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Monthly Newsletter | MARCH 2020
Museum closed through 4/30 or until further notice
Per the COVID-19 Executive Order No. 8 issued by our Governor, JB Pritzker, the Chinese American Museum of Chicago (CAMOC) will continue to be closed through 4/30 or until further notice. Our staff is working remotely, and is available to answer any questions by email. 

We will continue to closely monitor the situation to assess the need for the closure and will send out updates by email, social media and our website.

Please stay safe, wash your hands and take care of yourselves and each other.

| From the Executive Director |

March was a challenging month for all of us!

I hope everyone is doing well, these are difficult times. CAMOC has been temporarily closed to the public as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. The health and safety of our visitors and our staff are of utmost importance. All our public programs have either cancelled, suspended or postponed.

However, the impact of the current crisis has been unprecedented that caught individuals and businesses off guard. With lack of income due to the closure of our Museum as well as an uncertain economy, we are forced to cut back operating expenses. The economic fallout of the crisis has had a significant direct impact on us.   

For about 13 years, not counting the time when we closed after the devastating fire in 2008, CAMOC has been working tirelessly to advance the appreciation of Chinese American culture and to preserve the past, present, and future of Chinese Americans. We hope you consider our work to be valuable in enriching your life. 

We miss you, our visitors and members, and cherish your presence. Our work is dedicated to you. We now need your support more than ever, especially your financial support, to help us go through this unprecedented crisis. Every penny counts! Please don’t hesitate to write us a donation check or click the following “Support” button to make a donation online. 

Be safe, be well, be healthy!

Ben Lau
Executive Director

| March Highlights |

2020 MOSAIC Outstanding Community Leaders
Congratulations to our president Soo Lon Moy on winning the Outstanding Community Leader Award this year.

Each year, the cultural heritage centers, museums, and historical societies of the Chicago Cultural Alliance award two individuals within their communities the Outstanding Community Leader Award. This award honors prominent leaders who have been integral to growing Chicago's cultural heritage sector.

2020 marks the 16th year of Soo Lon's volunteering at the museum and serving the Chinatown community, and over 30 years as an educator. This is the recognition for her dedication and the time devoted to the museum and the Chinatown community.
| Monthly Spotlight |
A Note of Thanks - Judy SooHoo

Introducing our great volunteer Judy SooHoo. She has been providing great support to our collection team and the installment of our new exhibition Attic Treasures II.

Judy shares her volunteer experience at the museum:

"It is with much gratitude that I am a volunteer at the Chinese American Museum of Chicago. More than two years ago, my 90-year old mother and I attended a number of events here. Shortly after we became members. The activities are relevant and enjoyable and allow my mother to keep in touch with her Chinese heritage. In the meantime, being a Chinese American-born Chicagoan raised on the northside, the museum provided me with new insights into my own cultural identity and history. It opened my eyes to the rich similarities my family and I shared but also the challenges faced by all immigrant and first-generation families everywhere while appreciating our contributions. Working in the Collections Department has specifically shown me the precious significance of the artifacts of our lives.

The Chinese American diaspora is a critical part of American history and institutions like CAMOC play a key role in promoting greater understanding of ourselves as well as one another. Thank you for expanding my personal connection to the world and welcoming me into the CAMOC family!"

| New Exhibition in the Fall |
Eating bitterness: Stories of Chinese American Cuisine (opens 10/18/2020)

| Upcoming Events |
Sat, August 15, 2020
2:oo PM

Asian Pop-Up Cinema is held seasonally in the spring and in the fall. We are excited to host another screening again.

Movie Summary:
A group of four telecommunications employees at Pegasus Broadband, headlined by Francis Ng in his most charming role in recent memory, begrudgingly join the company dragon boat team hoping such a pledge of loyalty will keep them immune from encroaching layoffs. Under the tutelage of the pretty young no-nonsense coach, Dorothy (Jennifer Yu) they learn not just how to really race, but also to confront their own impending mid-life crises. From nagging families and infidelity to unrequited love and elusive Andy Lau concert tickets, myriad demons are exorcised as our bungling protagonists overcome the odds and take charge in this life-affirming comedy-drama.

See trailer HERE

We will send the tickets registration link once available.
[Postponed] TALK STORIES
TBD

Talk Stories, scheduled for Wednesday April 22, will be rescheduled to a later date. Stayed tuned for our announcement. Please take care and be well during this challenging time.

We will send the tickets registration link once available.

| Volunteers Wanted! |

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:
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.