SEPTEMBER 2023

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival, a time for family and traditionally to celebrate the full moon and the mid-Autumn harvest.

Someone once asked why it's called Mid-Autumn Festival when it occurs so close to the Autumn Equinox.

Many cultures in the Eastern Hemisphere follow the lunar calendar, whereas the Western Hemisphere generally follows the solar calendar. So, the Moon is the primary reason for many Asian festivals and holidays.

Have some mooncakes, light some lanterns, and give thanks!

Mabel Menard

Interim Executive Director

What's the story behind the Mid-Autumn Mooncake?

Watch the video and find out!

The Executive Director (ED) manages the operations, fundraising, and programming of the Museum, and collaborates with the Board of Directors to develop plans for increasing revenue, fiscal sustainability, programs and exhibits, community engagement and representation, and communications. The ED is expected to raise the profile of the Museum within Chicago and across the Chinese American communities in the Midwest, increase revenue and membership, and build on the substantial public interest in Chineseand Chinese American cultures.

| PAST EVENTS |

Click the links below for a review of September highlights!

Adrian Wong and Clementine Reid Wong

Chinoiserie (Chinesey Things)

NOW THROUGH OCTOBER 22, 2024

Chinoiserie (Chinesey Things) brings together a disparate array of forms, colors, themes, and elements evocative of the artists’ Chinese American identities. Father-daughter duo, Adrian Wong (a second-generation immigrant) and Clementine Reid Wong (a third-generation immigrant) collaboratively produced the works on view while reflecting on the question, “What makes a thing Chinese?” and perhaps the deeper question, “What makes us Chinese?”

The title of the exhibition, Chinoiserie, is drawn from the emergence of Orientalist motifs in 17th century European decorative arts, from Rococo frescoes to Delftware to Medici Porcelain— specifically, the imitation of Chinese artistic traditions built upon an imagined, romantic ideal of the Far East...or, as abstracted by Reid Wong in the parenthetical, Chinesey Things.

Adrian Wong was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois in 1980. Originally trained in psychology (MA, Stanford ‘03), he pursued his post-graduate studies in sculpture (MFA, Yale ‘05). Wong’s studio was based in Hong Kong until 2018, when he returned to Chicago, where he currently serves as an Associate Professor at the School of the Art Institute. His work has been exhibited at The Drawing Center (New York), Kuandu Museum (Taipei), Kunsthalle Wien, Kunstmuseum Bern, Kunstverein (Hamburg), Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (Seoul), Palazzo Reale (Milan), Saatchi Gallery (London), and Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art (Rotterdam)—and can be found in public and private collections worldwide, including the 21C Collection (Chicago), DSL Foundation (Paris), K11 Art Foundation (Shanghai), Kadist Foundation (San Francisco), M+ Museum (Hong Kong), Sifang Museum (Nanjing), and the Uli Sigg Collection (Lucerne).

Clementine Reid Wong was born in Los Angeles in 2017, but relocated to Chicago where she has been based since 2018. Her dual interests in color and affect theory stem from her exposure to contemporary art at a young age, both of which guide her practice. Reid Wong is currently a degree candidate at Drummond Montessori School (Kindergarten, ‘24) and has attended exhibitions at cultural institutions, domestically and internationally, including the Art Institute of Chicago, MCA (Chicago), LACMA (Los Angeles), Tai Kwun Contemporary (Hong Kong), the Barbican (London), and Hayward Gallery (London), among others.

If you are visiting Chinatown, don’t forget to stop by for our permanent and temporary exhibits.

Current Temporary Exhibit

Chinese Cuisine in America: Stories, Struggles & Successes

Through waves of Chinese immigration since the California Gold Rush, Chinese American cuisine continuously transformed itself and now reflects a blossoming of Chinese and Chinese American regional styles. Come explore this fascinating history, enjoy cooking demonstrations, and examine the complex history of Chicago Chinese American restaurants through interviews with local restaurateurs during the pandemic.

Robert Davis was born and raised in Chicago and studied Chinese art and language at Northern Illinois University. Upon graduation, he moved to Xi’an China to teach English and deepen his studies on both ancient and modern China. In 1999 he returned to Chicago and launched Chicago Public Schools’ Chinese program, which remains the largest Chinese program in the USA. He returned to China in 2002 on a scholarship from the Chinese Ministry of Education to study at Peking University. In 2005, while still at Chicago Public Schools, he became Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley’s China advisor and traveled to China with him eight times, including for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In 2011 he became Executive Director of the China Initiatives at the College Board where he oversaw the largest US-China education partnership in history. Robert then took the role of Global CEO of Hong Kong based Mandarin Matrix, a Chinese language ed-tech company which provides K-12 curriculum to several US states and international markets. He now serves as Director of International Pathways at Avant Education. Robert has been recognized by several organizations for his service in education and is a frequent voice in the media for the support of the learning of global competencies and world languages. 

| VISITING THE MUSEUM |

Group Tours

It is now easier than ever to book a group tour of the museum.

To request a group tour, please click the link below and submit the reservation request at least two weeks prior to the date requested.

Thank you and we look forward to seeing your group!

Event Space Rental

Host your corporate event, board meeting, or private party at CAMOC!



The 4th floor event space is an ideal space for professional development gatherings, film presentations, and conference gatherings.

Recommended uses: Meetings, Workshops, Films, and Receptions

Capacity

Reception: 99

Theater-style: 80

Conference: 40