This summer, MCASD Downtown hosts the Maritime Museum's exhibition, Mariners & Mandarins: Seafaring and the Arts of the China Trade.

At MCASD, the exhibition theme is Celestial Cargo, Treasures from the China Trade; it focuses on cultural and artistic aspects of the China Trade including paintings, porcelain, furniture, silver, textiles and ivory and jade carvings. On the Star of India, the theme is The Race for Riches, focusing on the historical and sociological aspects of the West's trade with the Far East. Artifacts include early charts, documents, navigation instruments, ship portraits, and models of Chinese and western ships.

This exhibition is drawn from the private collections of The Kelton Foundation, representing the largest holdings of China Trade material in the Western United States. Created by Chinese artisans exclusively for export to the West, this material is an entirely new art form that is not Eastern or Western but a blend of cultures utilizing stylistic influences of both. This is the first time that objects from this important collection are being displayed in San Diego-offering a rare opportunity to view one of the most comprehensive exhibitions of Chinese export art ever assembled. This is also a unique institutional collaboration, and contributes to the renaissance of downtown San Diego's cultural community.
This joint exhibition is offered free to members of the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego and the Maritime Museum. Non-members pay one admission at MCASD or the Maritime Museum, and receive free admission to the second location.