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![[Interview] Smithsonian will continue to flourish: NMAA director Chase F. Robinson](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwimg.heraldcorp.com%2Fnews%2Fcms%2F2025%2F06%2F02%2Fnews-p.v1.20250601.5e4b4e8d412a48e5a33de471abde2194_T1.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
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Korea Herald
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
[Interview] Smithsonian will continue to flourish: NMAA director Chase F. Robinson
Director says Smithsonian embodies American ideals of curiosity, research, engagement in recent interview amid US administration's crackdown on DEI When Chase F. Robinson, director of Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art, visited Seoul in 2022, he expressed his hope to bring the donated works by the late Samsung Chair Lee Kun-hee to the US. Fast-forward to 2025, the exhibition, the first-ever overseas exhibition of Lee's donated work as a collection, will finally arrive at the musueum in Washington. Titled "Korean Treasures: Collected, Cherished, Shared," the exhibition will run from Nov. 8 to Feb. 1, before traveling to Chicago and London. 'The scale of his collecting in the quality and comprehensiveness is really impressive. This juxtaposition of traditional and modern art will be really interesting to people,' the director said during an interview with The Korea Herald on May 23. Among the works to be exhibited in the US will include a dozen works of art designated as Treasures and National Treasures by the Korean government, which Robinson mentioned as the highlight of the exhibition. Lee's collection of some 23,000 pieces, majorly donated to the National Museum of Art and National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea in 2020, spans from artifacts to modern and contemporary art. 'Korean art does not have the visibility in the United States, because it is a relatively new field compared to Japanese and Chinese art,' the director said. "But it has started to change." The museum recently acquired two Korean works of art, donated to the museum, at the end of last year: a Buddhist sculpture from the 18th century and a folding screen named 'The Happy Life of Guo Ziyi (Gwak Bunyang Haengnak-do),' also likely painted in the late 18th century by a court artist. The director, who was appointed to head the museum in 2018, said the museum has grown extensively in the past five years in terms of its staff and budget, and fundraising has improved considerably — some of which has come from international engagement. 'It is a time of a lot of political and cultural change,' he said when asked about the US President Donald Trump's administration cracking down on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. 'The Smithsonian was opened in 1846 and NMAA opened in 1923. I am really confident that we are going to continue to flourish.' A few days after the interview, Trump said Friday that he had fired Kim Sajet, the director of the National Portrait Gallery, which is part of the Smithsonian Institute, calling her a 'strong supporter' of diversity, equity and inclusion in a social media post. In March, the US president issued an executive order on the Smithsonian, blaming that it has come under the 'influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology' and 'promoted narratives that portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive.' Robinson said there are many other parties and delegation — not just the government — involved to run the Smithsonian Institute. 'The Smithsonian, as you may know, has a unique status — we were set up as a trust — so we are governed separately from the US government. So the board of regents is the governing body, and it is a combination of private citizens and government officials. "The vice president is on the board of regents, and the chief justice of the Supreme Court is on the board of the regents, and there are congressmen. On the other hand there are lots of citizens and private citizens," he said. Robinson said the museum has a responsibility to serve American public because much of its funding comes from the government, which is why the museum tries to represent 'all the extraordinary kind of diversity' in art in their exhibitions and programming. 'We try to embody the best American ideals of curiosity, research, openness, respect and engagement,' he said. yunapark@
West Australian
7 hours ago
- Sport
- West Australian
The one thing Nawaqanitawase must fix to dominate NRL
Trent Robinson is happy to wear the bruises of Mark Nawaqanitawase's topsy turvy rugby league initiation as he backed the former Wallabies winger to become a "dominant player" in the NRL. In his first full season in the 13-man game, Nawaqanitawase has shown all the highlight reel attacking brilliance which has led to speculation Rugby Australia will attempt to lure the 24-year-old back ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup. The winger kicked off Sunday's clash with Canberra in style, scoring a try - his ninth in 10 NRL games this season - with an incredible aerial take over the top of Savelio Tamale. But there were other shortcomings the Raiders exposed on their way to a 26-24 NRL win in which Nawaqanitawase - who has edged out England Test star Dominic Young for a starting berth - made a handful of costly mistakes. The winger's handling under the high ball was heavily scrutinised and he took the wrong option at one point when he went down a short side and was bundled into touch by Tamale on the first tackle. "He's such a good player and 12 games in, he's making a fair impact on the game," Robinson said. "He's (made) two yardage errors there; his choice, they were both unforced. "I feel like he can have a huge impact on the game just by cleaning up a bit of that backfield and then he'll become a dominant player in this competition." Robinson said Nawaqanitawase was a fast learner who would adapt to catching under pressure "very quickly, because his technique is very good". "Then I hope they keep kicking to him because he is such a good catcher, but they're unforced errors at the moment, and when he stops that, then he'll be one of the better wingers in the competition," Robinson said. Nawaqanitawase's fortunes feel like a microcosm of the Roosters' season. Robinson's men sit 12th (5-7) after narrow losses to ladder-leading Canterbury and second-placed Canberra over the last month. "I know we've got a team that can play footy," Robinson said. "I can see a team that's on its way to being really good, and we just need to finish off a little bit of learning from our game. "We played three really good teams in three weeks after the bye - Canterbury, Cronulla, Canberra and I went, 'I'd be interested to see where we're at'. "I think we're a good team. I just would like to have finished a couple of those games off a bit better."
