Each year, the Asian Art Museum presents four to six major special exhibitions and numerous smaller installations and gallery rotations on the artistic traditions and cultural significance of Asian art; conducts collection-based research; and maintains a robust exhibition and collection publication program. The exhibitions are supported by a broad range of public and educational offerings that are designed for visitors of all levels of education and awareness of art.

The museum serves a broad audience representative of the diversity of the San Francisco Bay Area. Each year the Asian Art Museum welcomes an average of 280,000 visitors (prior to the pandemic), including over 30,000 students and teachers from the Bay Area on free school group tours. The museum’s growing use of digital media allows it to reach over 1.3 million virtual visitors each year through its various online engagement portals, including an award-winning website (www.asianart.org), Education Web Portal, and multiple social media channels.