Monthly Newsletter | April 2021 |
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We are open!
Since March 6, we have been open to public on weekends (Saturdays & Sundays) with slightly shortened hours from 10:30am to 3:30pm. Group visits by appointment only. We will closely monitor the pandemic situation and may extend the reopening to some weekdays in the coming months. We have established protocols to ensure the safely of our visitors, volunteers and staff.
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| From the Executive Director|
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With a very heavy heart, we mourn the loss of an amazing community leader, Bernie Wong, who passed away on April 27 in her home, exactly one month after we mourned at a public safety rally the loss of innocent lives in Atlanta due to Anti-Asian violence.
Chinese poet and politician Du Fu (杜甫, 712-770) of the Tang dynasty (618-907) wrote in his famous poem “Qingming (清明)” that “It drizzles thick and fast on the Mourning Day (Qingming). The mourners’ hearts are going to break on their way.” The recent rainy days reflected promptly how we felt for the loss of Bernie and other community members.
Let us pay tribute to Bernie, an immigrant from Hong Kong, and her outstanding achievements along the years, and celebrate her extraordinary life. Let us also pay tribute to other Chinese immigrants and their descendants who helped build and shape America into a great country as it is today.
We had a successful opening of our mini exhibit "Era of Opulence: Chinese Find Dining" on April 24, thanks to the hard work of our Exhibition Committee, Collections and Research Committee, Board members, Associate Board members, Co-Curators, staff and volunteers. The exhibit showcases the efforts Chinese Immigrants made to bring Chinese cuisine into mainstream society.
May is the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (formerly known as Asian Heritage Month). We will launch a number of events: Talk Stories with Ada Cheng on May 5, Film Premiere Celestial by Barre Fong on May 8, Our Stories Your Museum by CAMOC on May 26 and Free Chinese Paper-cutting class by Lucy Liu on May 29. We will also launch a vigorous social media campaign with postings of different themes each week ranging from Loop Chinatown History, 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, 1982 Vincent Chin Murder, Anti-Racism & Hate, Contributions of Chinese Americans, Chinese WWII Veterans, to New Generations of Chinese Americans.
Please stay tuned and join us in these events to celebrate the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, and commemorate the contributions of Asian Pacific American Americans to this country.
Ben Lau
Executive Director
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CAMOC Mourns the Passing of Chinatown Leader,
Bernie Wong
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Let's remember a true hero and outstanding community leader, Bernie Wong, who left us on April 27. Bernie devoted herself to serving Chicago's Chinatown community for her entire life, inspiring so many people to follow her footsteps. Under her leadership, the comprehensive social service agency Chinese American Service League (CASL) that she co-founded, helped thousands of families. She was also a good friend of CAMOC. She left behind a legacy which is hard to duplicate or surpass. She will be dearly missed. Most sincere and deepest condolences to her family.
Bernie Wong Memorial Service and Funeral Mass:
Public Visitations on May 14 (Friday) 11-7pm
Location: St. Therese Chinese Catholic Church in Chinatown 218 W Alexander St, Chicago, IL 60616
Private Funeral Mass on May 15 (Saturday) at 10am
Updated Venue: St. Barbara Catholic Church, 2859 S. Throop St., Chicago, IL, 60608
In lieu of flowers, please donate to Chinese American Service League or St Therese Catholic Church:
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CAMOC's New Exhibition:
Era of Opulence: Chinese Fine Dining
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CAMOC kicked off a new exhibition with Era of Opulence: Chinese Fine Dining, a mini-exhibit that opened Saturday, April 24 at 11:00am. The exhibition will run through September 26, 2021. The main exhibition is called Chinese Cuisine in America: Stories, Struggles and Successes, scheduled to open late February 2022.
The new exhibition next year will delve into the unique, historical aspects of the Chinese diaspora told through the successful acculturation of Chinese cuisine in America. Chinese Americans achieved successes despite early targeted legislative, legal and labor union barriers, and even media scrutiny.
