The eight-story red-granite building that houses this museum and educational center complements Park Avenue's older, more traditional architecture. Founded in 1956, the society hosts a regular program of lectures, films, and performances, in addition to exhibitions of art from the Asia-Pacific region. The Asian art collection of Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller III forms the museum's major holdings. The collection includes South Asian stone and bronze sculptures; art from India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Afghanistan; bronze vessels, ceramics, sculpture, and paintings from China; Korean ceramics; and paintings, wooden sculptures, and ceramics from Japan. A glassed-in atrium, sculpture garden, café, and visitor center on the first floor make the Asia Society one of the Upper East Side's most inviting stops. COST: $7; free Fri. 6-9. Subway: 6 to 68th St./Hunter College.