Perth Now
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Perth Now
The one thing Nawaqanitawase must fix to dominate NRL
Trent Robinson is happy to wear the bruises of Mark Nawaqanitawase's topsy turvy rugby league initiation as he backed the former Wallabies winger to become a "dominant player" in the NRL. In his first full season in the 13-man game, Nawaqanitawase has shown all the highlight reel attacking brilliance which has led to speculation Rugby Australia will attempt to lure the 24-year-old back ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup. The winger kicked off Sunday's clash with Canberra in style, scoring a try - his ninth in 10 NRL games this season - with an incredible aerial take over the top of Savelio Tamale. But there were other shortcomings the Raiders exposed on their way to a 26-24 NRL win in which Nawaqanitawase - who has edged out England Test star Dominic Young for a starting berth - made a handful of costly mistakes. The winger's handling under the high ball was heavily scrutinised and he took the wrong option at one point when he went down a short side and was bundled into touch by Tamale on the first tackle. "He's such a good player and 12 games in, he's making a fair impact on the game," Robinson said. "He's (made) two yardage errors there; his choice, they were both unforced. "I feel like he can have a huge impact on the game just by cleaning up a bit of that backfield and then he'll become a dominant player in this competition." Robinson said Nawaqanitawase was a fast learner who would adapt to catching under pressure "very quickly, because his technique is very good". "Then I hope they keep kicking to him because he is such a good catcher, but they're unforced errors at the moment, and when he stops that, then he'll be one of the better wingers in the competition," Robinson said. Nawaqanitawase's fortunes feel like a microcosm of the Roosters' season. Robinson's men sit 12th (5-7) after narrow losses to ladder-leading Canterbury and second-placed Canberra over the last month. "I know we've got a team that can play footy," Robinson said. "I can see a team that's on its way to being really good, and we just need to finish off a little bit of learning from our game. "We played three really good teams in three weeks after the bye - Canterbury, Cronulla, Canberra and I went, 'I'd be interested to see where we're at'. "I think we're a good team. I just would like to have finished a couple of those games off a bit better."
