Gift From William C. Weese Establishes Endowed Curator of Asian Art at UMMA, Bringing Lifetime Giving to $10 Million

Transformational investment strengthens UMMA’s leadership in Chinese ceramics and Asian art scholarship

Ann Arbor, MI—The University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA) announced today a landmark $2 million gift from U-M Alumnus William C. Weese, M.D. (LSA ‘65) to endow the Curator of Asian Art—securing the museum’s leadership in Asian art and advancing its position as a premier destination for the study and public presentation of Chinese ceramics. Dr. Weese’s support and gifts of art to UMMA now total more than $10 million.

The newly named William C. Weese, M.D. (LSA ‘65) Curator of Asian Art is only the second endowed curatorial position in UMMA’s history and represents a major advance in the museum’s long-term intellectual and cultural impact. Dr. Weese’s support has fundamentally reshaped UMMA’s capacity to collect, research, and share Asian art.

“Endowing a curatorial position is one of the most powerful ways to shape what a museum can do—both now and in the future,” said Christina Olsen, UMMA Director. “Dr. Weese’s extraordinary generosity ensures that Asian art, and Chinese ceramics in particular, will remain a vital and visible part of UMMA’s identity. It allows us to deepen scholarship, expand our collection, and bring these works into meaningful dialogue with students, faculty, and the public for generations to come.”

A defining commitment to Asian art

Dr. Weese’s latest gift builds on a transformative series of contributions that have established UMMA as a center for the collection and study of Asian art. His 2020 promised gift of more than 1,000 works of Chinese ceramics—spanning from 1500 BCE through the Qing dynasty (1644 – 1912)—introduced one of the most significant collections of its kind to a university museum.

In 2021, he also established the Weese Program for Ceramic Arts, focused on developing, promoting, and implementing the study of Chinese ceramics, strengthening UMMA’s collection and its position as a leader in ceramic arts. With his late wife, Lynn, he established the William C. Weese, M.D. and Lynn Wetherbee Weese Internship in Asian Art Fund in 2017, supporting student internship opportunities at UMMA and encouraging students to explore museum careers while studying Asian art. Dr. Weese’s philanthropy has created a dynamic platform for exhibitions, research, teaching, and public engagement. The endowed curatorship ensures that this work continues to grow—supporting acquisitions, scholarship, and interpretation that connect Asian art to contemporary questions and diverse audiences.

UMMA’s collection spans centuries, geographies, and media, with Asian art playing a vital role in telling global histories through objects made for daily life, devotion, power, exchange, and aesthetic innovation. This endowed curatorship will support research, teaching, exhibitions, acquisitions, and interpretation that connect Asian art to campus and community—while advancing access to Chinese ceramics.

The position is currently held by Natsu Oyobe, whose curatorial work has helped define UMMA’s growing reputation in Asian art. Recent exhibitions such as Clay as Soft Power: Shigaraki Ware in Postwar America and Japan, which traced the role of Shigaraki ware ceramics in strengthening Japan’s cultural relevance in the United States, and Copies and Invention In East Asia, an exploration of imitation and innovation across centuries, exemplify her approach connecting historical objects to global histories, cross-cultural exchange, and contemporary discourse. The endowment ensures that this leadership and its impact on students, scholars, and the public will continue to expand.

Building a Lasting Legacy

In addition to the endowed position, Dr. Weese has also committed his exceptional collection of Chinese ceramics to UMMA as a planned gift. UMMA intends to present the collection through regular gallery rotations and special exhibitions and anticipates that the works will be utilized in teaching and learning with university courses and by researchers and students.

“As an undergraduate at the University of Michigan, I discovered how a great public university can open the world to its students—through ideas, through people, and through encounters with art that stay with you for a lifetime,” Dr. Weese said. “My love of Chinese ceramics has only deepened over the years; I’m continually moved by their beauty, technical brilliance, and the culture and history they carry. It’s important to me that UMMA not only cares for these works but uses them to spark study, teaching, and wonder. Establishing dedicated support for Asian art is my way of helping ensure that the museum’s commitment remains strong—in perpetuity—for students, scholars, and visitors for generations to come. During the 40 years that it has taken to accrue the collection, I have been the temporary caretaker. I am especially excited that it will now have a permanent home at UMMA.”

UMMA will continue to expand access to the collection through exhibitions, teaching partnerships, and its online collections platform myUMMA, where objects are presented with curatorial insight and interpretive context.

The gift aligns with and advances the University of Michigan’s Look to Michigan campaign by investing in enduring resources that expand scholarship, strengthen student experiences, and increase public impact. By establishing a named curatorial position, the commitment elevates UMMA’s ability to steward and interpret Asian art for the campus and wider community.

“This gift builds something enduring,” Olsen added. “I’m deeply gratified that Dr. Weese has chosen to name this curatorial position in support of Asian art at UMMA. His sustained and generous giving has been truly pivotal—strengthening our ability to care for and interpret Chinese ceramics, expanding what we can teach and research with our collection, and helping us bring these works into meaningful dialogue with students, faculty, and our broader community. This investment supports ambitious exhibitions and scholarship today, and it builds the foundation for Asian art at UMMA for generations to come.”