From a live dance performance paired with a documentary film to a graffiti artist in conversation and a Japanese beer tasting, the Crow Museum is doing more than showing art right now.
If you’ve never been to the Crow Museum of Asian Art, this spring is the best possible reason to go for the first time. And if you’re a regular, the 2026 season is worth clearing your calendar for. The museum is free, it operates across two locations in the Dallas area, and what’s on right now ranges from ancient Chinese ceramics to immersive digital installation to contemporary photography — all under one roof, or rather two.
Two Locations, One Mission
The Crow Museum of Asian Art operates out of the Dallas Arts District at 2010 Flora Street and a newer location at the Edith and Peter O’Donnell Jr. Athenaeum on the UT Dallas campus in Richardson. Both are free and open Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Mondays. The permanent collection spans more than 600 works from China, India, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia, and the outdoor sculpture gardens at the Arts District location — filled with bamboo, maple, azaleas, and water features — offer one of the most quietly beautiful spots in downtown Dallas.
What’s on the Walls Right Now
The Dallas Arts District location is currently showing Paper Knife: Objects of Beauty in Early Modern Japan, running through August 2027 — an exhibition on the artistry and craftsmanship of small-scale decorative objects from early modern Japan, including works that draw on the samurai class’s mythologized presence in contemporary American culture. A new exhibition, Du Chau: Clay Stories, opened in April and features interactive porcelain works by a Dallas-based ceramist exploring memory, heritage, and the poetic possibilities of clay — part of the museum’s Texas Ties series spotlighting artists with connections to the Lone Star State. Fire and Earth: Early Chinese Pottery from the MacLean Collection, presenting 45 early Chinese pottery vessels from one of the most significant private collections in the United States, is on view through September 2026.
At the UT Dallas campus location, the spring season includes Groundbreakers, an ongoing exhibition on immersive digital art, and new work by Dallas-based photographer Carolyn Brown — Layered Narratives — drawn from more than 50 years of photographing architectural sites across the Middle East, North Africa, and the Mediterranean. The Kondo family ceramics exhibition rounds out the UT Dallas offerings with four generations of one of Japan’s most revered ceramic families.
Upcoming Events Worth Your Evening
Two standout programs are coming up in the next several weeks.
On Saturday, April 25, starting at 6:30 p.m., the UT Dallas location hosts a free evening pairing a screening of Call Me Dancer — an acclaimed documentary about pursuing artistic dreams against the odds — with the debut of an original live dance performance created in collaboration with the thinkIndia Foundation and the Indian Student Association at UT Dallas. Filmmaker Leslie Shampaine will join the discussion following the screening. Registration is required.
On Friday, May 1, from 12 to 1:30 p.m., the UT Dallas campus hosts a free AAPI Heritage Month celebration in collaboration with Intercultural Programs at UT Dallas, honoring Asian American and Pacific Islander culture through art and community connection.
And on Saturday, June 13, from 6 to 9 p.m., the Dallas Arts District location transforms into an outdoor gathering space for a Japanese beer and culture tasting event timed to the eve of the FIFA World Cup match between Japan and the Netherlands in Dallas. Presented in partnership with Musume Dallas, general admission is $30 and includes a tasting of Japanese brews at stations highlighting different styles and brewing traditions, alongside Japanese-inspired bar snacks. A limited upgrade to an exclusive culinary tasting led by Executive Chef Yuki of Musume is available at $125.
On Friday, April 17, at 5:30 p.m. — with happy hour starting at 5 p.m. — the Arts District location hosts a free moderated conversation between exhibition curator Delwyn Davis and graffiti artist Gajin Fujita, whose work is featured in Paper Knife. Advanced registration is encouraged.
Plan Your Visit
Dallas Arts District location: 2010 Flora St., Dallas, TX 75201 UT Dallas campus location: 800 W. Campbell Rd., Richardson, TX 75080 Hours: Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Mondays Admission: Always free Phone: (214) 979-6430 Website: crowmuseum.org
