museum and sites around campus, now numbers more than 150 works by emerging and established international artists. Highlights include Do-Ho Suh’s sculpture of a massive robe created from thousands of military dog tags, and Jonathan Borofsky’s Walking Man perched on the roof of the Commons Building on campus.
“Marti was the first speaker for the whole event and had her image featured on National China TV while speaking,” Tony Oppenheimer related in an email. “She is a rock star in China!”
Also covered by multiple newspapers, the forum featured speakers and participants from all over the world.