Toronto Star
15 hours ago
- Automotive
- Toronto Star
Trump sparks a surge in homegrown road trips. Here's where to look for savings on your next adventure
U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff war is even affecting a great Canadian summer ritual — the road trip. According to a recent survey by the Tire and Rubber Association of Canada, 51 per cent of drivers have recently cancelled their road trips to the U.S., with a whopping 88 per cent looking to explore Canada by car this summer. Having lived in four different cities across Canada, Jessica Robinson, a content marketer based in Toronto, has taken her fair share of road trips — long and short — and picked up tips for saving money along the way. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'You tend to be a little bit more budget-conscious on a longer road trip than on a shorter one,' says Robinson, whose longest trip has been from Toronto to Halifax and back. The car itself is the biggest expense. Robinson has rented, borrowed and even used a car-share service for her journeys. The price of a rental depends on several factors, including the pickup and drop-off locations, the type (gas, hybrid or electric) and size of the vehicle and the car rental supplier. Personal Finance Breaking your mortgage to land a better interest rate ahead of renewal? Be prepared to pay up Refinancing your mortgage can include securing a lower rate with a different lender, changing According to Kayak, you can expect to pay an average of $78 to $115 per day, depending on how big — and nice — a vehicle you end up renting. Travel services sites like Kayak let you set price alerts on car rentals for the dates you plan to hit the road so that you can score the best deal. The next largest expense is fuel. Calculate the distance of your trip in kilometres to figure out just how much fuel you'll need for the trip. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Loyalty programs like Shell Fuel Rewards or Petro-Points can also help you stretch a buck on filling up through discounts and rewards that can be redeemed later on — or right at the pump. Shell, for instance, offers per-litre discounts for both CAA and Air Miles users. Using both cards can cut five cents a litre at the pump. It may not seem like a lot, but over a several-thousand-kilometre adventure, the savings can add up. Personal Finance My company offers a deferred profit-sharing plan. How does it differ from my group RRSP? There are many differences between a DPSP and an RRSP, experts says, not the least of which is Trip calculators, like the one from GasBuddy, can estimate how money you'll spend on fuel on the trip. 'See if there are opportunities to get car rental deals through your loyalty programs that might be affiliated with your credit cards, CAA memberships or even your Costco card,' says Jackie Porter, certified financial planner at Carte Wealth Management in Mississauga. Some credit cards offer additional discounts and insurance coverage options for car rentals. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW For instance, the American Express Cobalt, Scotiabank Gold American Express and TD Cash Back Visa Infinite cards offer some type of rental car coverage. Scotiabank Scene+ Visa offers up to 25 per cent off base rates at select Avis and Budget, while the RBC Avion Visa Platinum and RBC Avion Visa Infinite Privilege offer discounted base rates at participating Hertz locations. Personal Finance Amid U.S. tariff storms, you really need a rainy-day fund. Here's where to park your money Experts says keeping emergency cash liquid is crucial, in an account that earns at least some Porter recommends budgeting for a road trip in a savings account so 'even if you use your cards to give you more points, the money is there when you come back from that trip to pay that bill.' Budgeting for souvenirs and snacks sometimes goes overlooked, points out Robinson. You might tell yourself you won't make a pit stop on the road, she says, 'but when it's three o'clock, you've been driving for five hours and you're a little bit tired, you're going to pull over and get that next coffee.'
The Courier
16 hours ago
- Business
- The Courier
‘Call me Mr Tea' — The people scalded by Perthshire's great tea scandal
Picture the scene: Paris. March 14, 2015. The great and good of the world's tea industry gather for a lavish party, a celebration of their achievements over the past 12 months. This night at the Salon de Thé awards is a special one for Scotland, as Perthshire's own Wee Tea Plantation scores a coveted gold award. The company's Dalreoch white tea has been crowned the best tea in the world. The announcement sparks a media buzz. The plantation's Tam O'Braan tells BBC Five Live presented Nicky Campbell that morning he cannot attend the ceremony as his wife is about to give birth to twins. But he says he is sending a colleague to read out the speech he penned. 'I suppose you could call me Mr Tea after winning such a major award,' he told reporters. Coupled with a silver gong from the Tea Exchange in London, it really is a remarkable achievement for a Scottish business – particularly one set up just over six months earlier. Except the awards ceremony never happened. O'Braan – known by prosecutors as Thomas Robinson – made it up to boost sales and win contracts. The fake awards were part of a wider deception that hoodwinked not only the owners of some of the country's best known hotels but also wholesalers, journalists, landowners and businesses. Robinson was this week convicted of an elaborate £550k fraud, taking in five-star hoteliers and genuine tea growers. At his trial, he distanced himself from the Salon de Thé prize claiming it was gourmet tea firm Mariage Freres' award. But he said he remembered seeing some kind of gold medallion. 