Starting with the extraordinary popularity of chop suey to more authentic regional cuisines and delicacies, the exhibit explores the proliferation of Chinese restaurants in the United States. The exhibition also acknowledges the plight of the current pandemic which has taken its toll on the restaurant industry, especially Chinese restaurants, along with drawing parallels to the recent rise in hate crimes against the Asian community.
To whet your appetite, this mini-exhibit Era of Opulence: Chinese Fine Dining focuses on local area exquisite Chinese restaurants. It highlights the immigrant struggles spurred on by the Long Depression (1873-1896) leading to the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, and the success story of restaurateur, Chin F. Foin. In 1906, Foin with two non-Chinese partners, Baohuanghui (Emperor Protection Association) backing and a string of restaurants, reportedly invested $100,000 (worth nearly $3 million today) in King Joy Lo, which was considered the most upscale Chinese restaurant at the time complete with a live orchestra and dance floor. Early 20th century artifacts from the Museum’s collection such as King Joy Lo’s menu and lacquer food basket will be on display. Louis Armstrong’s milestone “Cornet Chop Suey” and Margaret Johnson’s “Who’ll Chop Your Chop Suey (When I’m Gone)” will transport the visitor back to that era.
The second mini-exhibit will explore mid-twentieth century Chinese restaurants in October 2021.
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A Successful Opening of Our Mini Exhibit! |
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Thank you to all those who made it out the opening of Era of Opulence: Chinese Fine Dining! The exhibition opened to the public on Saturday, April 24, where we welcomed an unexpected number of reporters and visitors. After two pandemic lockdowns, it has been more than year since the Museum's last opening of Attic Treasures II. Thank you for continuing to support the appreciation and preservation of Chinese American history, and for making our first opening of 2021 a success! |
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Left to right: Rich Frachey (BoD), Ben Lau (ED), Sheffee Lulkin, Andrea Stamm (BoD), Soo Lon Moy (Immediate Past President & BoD), Ed Jung (President), Ram Moy, and Susan Lee Moy. |
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Left to right: Susan Lee Moy, Andrea Stamm, Christine Sun (Assoc. Board), Soo Lon Moy, and Ben Lau |
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Left to right: Soo Lon Moy, CBCAC Executive Director Grace Chan McKibben, and Ben Lau |
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Left to right: Ben, Chicago Cultural Alliance Director of Cultural Programs and Museum Practice Andrew James Leith and Soo Lon |
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Left to right: Ram, Soo Lon, and Ben working on the installation of "Era of Opulence: Chinese Fine Dining" |
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The mini exhibition will be on view until Sunday, September 26, 2021. You don't want to miss this one! CAMOC is open today and on weekends (Saturdays & Sundays) from 10:30am to 3:30pm. Group visits by appointment only.
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News Coverage of the Opening |
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Sing Tao Daily, Xinhua News and Sinovision, among other news agencies, attended the opening of Era of Opulence: Chinese Fine Dining. Read Sing Tao's coverage included above. To read Xinhua's coverage, click on the button below. To watch Sinovision's coverage, click on the second button below. |
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ED Ben Lau Participates in "We Love Chinatown" Press Event on April 29 |
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ED Ben Lau spoke at "We Love Chinatown" press event that CAMOC would provide free admission on May 16 to support the campaign. He also announced that CAMOC would launch a number of events during the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM) in May. He said CAMOC would offer another free admission on May 22 to celebrate the APAHM. |
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ED Ben Lau Joins CBCAC's
"Meet Chinatown Leaders!" Event on April 27
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CAMOC ED Ben Lau joined the Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community (CBCAC)'s "Meet Chinatown Leaders!" Event this past month. The event encouraged high school students and other members of the community to talk virtually with Chinatown leaders. Ben shared his immigration story, educational background, and his work for CASL and CAMOC. Participants took a moment of silence to remember Bernie Wong, an outstanding community leader. |
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ED Ben Lau Speaks at CCA Activating Heritage Conference on April 9 |
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ED Ben Lau joined Chicago Cultural Alliance (CCA)'s Activating Heritage Conference (April 6-10) on the Strategies for Local Chicago-focused Advocacy session as one of the panelists to discuss the TEAACH Act as well as the involvement in fostering relationships with local representatives such as alder-people, chambers of commerce, and visitors' bureaus. |
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CAMOC Supports the TEAACH Act! |
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The Teaching Equitable Asian American Community History (TEAACH) Act HB 376 passed the Illinois House with bipartisan support on a vote of 98-13 on April 14! It is now on the Senate floor. As one of the organizations which support the TEAACH Act, CAMOC is thrilled to share this good news with you. As a cultural institution with a mission to advance the appreciation of Chinese American culture through exhibitions, education, and research and to preserve the past, present, and future of Chinese Americans, CAMOC fully supports the amendment of the Illinois School Code to include an Asian American History Curriculum in every public school in Illinois so that Asian American stories and experiences will be told and shared with students of all ethnic backgrounds. |
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Date: Wednesday, May 5, 2021
Time: 7 - 8:30pm CDT
Location: Virtual Space
We are very excited to announce that Talk Stories will return to the virtual space on Wednesday, May 5, to celebrate the APIDA Heritage Month. This event will start at 7pm CDT.
