MONTHLY NEWSLETTER | AUGUST 2022 |
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Wednesday & Friday: 9:30am to 2pm
Saturday: 10am to 5pm
Sunday: 10am to 4pm
Group visits by appointment only.
The health and safety of our visitors, staff, volunteers, and community is our top priority. The Chinese American Museum of Chicago (CAMOC) will require all individuals to wear a mask while in the Museum, regardless of vaccination status. We greatly appreciate your understanding and cooperation.
We have extended our open hours on Saturdays during the summer.
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You can help us continue our work and mission by selecting "CHINATOWN MUSEUM FOUNDATION" from the Charitable Organization List when you make a purchase on Amazon. There is no cost to you but it will make a difference to us. |
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| FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR |
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Summer almost ends when August arrives!
We are very grateful to be one of recipients of the CityArts Program Grant from the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE). With the grant, we are able to improve our operations and work with local artists.
Before the Fall arrives on September 22, we have more exciting events for you to spend the remaining days of Summer. Our fourth Spotlight Series exhibition, Yuge Zhou: Moon Drawings, will be launched on September 3. Our Mid-Autumn Festival Celebration will be held Set-In-Stone Gathering Space on September 10. There will be a screening of "Rising Against Asian Hate: One Day in March" on September 17, followed by a storytelling workshop “Dare to Tell!” on September 29.
Please continue to support us by making a donation, becoming our member, or simply clicking this link when making a purchase on Amazon!
Ben Lau
Executive Director
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CAMOC Receives CityArts Program Grant from DCASE |
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Thank you to DCASE for the funding and congratulations to the other wonderful nonprofit arts organizations working to make a difference in Chicago!
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CAMOC Welcomes MOCA on the Road |
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CAMOC welcomed staff from the Museum of Chinese in America as part of their in-person program MOCA on the Road. We hosted a public drop-in session where the MOCA team showcased artifacts from their collections. later, they toured our Collections and exhibtions. We were thrilled to connect with and learn from a fellow Chinese American museum. We wish the MOCA staff safe travels on the rest of their journey around the country!
Pictured: MOCA Curator and Director of Exhibitions Herb Tam introduced artifacts from their collection, next to Board Director Soo Lon Moy
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Field Museum Staff Visit CAMOC |
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Board Director Andrea Stamm, Curator of Collections Riley Ren, volunteer Judy SooHoo and Board Director Soo Lon Moy gave Jonathan Meisenbach and Susan Golland from the Field Museum a tour of our Museum during their visit on August 24.
Pictured (left to right): Susan Golland, Jonathan Meisenbach, Curator of Collections Riley Ren, Board Director Soo Lon Moy, Board Director Andrea Stamm, and volunteer Judy SooHoo
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CAMOC Attends CCA's MOSAIC Fundraiser |
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CAMOC Executive Director Ben Lau, Board Director Rich Frachey, and volunteer Viable Shum attended the Chicago Cultural Alliance's MOSAIC fundraiser. As a Core Member of the Alliance, we were excited to celebrate Chicago’s diverse cultural excellence and recognizing the region’s cultural heritage leaders.
Pictured (left to right): Friend of CAMOC, Board Director Rich Frachey, volunteer Viable Shum, and Executive Director Ben Lau
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CAMOC at Sundays on State |
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Pictured: CAMOC booth staffed by volunteer Ram Moy, staff member May Cai, volunteer Viable Shum, Board Director Soo Lon Moy, Executive Director Ben Lau (not pictured), and volunteer Rich Frachey (not pictured).
On our second day at Sundays on State this month, we taught visitors traditional Chinese games and calligraphy at our booth, and welcomed them to our Museum in Chinatown. CAMOC was thrilled to join Sundays on State for the first time this summer!
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Group Tour Highlight of the Month |
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First picture: Docent Stephen Cheng guides the Future Leaders in Planning around the exhibition Chinese American Veterans: Unsung Heroes.
CAMOC was thrilled to have the Future Leaders in Planning from the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning visit the Museum this month. Docent Stephen Cheng and Board Director Soo Lon Moy were excited to share the history of Chinese Americans in the Midwest with these bright future leaders!
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Second picture: Future Leaders in Planning in front of our mural by Rich Lo. |
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SPOTLIGHT SERIES
Yuge Zhou: Moon Drawings
9/3/2022 - 10/16/2022
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Date: Saturday, September 3, 2022
Time: 3pm - 6pm CT
Venue: Chinese American Museum of Chicago, 4th floor
Address: 238 W 23rd St, Chicago, IL 60616
The Chinese American Museum of Chicago (CAMOC) is excited to announce the fourth exhibition of the Spotlight Series, featuring artist Yuge Zhou. Please join us on Saturday, September 3, from 3pm-6pm CT for the opening reception. This exhibition will run from September 3 through October 16. Collateral programs of the exhibition include a poetry session in collaboration with the Chicago Poetry Center and a sound performance by local sound artists Kikù Hibino and Chien-An Yuan.