'I didn't get to keep it,' he said. 'But it must have had some standing because the buyers from Fortnum and Mason wanted to display it in their store.' Asked if the whole thing was made up, he said: 'I'm taking it on trust that the award does exist.' The Courier was also caught up in Robinson's web of lies. In February 2017, we reported how thieves had stolen tea leaves from his Dalreoch farm. The report was based on information provided to us by the company, while Robinson was recovering from a heart attack we were told. The theft was never reported to Police Scotland and it emerged during the trial the thefts may have been faked ahead of a council inspection of the land. Here we look at just a handful of others who were caught out by Robinson's great tea blag. In hindsight, alarm bells should have been ringing for London tea seller Alistair Rea, when Robinson – his best customer – asked him to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA). The document was purportedly a legally binding contract demanding Mr Rea's silence on all correspondence between him and Robinson. Robinson first contacted sole-trader Mr Rea in August 2015, when his business What-Cha, selling top end tea from around the world, was starting out on eBay. He asked how degradable his loose leaf black tea was, before putting in an order for 30kg. He asked for it to be delivered to a PO address in Glasgow's Bath Street. Over a period of nearly three-and-a-half years, Robinson ordered about 700kg of loose leaf tea from as far afield as China, Malawi and Sri Lanka, often at thousands of pounds a time. He often asked about the produce and requested photos to see if they were 'leafy enough'. Mr Rea, 36, said he had never before been asked by a customer to sign a confidentiality agreement. 'I agreed to sign it to keep the business relationship going,' he said. The paper was sent from Robinson – not from a lawyer – in October 2015, not long after he began buying from What-Cha. In February 2016, Robinson visited Mr Rea's business premises – a spare room at his Islington home – to pick up more tea. Robinson explained to the tea vendor he had been out of action for a while following a heart attack and would making big orders to help catch up with customers. Mr Rea did not know Robinson had a tea plantation but suspected he had been selling on his tea leaves. Peter Pejacsevich, a forester and farmer who owns 680 acres of land on the banks of Loch Tummel, said his interest was piqued when reading a news article about Scottish tea plantations in 2016. One of the people mentioned in the piece was Perthshire's Tam O'Braan whose tea, it stated, was being sold by Fortnum and Mason. Mr Pejacsevich, 70, decided to investigate further, with the idea of growing tea plants on his own land. By email, he contacted Robinson, who he knew only as O'Braan, before meeting up at his Amulree site. There, he could see about 100 or so plants, about a metre high, despite Robinson's claims he had a field of tens of thousands of plants near his home. 'I can't recall if he said if these were grown on the farm but the implication was that they were grown there,' said Mr Pejacsevich. The London-based landowner noticed Robinson had a slight limp, which he told him was 'the result of military action'. Mr Pejacsevich struck a deal to buy 1,200 plants at £15,000. Robinson was given a key and granted access to the farmer's land at Loch Tummel. He told Mr Pejacsevich a group of agricultural students had been employed to harvest the leaves. These so-called 'woofers' – a term for people who work for rural firms in exchange for bed and board – were said to have stayed at the farm with Robinson, although there was no evidence they ever existed. Some time later, Mr Pejacsevich was shown a tea menu from the Balmoral Hotel. It offered jasmine green tea 'grown on the banks of Loch Tummel'. Mr Pejacsevich said there had been no other teas growing near the loch and stressed he had not given Robinson permission to sell on tea from his plantation. In court, Robinson blamed a man called 'Billy' for looking after Mr Pejacsevich's crops. Antiques dealer and farmer Henry Baggott was – initially at least – an enthusiastic supporter. 'It was interesting to hear someone was growing tea in Scotland and doing it so well,' he said. 'It was exciting that someone was championing this here in Scotland.' He got in touch with Robinson – or O'Braan as he knew him – in 2015 and went to visit his farm. There he saw a few hundred plants. 'From what I saw, they seemed to be pretty healthy but it was all new to me at that stage.' During their talks, Robinson told Mr Baggott he had been in the army, 'in a regiment like the Paras.' 'If someone tells you they had been in the army, you believe them,' he said. After tests on his own soil at his wife's family farm near Castle Douglas, Baggott agreed to buy 700 plants. 'Tam came with a team from the plantation. 'There was very little guidance from Tam – it was very much dig a hole, pop in a plant and away we go. 'At the time, we thought this was great. 'It was only subsequently we looked closer and could see they had been badly planted and were in poor quality. They soon started dying.' In the first year, between 25-to-30% of the plants were lost. After about seven years, he only managed to harvest about 100 grammes of tea. Mr Baggott said Tam 'was a very hard man to get hold of after we initially planted his plants.'
