Monthly Newsletter | September 2021 |
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Wednesday & Friday: 9:30am to 2pm
Saturday & Sunday: 10am to 5pm
Group visits by appointment only.
Masks are still required for all individuals entering the building regardless of each individual’s vaccination status. We also continue to encourage physical distancing in all our spaces. We will closely monitor the pandemic situation and may extend the reopening to more 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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School is back in session, which means our Museum has been busy with group tours!
We had a wonderful and successful Mid-Autumn Festival Celebration in the month with over 160 participants in two sessions – more than what we planned for. Positive feedback and comments from the exit survey encourage us to continue the in-person event next year without a cap of the number of participants due to concerns about the COVID-19 variants. Hopefully we will be able to serve hot food and tea by then.
We will be hosting an in-person screening of WUHAN WUHAN on October 9 at our Museum. The film, directed by a Chinese Canadian Yung Chang, shows how the Chinese response to the virus outbreak was very similar to those in hospitals around the world. The event is free to attend. Please register before all the tickets are gone. More details please see below.
We also a virtual event “Straight to the Heart! Storytelling Workshop/Circle with Ada Cheng” on October 23. There are two parts to this workshop/circle. During the first half of the session, Ada will discuss central tenets of this art form and learn how to craft and tell stories. Participants will practice sharing personal stories during the second half of the session.
Please save the date, November 17, 2021, and join us virtually for our annual gala!
Ben Lau
Executive Director
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| September Highlights |
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Community Partnership with Illinois Holocaust Museum
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CAMOC is a Community Partner for Illinois Holocaust Museum (IHM)'s "Shanghai: Safe Haven During the Holocaust" exhibit. We had a field trip to IHM as part of the collaborative event between IHM, American Jewish Committee (AJC), Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community (CBCAC) and CAMOC. |
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Interview with Wah Mei Drum & Bugle Corps |
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CAMOC interviewed the Wah Mei Drum and Bugle Corps to preserve the American Post #1003 and Chinatown history in preparation for our upcoming mini exhibit Chinese American Veterans: The American Heroes. |
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This year's Mid-Autumn Festival was a huge success! After going virtual last year due to the pandemic, we were thrilled to celebrate the holiday in person this time around. We welcomed guests at the Set in Stone Gathering Place for a night of celebration, storytelling, lantern making, dancing, music, and eating mooncakes! |
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Thank you to our co-hosts: Roots & Routes, Chicago Park District and Night Out in the Parks, the Field Museum, The Nature Conservancy, and the Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community. And thank you all who joined us for the event! We hope you had a wonderful Mid-Autumn Festival celebration!
First photo below: ED Ben Lau, Andrea Stamm (Board member), Grace Chan-McKibben, 25th Ward Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez, Loreen Targos, Soo Lon Moy (Immediate Past President), and President Ed Jung
Second photo: Our wonderful crew of staff and volunteers!
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Welcoming students during back-t0-school season! |
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This month, we welcomed groups of students from DePaul University and Alcuin Montessori School. Docents John Rohsenow and Caroline Lee Liu led tours, giving more context to our current exhibitions, including Attic Treasures II, Era of Opulence: Chinese Fine Dining, and of course, our permanent exhibitions about Chinese immigration history in the Midwest and our oral history video. We are grateful to be able to share the history of our community with such bright students!
Top photo: "Asian American Communities in Chicago" class from Explore Chicago Program at DePaul University
Right photo: Soo Lon Moy (BoD), Ryan Yokota (Instructor), John Rohsenow (BoD)
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CAMOC Featured in Chicago Neighborhood Guide:
Chinatown and Uptown
with Caira Button and Choose Chicago
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In partnership with Choose Chicago, influencer Caira Button visited CAMOC for her Chicago Neighborhood Guide focusing on Chinatown and Uptown. We were excited to share our exhibitions with a new audience, and to be part of this wonderful feature! You can watch the full guide on her YouTube channel by clicking the link below. |
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CAMOC Partners with CAMDC for a Screening and Discussion of "A Tale of Three Chinatowns" |
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CAMOC ED Ben Lau joined the panel discussion following the screening of A Tale of Three Chinatowns co-hosted by the Chinese American Museum DC. Specifically examining Chinatowns in three American cities, Washington D.C., Chicago, and Boston, A Tale of Three Chinatowns looks at the forces altering each community and the challenges that go with them. This feature-length documentary presents the current pressing topic of urban development and gentrification through the eyes of those on the frontlines.
