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May is Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month - a celebration of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States.
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Executive Director's Corner
April has been an exciting month. We were very honored, privileged, and excited to have been introduced to the Grant Avenue Follies, who came from San Francisco to our screening of "Dancing Through Life: The Dorothy Toy Story" and performed in front of an enthusiastic audience. Founder Cynthia Yee danced with Dorothy Toy 50 years ago when she was 17!
What made the Grant Avenue Follies remarkable was their energy and the fact that their ages ranged from 67 to 82, and yet there is no slowing them down. I don't think I can ever complain about getting old anymore!
We are also close to our 17
th
Benefit Dinner scheduled for May 19 starting at 6 pm at New Furama Restaurant. Join us for performances, lively conversation, authentic Chinese food, cash bar, raffle, and post-dinner dancing. We promise it will be a very memorable event.
I
f you are unable to attend, please consider sponsoring, buying an ad, or donating (money or items) to help us with our fundraising efforts. Only with generous support from people like you can we fulfill our mission to promote the culture and history-through exhibitions, education, and research - of Chinese Americans in the Midwest!
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Monthly Spotlight
Each month we feature a board member, staff member, or volunteer in our Monthly Spotlight segment. This month, we present staff member Andrew Dickson.
Andrew Dickson serves as the museum's receptionist, tour docent, and provides translation assistance. He is a recent graduate of Macalester College in St. Paul, MN with a degree in Chinese language and history. He has been studying Chinese for over 10 years and is deeply interested in Chinese culture. He has experience living in China both in Beijing and Kunming in Yunnan Province. In High School he participated in a year-long study abroad program in Beijing and returned to China during college with the Middlebury Kunming program. He first came to the museum to continue practicing his Chinese and learn more about the diverse history of Chinese immigration into Chicago's Chinatown.
We asked him what his favorite Chinese food was:
Chinese food is so diverse especially between provinces so it is very hard to pick but if I had to choose I would say Yunnan Rice Noodle Soup, Spicy Xinjiang Lamb Kabobs, or Stinky Tofu.
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March and April 2018
International Game Night
On March 31st, we participated in International Game Night organized by DANK Haus German American Cultural Center. We were on hand to demonstrate mahjong, Chinese chess (xiangqi), weiqi (aka Go), Tangram, and chopstick skills. We also had a chance to learn origami and try our hand at making balloon animals.
Click
here
for more pictures.
Screening of "A Village Doctor's Choice"
Another great choice from Asian Pop-Up Cinema by Sophia's Choice: We had a great turnout for the screening of "A Village Doctor's Choice" on April 14, 2018 despite the dreary, miserable, rainy, distinctly unSpring-like weather.
Show of hands those who enjoyed it!
Book Talk at McAndrews, Held & Malloy
The Museum co-hosted this amazing event April 16, 2018 with Chinese American Bar Association, United Chinese Americans (UCA) Illinois Chapter, and McAndrews, Held & Malloy featuring former Financial Times journalist Scott Tong who regaled the audience with his journey on finding a village with his rare family name.
Screening of "Dancing Through Life: The Dorothy Toy Story"
On April 21, 2018, we were treated to a special performance by the Grant Avenue Follies before the screening of "Dancing Through Life: The Dorothy Toy Story."
We can't thank Rick Quan Productions
enough for making The Dorothy Toy
Story and introducing us to Grant Avenue Follies
! We hope Rick will come back for a double feature of his next documentaries! Such Chinese American stories really need to be told!
And we are already in talks to bring the Grant Avenue Follies back for another performance!
You don't want to miss the
video,
and check out more
pictures from the event!
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May 2018
Preserving History, Empowering The Next Generation
United Chinese Americans and the Chinese American Museum of Chicago are co-hosting an event on May 5, 2018, 2-4 pm, to introduce an interactive map project to preserve Chinese American history and experiences from the past two centuries for future generations. Click
here to register.
Moving Dialogs: Culture in Motion
Celebrate Asian American Heritage Month! Join us for our second installment of Moving Dialogs: Culture in Motion at the Chinese American Museum of Chicago (CAMOC) and witness a new dance by VADCo! This collaboration features choreography by artistic director Valerie Alpert who has immersed herself in the museum's collection, finding rich inspiration from the immigration stories of the Paper Sons, VADco will perform new material in a multilayered performance of dance, traditional music, storytelling, and cultural objects. The event will be moderated by scholars and experts in both dance and cultural objects, offering attendees a unique experience to deepen their knowledge about Chinese immigration through the le
ns of dance.
