Monthly Newsletter | AUGUST 2020 |
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New Museum Hours
9/1/2020 - 9/31/2020
Tue-Fri: 9:30 am to 2:00 pm
Sat-Sun: 11 am to 3 pm
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| From the Executive Director|
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Hello and welcome to another slow but safe month amid the pandemic! July was slow and August was slowly improving businesswise.
We are very grateful to be one of recipients of the Collections Emergency Relief Fund granted by Gaylord and Dorothy Foundation. With the grant, we are able to continue our collections work under the current challenging situation. The full list of grantees is here.
We are vigorously planning and preparing for our Mid-Autumn Festival event which is set on October 3rd (Saturday), two days after the actual Mid-Autumn Festival (October 1st, Thursday), at 5pm. This will be our first-ever virtual event co-hosted with Chicago Park District and partnered with the Nature Conservancy, the Field Museum and the Roots and Routes Initiative. The link to the event will be published in two weeks.
We plan to provide a series of free virtual events to CAMOC community. However, we can not make it happen without your support. Please consider making a donation or becoming a member of CAMOC!
Ben Lau
Executive Director
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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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A note of thanks - Fayu Ni
Mr. Ni is a Title V program participant who has been assigned to our Museum for almost a year. He is originally from Fuzhou and has been in the US for eight years. He has three children and five grandchildren. He said that "I really appreciate for the opportunity to be enrolled into the Title V program, and assigned to the Chinese American Museum of Chicago. I learn a lot being trained here." We are grateful for the work he does in keeping the Museum clean and tidy. His kind spirit and diligence are truly remarkable!
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|New Exhibition in Preparation|
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Eating bitterness: Stories of Chinese American Cuisine (opening Date TBD)
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Through waves of Chinese immigrants beginning with California’s gold rush pioneers, Chinese American cuisine continuously transformed itself up to modern times where it is now becoming more authentic and reflects a variety of regional styles. Come explore this fascinating history, experience our restaurateur stories and cooking demonstrations, and examine the complex history of Chicago Chinese American restaurants. |
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What's at Stake for the Chinese/Chinese American Museum in the United States?:
An Intergenerational Conversation
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Date: Thursday, September 24, 2020
Time: 7 - 8:30pm CST
Location: Virtual Space
What does the future of Chinese/Chinese American museums look like both locally and nationally amid the various major crises we are facing, including the pandemic, the BLM uprising, and the rising anti-Asian sentiment? How does the museum encourage the participation among younger generations? What are the differences in terms of priorities, visions, values, and politics among different generations in the Chinese diaspora? How do we reconcile these differences and build cross-generational alliances? This event aims at opening up space for intergenerational conversations for us to strategize for the future of Chinese museums in the United States. We particularly encourage high school, college students, and young professionals to join us for this conversation.
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Date: Saturday, October 3, 2020
Time: TBD
Location: Virtual Space
The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the most important traditional events for the Chinese, like Christmas and Thanksgiving in the West. Falling on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Chinese lunar calendar, the round shape and completeness of the full moon symbolize family and friends reunion. In light of COVID-19 health and safety concerns, this year's Mid-Autumn Festival will take place virtually. We are working with the Chicago Parks District and Field Museum (more?) to provide streaming of performances and storytelling.
More details to come.
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TBD
Asian Pop-Up Cinema is held seasonally in the spring and in the fall. We are excited to have another screening again in October.
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.
Stay tuned. We will send the tickets registration link once available.
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[Postponed to 12/16/2020] TALK STORIES |
Wed, December 16, 2020
7:00 PM
Talk Stories: An Asian American/Asia Diaspora Storytelling Show will return to the Chinese American Museum of Chicago on Wednesday December 16.
Talk Stories showcases storytellers of Asian identities and backgrounds through different storytelling medium, including personal narrative, music/dance, and improv comedy. We include both performers as well as community members in storytelling to reflect upon their experiences as Asian Americans as well as members of the Asian diaspora.
We will send the tickets registration link once available.
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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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