Whether carefully reinforcing the cracks in an ancient handscroll or remounting the portrait of an imperial ancestor, traditional Chinese painting restorers have cared for Chinese artworks in United States museums for over thirty years.
Now focused on passing along their knowledge and skills, these dedicated artisans are training the next generation of art conservators to take on these responsibilities.
Through in-depth interviews and behind-the-scenes footage of conservation studios in US museums, In Our Hands captures the generational, cultural, and educational shift taking place in the field of Chinese painting conservation.
Produced by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art under the direction of Eros Zhao for Templux Films, this unprecedented documentary reveals the personal stories of nine conservators dedicated to preserving their traditional craft while advancing the field, an undertaking that is vital to the future of Chinese cultural heritage in the West.
Filmed in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, this project was made possible through the generous support of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and through the efforts of people from the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art, the University of Michigan's Museum of Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Cleveland Museum of Art, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
(Dir.: Eros Zhao, United States, 2022, 50 min., English and Mandarin with Chinese and English subtitles)