The event is sold out, but stayed tuned for the Facebook live-stream link.
Arte Diseño Xicágo: A Neighborhood Fiesta in the Heart of Pilsen
The National Museum of Mexican Art is hosting a fiesta inspired by its exhibition
Arte Diseño Xicágo: Mexican Inspiration from the World's Columbian Exposition to the Civil Rights Era, which
explores the contributions of Mexican and Mexican-American artists and designers in Chicago, the fiesta offers a wide array of hands-on activities and demonstrations throughout the day.
We will be there to show you how to make a parade dragon puppet and be creative with Tangrams.
Screening of "Finding Samuel Lowe: From Harlem to China"
Join the Chinese American Museum of Chicago for a special screening of "Finding Samuel Lowe: From Harlem to China" with a personal appearance by Executive Producer Paula Williams Madison.
Three successful black siblings from Harlem discover their heritage by searching for clues about their long-lost Chinese grandfather, Samuel Lowe. Retired NBC Universal executive, Paula Williams Madison and her brothers, Elrick and Howard Williams, were raised in the U.S. by their Chinese Jamaican mother, Nell Vera Lowe who encouraged them to realize their rags-to-riches American dream. In order to fulfil a promise to their mother to connect with her estranged Chinese father's people, they embark on a journey to uncover their
ancestral roots.
Click here for more information.
Screening of "Journey of a Paper Son"
Join the Chinese American Museum of Chicago and filmmaker Ming Lai for a special screening of "Journey of a Paper Son," which explores the rippling effects of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 through the eyes of one man and his family.
"JOURNEY OF A PAPER SON" WAS AN OFFICIAL SELECTION OF A DOZEN NATIONAL FILM FESTIVALS AND WON THE "BEST SHORT FILM GOLD ANGEL AWARD" AT THE CHINESE AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL.
Admission is free but
RSVP is required.
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Museum News
Executive Director
Mabel Menard
spoke at AIM High's "Neighborhood Cultural Event: Chinatown!" at
Ming Hin Cuisine. Almost 70 students plus mentors were in attendance. AIM High is a "student mentoring initiative to ensure that 100% of participating students will graduate from high school, enter college, and gain the skills needed to succeed in tomorrow's workplace."
It organizes annual field trips to expose participants to a different Chicago neighborhood. Attendees got to learn a little about Chinatown's past and present and participated in a treasure hunt around Chinatown Square.
Thrillist.com just recently named us
best culturally specific museum in Chicago! Here is the
link to the article.
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17th Benefit Dinner
Join us for performances, lively conversation, authentic Chinese food, cash bar, raffle, and social/ballroom dancing after dinner.
at New Furama Restaurant, 2828 South Wentworth Avenue, Chicago, on Saturday, May 19, 2018 starting 6 pm. The theme this year is "Showcasing Chinese Heritage."
Proceeds go towards quality programming such as culturally and historically relevant exhibitions, film screenings, lecture series, and live performances.
The Museum relies solely on sponsorships, donations, fundraisers, and memberships to fund exhibitions and offer programs that tell the stories of Chinese American history and experiences. If you are unable to join us, a donation would be much appreciated.
Chinatown Museum Foundation is a non-profit organization with IRS 501(c)(3) tax exempt status. Contributions are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.
Tickets are selling fast Get your tickets
here
before it's too late!
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Our Mission
The mission of the Chinese American Museum of Chicago - Raymond B. & Jean T. Lee Center (CAMOC) is to promote the culture and history--through exhibitions, education, and research--of Chinese-Americans in the Midwest.
The museum building, formerly the Quong Yick Co., is located in Chicago's Chinatown, at 238 West 23rd Street in Chicago. The Museum opened to the public on May 21, 2005. After a devastating fire in September of 2008, the Museum was closed for renovation and reopened in 2010.
CAMOC is governed by the Board of Directors of the Chinatown Museum Foundation (CMF), a 501(C)(3) non-profit corporation located in Chicago, Illinois.
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