In Yuge Zhou’s ongoing video series Moon Drawings, we watch her dragging a suitcase in concentric circles through the winter snow and a summer beach under the moonlight in Chicago. The videos were created during the global pandemic travel bans, and inspired by a Han Dynasty legend about missing loved ones in a faraway land. Much of Zhou’s recent work centers around the great physical and emotional distance between China and America, two lands she calls home.
The Spotlight Series is a new initiative to showcase recent and past work by emerging and mid-career artists of Chinese descent locally. Curated by Larry Lee (Molar Productions), the project aims to introduce, promote and celebrate the divergent artistic visions and experiences of being Chinese in America looking at and reflecting upon our relationship to contemporary visual culture to a wider audience within our community and Chicago.
About the artist
Zhou has exhibited nationally and internationally in prominent art and public venues with an upcoming premiere of her dance film Love Letters at Art on theMART, a nightly public art projection onto the facade of the Merchandise Mart, Chicago. Recent awards include Juried Award in the installation category at ArtPrize 2021, Artist Fellowship Award in Media Arts from the Illinois Arts Council and Honorary Mention in the 2020 Prix Ars Electronica in Linz, Austria. (yugezhou.com)
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COLLATERAL PROGRAMS
Poetry Session with Chicago Poetry Center
Date: Saturday, September 10, 2022
Time: 12pm - 1pm CT
Sound Performance by Kikù Hibino and Chien-An Yuan
Date: Saturday, October 15, 2022
Time: 1pm - 2:30pm CT
All events will take place on the 4th floor of the Chinese American Museum of Chicago, located at 238 W 23rd Street, Chicago, IL 60616.
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Date: Saturday, September 10, 2022
Time: 5pm - 7pm CT
Venue: Set in Stone Gathering Space
Location: 31st Street Parking Lot, West of Lake Shore Drive
Please join CAMOC from 5pm-7pm CT on Saturday, September 10, for the celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival. The Mid-Autumn, or Moon Festival falls on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month and is one of the most important traditional events for the Chinese, like Christmas and Thanksgiving in the West. This event will include community planting, storytelling, Chinese cultural performances, lantern and rabbit-mask making, acoustic music, tea and moon cake sampling, and lantern parade.
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Dare to Tell!
Storytelling Workshop/Circle with Ada Cheng
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Date: Thursday, September 29, 2022
Time: 7pm - 8:30pm CT
Location: Zoom (Virtual)
Do you want to tell stories to connect with people emotionally and to create intimate communities with others? Do you want to tell stories that reflect upon urgent social concerns of our time?
There are two parts to this workshop/circle. During the first part of the session, we will discuss central tenets of this art form and explore some general principles. Participants will practice sharing personal stories during the second part of the session.
Instructor bio
Ada Cheng is a professor-turned-storyteller, solo performer, and storytelling show producer. She is the producer and the host of five storytelling shows, including Pour One Out, Am I Man Enough?, Talk Stories: An Asian American/Asian Diaspora Storytelling Show, Speaking Truths Series, and This Is America: Truths through My Body. She creates platforms for people to tell difficult and vulnerable stories as well as spaces for people and communities who may not have opportunities otherwise. She teaches at both Dominican University and Northwestern University. She has been a speaker for Illinois Humanities Road Scholars Speakers Bureau since 2019. Her interests span multiple fields, including academia, storytelling/performance art, and advocacy. Her motto: Make your life the best story you tell.
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| BECOME A MEMBER TODAY! |
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Becoming a member is a simple and effective way to get involved with the Chinese American Museum of Chicago. Your membership represents a personal investment in the Museum and ensures the continuation of the wide array of quality exhibitions, programs, and events we bring to the community. In addition, you are affirming the importance of the Museum’s commitment to bring the Chinese American experience in the Midwest to as many people as possible.
$150 = Free event admission for member & 3 guests for 1 year
$100 = Free event admission for member & 1 guest for 1 year
$60 = Free event admission for member only for 1 year
$30 = Free event admission for seniors & students for 1 year
$500 = Corporate Membership for 1 year (with 10 individual memberships, recognition in program & on plaque)
For Members who support us beyond the basic level, we offer extra recognition and the following benefits:
$250 = Bronze (Honorary Membership)
$500 = Silver (Honorary Membership)
$1,000 = Gold (Lifetime Membership or a small donor brick)
$1,500 = Platinum (Lifetime Membership and a small donor brick)
$5,000 = Diamond (Large donor brick)
$5,500 = Jade (Large donor brick plus Lifetime Membership)
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TOP:
Large Brick
7.5" X 7.5"
LEFT:
Donor Wall in Front Lobby
BOTTOM:
Small Brick
3.5" X 7.5"
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You can read the full list of benefits on our website by clicking the button below. There are also instructions on how to join at the bottom of the page, along with the Membership Form. |
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We are looking for dedicated, reliable, and energetic individuals who would like to experience our historic institution from the inside — as volunteers! We need volunteers for docents, greeters and special events. If you are interested in volunteering for us, please use the button below to visit our related page and download a volunteer form. |
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ABOUT US
The mission of the Chinese American Museum of Chicago - Raymond B. & Jean T. Lee Center (CAMOC) is is to advance the appreciation of Chinese American culture through exhibitions, education, and research and to preserve the past, present, and future of Chinese Americans primarily 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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