“Metal the Mirror” installation view at the Bruce Museum, April 2025. The galvanized steel sculptures will oxidize over time, changing into a textured surface.

Curating identity, bridging cultures

Article by Megan M.F. Everhart Photos by Patrick Sikes, courtesy of the Bruce Museum, and Julia Mun May 01, 2026

Art history alumna is expanding access to Asian American art

American artists of Asian descent can experience pressure to identify as one or the other, or face criticism for being either “too American,” “too Asian” or not enough of either.

As an assistant curator at the Art Bridges Foundation, University of Delaware alumna Julia Haein Mun is working to address that binary and expand the definition of “Asian American artist.”

“So much of what museums present has a Eurocentric focus,” she said. “We want to challenge those canons in art history and use the artwork in our collection to catalyze community engagement and programming.”

Curator Julia Mun (center) with her sister Sophia Mun (left) and mother Young Mun (right) in the gallery at the Bruce Museum.

Mun received her master’s degree from the Department of Art History in 2023, and she credits the program’s depth and flexibility with providing a foundation for tackling the challenge, especially with the astute guidance mentorship of Vimalin Rujivacharakul, associate professor of art.

“I came to UD because I’d heard such amazing things about the program, especially in American art history,” she said. “The network is strong, and there’s so much overlap with museum professionals. It’s a small world — people see that you’re from Delaware, and there’s an immediate connection.”

Mun also studied with faculty across disciplines, including Peter Feng in the Department of English and Hannah Kim in the Department of History, to gain a full picture of the Asian American experience.

“History, politics, literature — they all feed into each other, and of course art is informed by these experiences and our histories," she said. “If I wanted to understand Asian American artists, then I needed to understand the surrounding aspects of the field.”

She applied that understanding to curate Art Bridges’ “Metal the Mirror,” an exhibition of nine sculptures by Japanese American artist Isamu Noguchi that is touring institutions across the country.

Physical and thematic access

Art Bridges Foundation was founded in 2017 with a mission to expand access to American art across the United States through collaborative programs and community engagement, and its art sharing program, through which works in the collection are loaned to partner institutions free of charge.

Japanese American artist Isamu Noguchi created a series of 26 galvanized steel sculptures from 1982-1983, nine of which were on display at the Bruce Museum in Connecticut.

Mun explained that expanding access includes expanding thematic access, not just an institution’s ability to exhibit art, but the scope of art they can exhibit.

“We’re thinking about these understudied and undertold stories,” she said. “There is a huge desire across the country to access Asian American artists.”

When she joined Art Bridges in 2023, only about 4% of their collection was by Asian American artists.

That changed when the foundation acquired the fourth edition of Noguchi’s series of 26 galvanized steel sculptures created from 1982-1983. “Metal the Mirror” is the foundation’s first internally curated exhibition to feature an Asian American artist, a professional and personal landmark for Mun.

“Identity isn’t static,” she said. “You’re never just one thing. Noguchi’s life and art embody that in-between space, and that’s something many Asian Americans understand.”

Experience of change

The galvanized steel is luminous and reflective, but over time it oxidizes, changing into a textured surface that Mun described as looking like pebbles in a stream or even the texture of human skin.

“I really wanted to harness this idea of change and parallel it to the Asian American experience,” she said.

Mun’s work included curating all the text and labels for the exhibition, developing programming ideas and creating suggested layouts. The sculpture grouping is large, so nine sculptures went into the show, while the remaining 17 were divided into groupings that can be displayed in different indoor or outdoor spaces.

“It’s been amazing to work on this project, especially as an early career curator. This is essentially one of my first curatorial projects that I’ve been able to really lead and work on. It has truly been a fulfilling and gratifying experience.”

“Metal the Mirror” on display

The Bruce Museum in Greenwich, Connecticut, opened “Metal the Mirror” in April 2025, with nine pieces on display.

The exhibition opens at the Mennello Museum of American Art in Orlando, Florida, on Aug. 28, 2026, and runs through Feb. 28, 2027.

Beginning October 2027, the Southern Vermont Arts Center will have all 26 pieces on display.

Learn more about the artist at the Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum in Long Island, New York.

About the Department of Art History

The Department of Art History at the University of Delaware is a distinguished hub for education and research in the visual arts. From its founding in 1966, the department pioneered the academic study of American art, along with the Winterthur Program in Early American Culture (now the Winterthur Program in American Material Culture).

Renowned nationally and internationally, the department boasts a faculty of leading specialists who have received prestigious awards and fellowships. The curriculum spans a wide array of artistic periods and cultures, from Greco-Roman antiquity to contemporary art, and includes American, European, Chinese, Latin American and African art. Students benefit from the department's proximity to major art centers and museums in the Mid-Atlantic region, as well as access to significant collections on campus. The department is committed to fostering critical insights into art and cultural expression, preparing students for diverse careers in art history, museum curation and beyond.