Monthly Newsletter | December 2020 |
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Board of Directors (top half, from left to right):
Row 1: Ed Jung (President), Mabel Menard (Vice President), Mark Chiang (Secretary), and Swee Cheng
Row 2: Rich Frachey, John Hsiao (Treasurer), and John Rohsenow
Row 3: David K. Lee, Ada Cheng, and Kim K. Tee (Life Director)
Row 4: Andrea Stamm, Soo Lon Moy, and Ben Lau (ED)
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Associate Board (bottom half):
Left (top to bottom): Vivian Yan-Gonzalez, Ada Tong, Melissa Kocelko, and Christine Sun
Right (top to bottom): Angela Lin, Consuela Hendricks, and Mallory Cheng
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Temporary Museum Closure
Per the Tier 3 mitigations issued by our Governor JB Pritzker the Chinese American Museum of Chicago (CAMOC), has been closed since Friday, November 20, until further notice. Our staff is working remotely, and is available to answer any questions by email.
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| From the Executive Director|
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It’s time for us to say goodbye to 2020. As we close out a tough year, I would like to thank you for being part of the CAMOC community.
The past year has witnessed considerable difficulties and challenges: Visitors are not coming to the museum and donations have been decreasing. However, we have been very grateful for all your support and encouragement as well as the opportunity for us to learn how to offer online exhibitions and virtual public programming. We are really appreciative for what we have accomplished in 2020.
For many of us, the pandemic has changed the ways we do things. Our museum has implemented new policies such as checking temperature of employees and visitors, keeping social distancing, wearing face mask, and sanitizing the exhibition and other areas. It may take quite some time before things could go back to the normal situation we would like to see. With hope in mind, we are excited to embrace creativity, innovation and resiliency in facing the challenges ahead.
Looking forward to the new year, we will continue the effort and progress we have made. At the same time, we would like to ask for your continued support that will allow us to continue to carry out our important mission and meet the needs of the CAMOC community.
We hope this holiday season offers you an opportunity to rest and to reflect. Together we will walk towards recovery and rebuilding.
Thank you for all your support in the past year! We wish you a Happy New Year!
Ben Lau
Executive Director
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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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CAMOC Partners with CBCAC for Holiday Window Display on the Mag Mile
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CAMOC is a partner organization with the Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community (CBCAC) for their Holiday Window display on the Magnificent Mile. This holiday season, we celebrate the strength and resilience of the Greater Chinatown community. We want to honor the community members who came together to assist each other, our organizations that worked collaboratively and creatively to reach solutions, and the other communities who have supported and uplifted us.
The display opened on November 22, 2020, and is up for viewing until January 6, 2021, at 131 E. Superior. There are 11 community organizations and 3 festival partners total with displays along the Magnificent Mile. You can find a map here.
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Ben Lau and SooLon Moy Interviewed for StoryCorps "Civic Duty and Connection in the Days of COVID-19" Collection
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StoryCorps interviewed Ben Lau and Board member Soo Lon Moy to discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected CAMOC, their lives, and the Chicago Chinatown community. StoryCorps' mission is to preserve and share humanity’s stories in order to build connections between people and create a more just and compassionate world. We are honored to have the interview as part of this expansive archive! |
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Watch Talk Stories: An Asian/Asian Diaspora Storytelling Show on CAN TV
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Talk Stories returned to the virtual space in collaboration with CAMOC, the Japanese American Service Committee (JASC), the National Cambodian Heritage Museum and Killing Fields Memorial, and OCA Greater Chicago. All proceeds went to performers, collaborating organizations, and producers. Talk Stories is hosted and produced by Ada Cheng and Randy Kim.
If you missed the show, you can watch it by clicking the button below, as well as on
Chicago cable TV channel 27 at the following times in CST:
Thursday, December 31, 2020 @ 9:30PM
Friday, January 1, 2020 @ 7:00PM and 8:30PM
Saturday, January 2, 2020 @ 10:00AM and 10:00PM
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Congratulations to our Annul Fundraiser prize winners! |
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Our top donors:
Grand prize winner: Anonymous donor (who kindly donated the prize back to us!)
Official Major League Baseball signed by Chicago Cubs Outfielder #12 Kyle Schwarber ($150 value)
First prize winner: William B McDonald
My Burberry Black Eau de Parfum and Body Lotion Set ($60 value)
Second prize winner: D.J. Stamm and Gino Dilorio
Dove of the East China Journey Trinket Box ($40 value)
Third prize winners (3): David K. Lee, John R. Jung, and Charles and Linda Weber
Growing up in Chicago’s Chinatown: The Stories of Raymond Lee by Chuimei Ho and Raymond Lee ($22 value)
Fourth prize winner: Ram and Soo Lon Moy
Three Coins: A Young Girls Story of Kidnapping, Slavery, and Romance in 19th Century America by Russell N. Low ($15 value)
Thank you to everyone who supported us!
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Year End Letter from Board President |
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Board President Edward Jung writes to thank you for your continual support of our mission, exhibitions and events, and let you know what new exhibitions and public programming we will have in 2021. |
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Chinatown Museum Foundation Associate Board |
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Chinatown Museum Foundation, which governs the Chinese American Museum of Chicago, is forming an Associate Board with the purpose of generating new opportunities for the Museum, especially with programming for high school and college students and young professionals. All skill sets will be considered. If interested in serving on the Associate Board to expand the Museum's public programming and fundraising efforts, please email a letter of interest/cover letter with your resume/curriculum vitae to office@ccamuseum.org. |
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CAMOC Together Against COVID-19 Special Collection |
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An old Chinese saying, 時勢造英雄 (Shíshì zào yīngxióng ), which means a hero is made in the time of misfortune aptly describes how people rally together in the pandemic. During this challenging time we are deeply moved by the proactive steps and incredible acts of generosity and support exhibited by the Chinese Americans. Thousands of individuals and organizations have been raising money, donating personal protective equipment, and providing free meals to those in need, especially to front-line healthcare workers and others. CAMOC is inviting you to help us preserve these heroic moments by sharing the stories to our Together Against Covid-19 Special Collection.
CAMOC started this special collection with the goal of recording the experiences and stories of individuals, families, and organizations during these unprecedented times. The Together Against Covid-19 Collection will include various forms of content, which can be photos, videos, articles, audios, letters, paintings, certificates, or any form you can think of. If you are not sure whether your content fits our collection or you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Please send your story to covid19@ccamuseum.org , with the subject Together Against Covid-19 Collection. And please include your contact information , including full name, organization or community if applicable, email, phone number, and mailing address.
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Straight to the Heart! Storytelling Workshop/Circle |
Date: Saturday, January 30, 2021
Time: 1-4pm CST
Location: Virtual Space
Do you want to tell stories to connect with people emotionally and to create intimate communities with others? There are two parts to this workshop/circle. During the first half of the session, we will discuss central tenets of this art form and learn how to craft and tell stories. Participants will share personal stories during the second half 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 currently works as the Education and Outreach Specialist with Women’s Leadership and Resource Center at UIC, providing training on issues related to gender-based violence. Her interests span multiple fields, including academia, storytelling/performance art, and advocacy. Her motto: Make your life the best story you tell.
For more information visit her website here.
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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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