Morie Dong ’20: Building Bridges Through Art and Public Engagement

Written by Elva Zhang, Visual Arts Administration, ‘25

In today’s digital age, museums are rethinking how they connect with audiences. For Tiange (Morie) Dong, a 2020 graduate of NYU’s Visual Arts Administration (VAA) program, communication is more than publicity—it’s a form of bridge-building between art institutions and the public. Now working in the Communications department at Museum of Art Pudong (MAP) in Shanghai, she is helping shape how museums in China use media outreach and digital platforms to expand their reach while maintaining cultural depth.

Morie’s path into this work reflects her dual foundation in communications and contemporary art. She studied Public Relations at Syracuse University, where she developed a strategic understanding of media and storytelling. With a personal passion for art, she continued her education at NYU’s VAA program. At VAA, she initially pursued the for-profit track, but soon realized it was not the right fit. Shifting her focus, she immersed herself in courses on museum administration and cultural policy. Even when Covid disrupted her second year, her time in New York gave her both classroom and real-world training. She interned at Lisson Gallery and the Jewish Museum, gaining valuable experience in both commercial and nonprofit institutions. These roles gave her perspective on the operational and cultural differences between galleries and museums in the U.S.—a contrast that would later shape her approach in China.

Before joining MAP, Morie returned to Shanghai and worked for a year at Arario Gallery. She describes this period as a transition, helping her understand the ecology of Shanghai’s art scene. But Morie had always envisioned herself working in a nonprofit institution. “I wanted to be part of a place with a larger platform,” she recalled, “somewhere I could reach a broader audience.” That transition eventually brought her to MAP, a major public museum that, while non-collecting, has built its reputation through ambitious partnerships with institutions around the world. There, her communications background became crucial, not only for coordinating with overseas institutions but also for shaping how exhibitions resonate locally.

At MAP, Morie oversees outreach across multiple platforms—including the museum’s website, WeChat, RED, and TikTok—covering everything from exhibition promotion to ticketing and cultural product sales. She sees digital media as an essential tool for engaging broader publics. “I personally like spending a lot of time online,” she says. “I’m very interested in internet trends and the kind of language people use, so this feels like a blend of work and personal interest.”

Morie also mentioned some strategies that she was a part of that extend beyond conventional museum promotion and successfully reached broader audiences. For MAP’s collaboration with Musée d’Orsay on Paths to Modernity: Masterpieces from the Musée d'Orsay, Paris, the museum staged an ambitious publicity project: a replica boat, the Orsay, floated along the Huangpu River. Its cabin was transformed into a mobile gallery, creating an immersive experience for visitors to engage. It connected with Shanghai’s own landscape, and also captured the imagination of both tourists and art lovers. At the same time, MAP launched Van Gogh-themed collectibles in the style of Pop Mart, which quickly sold out—showing how cultural storytelling and popular trends can work together to expand a museum’s reach.

Morie also stressed the importance of dialogue with audiences. Recently, she helped recruit exhibition “recommenders”—ordinary visitors invited to share their impressions and feedback. Workshops with these recommenders brought new perspectives into MAP’s programming, reflecting the diversity of Shanghai’s public. “The issue is that you cannot measure what the public needs solely from your own perspective,” Morie explained. “You have to find an interface in between where dialogue can happen.” For her, this balance—local engagement paired with broad accessibility—is the heart of successful museum work.

Looking ahead, Morie is particularly interested in how digital strategies can redefine public engagement in China. “We need to think of engagement not just as communication, but as dialogue,” she emphasizes. By listening to audiences, adapting to online culture, and experimenting with platforms, she believes museums can become more active participants in civic life.

Morie’s career underscores how communication, often underestimated, is in fact central to the contemporary art ecosystem. For her, public relations is not simply about promotion—it is about building bridges: between institutions and communities, between international art and local publics, and between tradition and digital innovation.