This virtual event is in collaboration with the Chinese American Museum of Chicago, HANA Center, JASC – Japanese American Service Committee, National Cambodian Heritage Museum and Killing Fields Memorial, and OCA Greater Chicago.
Our performers include the following:
Music: Katherine Elise
Storytelling:
Radia Ali
Saed Deryck Hill
Jane Hseu
Avy Kea
Huu Nguyen
Chau Quach
You don’t want to miss this show. Join us in May to help us celebrate another wonderful year for Talk Stories in storytelling and community building. Talk Stories is produced and hosted by Ada Cheng.
For ticketing information, please click the button below.
Producer and host:
Ada Cheng is a professor-turned storyteller, solo performer, and storytelling producer. She has been featured in storytelling shows and done her two solo performances all over the country. She is the producer and the host of five storytelling shows, including Pour One Out: A Monthly Storytelling Series, Am I Man Enough?, Talk Stories: An Asian American/Asian Diaspora Storytelling Show, Speaking Truths Series, and This Is America: Truths through My Body.
Her motto: Make your life the best story you tell.
Check out her website here.
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CELESTIALS
A Special Film Premiere and Discussion
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Date: Saturday, May 8, 2021
Time: 3 - 6pm CDT
Location: Virtual Space
During the late 19th century, the term ‘celestial’ was used as a pejorative term to insult Chinese immigrants and laborers. Ironically, while there was discrimination towards Chinese workers in the United States, American developers still depended upon the work of Chinese immigrants, particularly when it came to the building of the transcontinental railroad.
The documentary film Celestials showcases six years of collaboration with Stanford University and CHSA to explore the lives of the Chinese railroad workers who built the transcontinental railroad. The film explores three parts: the links between the Chinese workers and their homes in Kaiping, China through groundbreaking archaeological research; painting a composite portrait of workers through oral histories collected from descendants, and finally, the 150-year struggle for Chinese Americans to obtain national recognition for their contributions to American history. Join CHSA for a screening of Celestials, followed by a panel discussion with Stanford Professor of Archaeology Barbara Voss, Award-Winning Local Historian Connie Young Yu, and Director and Producer Barre Fong.
This event is hosted by the Chinese Historical Society of America in partnership with the Chinese American Museum of Chicago and the Center for Railroad Photography and Art.
Tickets are $5. Purchase tickets by clicking the button below.
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PROUD TO BE ASIAN
Celebration of Asian Heritage Month
& Asian Contribution
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Date: Saturday, May 22, 2021
Time: 12 - 3pm CDT
Location: 2154 S. Archer Ave., Chicago, IL 60616
In addition to the Museum's own events this month, we are proud to be a co-sponsor along with several other neighborhood organizations, for this celebratory event later in May. Let's celebrate Asian pride, contributions, and heritage together!
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CAMOC's New Membership Program
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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)
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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| A Call For Volunteers! |
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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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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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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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