Ben joined the discussion with documentary Executive Producers Penny Lee and Lisa Mao; Moderator Ted Gong, Director of the 1882 Foundation; and Lydia Lowe, Director of the Chinatown Community Land Trust in Boston Chinatown. They discussed their shared struggles, concerns, and hopes of their Chinese American communities. Thank you to all who could join us! If you missed the event or would like to re-watch the discussion, please click the button below.
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CAMOC Partners with Illinois Holocaust Museum for "Through the Lens of Arthur Rothstein: Beyond Shanghai" Lecture |
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At the beginning of the month, CAMOC partnered with the Illinois Holocaust Museum for a lecture accompanying their exhibition "Shanghai: Safe Haven During the Holocaust". Arthur Rothstein, best-known for his Dust Bowl photography during the Great Depression, was the recipient of more than three dozen awards in photography and photojournalism over the course of his career. One of his lesser-known projects included an assignment photographing the Jewish refugee community in Shanghai during World War II, showcased in the new exhibition. The lecture placed Rothstein’s Shanghai photo essay in the context of his extraordinary 50-year career.
CAMOC was excited to help share this unique story of cross-cultural collaboration. Other community partners for the lecture included Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Chicago, Chicago Chinese Cultural Institute, Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community, and Sheerit Hapleitah of Metropolitan Chicago.
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Screening of "WUHAN WUHAN" |
Date: Saturday, October 9, 2021
Time: 2pm CT
Location: CAMOC 4th floor
238 W 23rd St, Chicago, IL 60616
Free admission
The Chinese American Museum of Chicago (CAMOC) and Asian Pop-Up Cinema are excited to host this in-person screening of WUHAN WUHAN, a film by director Yung Chang, on the fourth floor of the Museum. This screening is sponsored in part by the Consulate General of Canada.
Synopsis:
WUHAN WUHAN is an observational documentary unfolding during February and March 2020 at the height of the pandemic in Wuhan city, where the coronavirus began. With unprecedented access at the peak of the pandemic lockdown, WUHAN WUHAN goes beyond the statistics and salacious headlines and puts a human experience into the early days of the mysterious virus as Chinese citizens and frontline healthcare workers grappled with an invisible, deadly killer.
The film focuses on five heart-wrenching and endearing stories: a soft-hearted ER doctor and an unflappable ICU nurse from the COVID-19 hospital; a compassionate volunteer psychologist at a temporary hospital; a tenacious mother and son who are COVID-19 patients navigating the byzantine PRC healthcare system; and a volunteer driver for medical workers and his 9-month pregnant wife whose heartfelt story forms the backbone of this film.
WUHAN WUHAN is a testament to the universality of our collective pandemic experience, that no matter what country, no one is immune to disease and that we, as a human species, share the same humanity in our struggle to survive.
90 minutes | Mandarin with English subtitles
About Yung Chang
Yung Chang is the director of Up the Yangtze (2007), China Heavy
weight (2012), The Fruit Hunters (2012) and This is Not a Movie (2019). Chang’s films have premiered at international film festivals including Sundance, Berlin, Toronto, and IDFA and have played theatrically in cinemas around the world. His films have been critically-acclaimed, receiving awards in Paris, Milan, Vancouver, San Francisco, the Canadian Genie, Taiwan Golden Horse, Cinema Eye Honors, among others and have been nominated at Sundance, the Independent Spirit Awards and the Emmys. Chang is the recipient of the Don Haig Award, the Yolande and Pierre Perrault Award, and the Guggenheim Emerging Artist Award.
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Straight to the Heart!: Storytelling Workshop/Circle with Ada Cheng |
Date: Saturday, October 23, 2021
Time: 1 - 4pm CT
Location: Virtual
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.
Register by clicking the button below.
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.
Ada is an adjunct faculty at Dominican University and a speaker for Illinois Humanities Speakers Bureau. 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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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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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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