The Museum of Chinese in America (traditional Chinese: 美國è¯äººåšç‰©é¤¨; simplified Chinese: 美国åŽäººåšç‰©é¦†; pinyin: MÄ›iguó Huárén BówùguÇŽn; Jyutping: Mei5gwok3 Waa4jan4 Bok3mat6gun2; abbreviated MOCA) is a museum in New York City which exhibits Chinese American history. It is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) education and cultural institution that presents the living history, heritage, culture, and diverse experiences of Chinese Americans through exhibitions, educational services and public programs.
History
Founded in 1980 in Manhattan's Chinatown (ç´ç´„è¯åŸ ), the museum began as the New York Chinatown History Project by historian John Kuo Wei Tchen and community resident and activist Charles Lai to promote a better understanding of the Chinese American experience and to address the concern that "the memories and experiences of aging older generations would perish without oral history, photo documentation, research and collecting efforts."
In 2005, the museum was among 406 New York City arts and social service institutions to receive part of a $20 million grant from the Carnegie Corporation, which was made possible through a donation by New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg.
The museum moved to a new site at 215 Centre Street in 2009. It increased in size by sixfold, in a space that was designed by architect Maya Lin. The curator and director of exhibitions as of May 31, 2011 is Herb Tam. The permanent exhibition, With a Single Step was designed by Matter Practice.
Exhibitions
The core exhibition With a Single Step: Stories in the Making of America traces more than 160 years of Chinese American history and is augmented annually with two to four rotating exhibitions on thematic, historic, and artistic subjects.
The Museum in January 2015 presented Waves of Identity: 35 Years of Archiving. The title of the exhibit was inspired by a Chinese proverb, “Each wave of the Yangtze River pushes at the wave ahead.â€
Current
- Sour, Sweet, Bitter, Spicy: Stories of Chinese Food and Identity in America (October 6, 2016 â€" September 10, 2017)
Former
- Stage Design by Ming Cho Lee (April 28, 2016 â€" September 11, 2016)
- Chinese Style: Rediscovering the Architecture of Poy Gum Lee, 1923â€"1968 (September 24, 2015 â€" March 27, 2016)
- SUB URBANISMS: Casino Urbanization, Chinatowns, and the Contested American Landscape (September 24, 2015 â€" March 27, 2016)
- Yu Lik Wai: It's a Bright Guilty World (October 8, 2015 â€" August 11, 2016)
- Water to Paper, Paint to Sky: The Art of Tyrus Wong (March 26, 2015 â€" September 13, 2015)
- Memory Prints: The Story World of Phillip Chen (September 25, 2014 â€" January 3, 2015)
- Waves of Identity: 35 Years of Archiving (September 25, 2014 â€" January 3, 2015)
- Oil and Water: Reinterpreting Ink (April 24, 2014 â€" September 14, 2014)
- The Lee Family of New York Chinatown Since 1888 (October 23, 2013 â€" June 6, 2014)
- A Floating Population (December 13, 2013 â€" April 13, 2014)
- Portraits of New York Chinatown (December 13, 2013 â€" April 13, 2014)
- Front Row: Chinese American Designers (April 26, 2013 â€" December 1, 2013)
- Shanghai Glamour: New Women 1910sâ€"40s (April 26, 2013 â€" November 3, 2013)
- Marvels and Monsters: Unmasking Asian Images in U.S. Comics, 1942â€"1986 and Alt. Comics: Asian American Artists Reinvent the Comic (September 27, 2012 â€" February 24, 2013)
- America through a Chinese Lens (April 26, 2012 â€" September 9, 2012)
- Lee Mingwei: The Travelers and The Quartet Project (October 20, 2011 â€" March 26, 2012)
- Unearthing (May 5, 2011 â€" September 19, 2011)
- Chinese Puzzles (November 6, 2010 â€" April 9, 2011)
- Chinatown POV: Reflections on September 11 (September 11, 2010 â€" November 29, 2010)
- Both Here and There: Yale-China and a Century of Transformative Encounters (September 2, 2010 â€" October 11, 2010)
- Here & Now: Chapter III Towards Transculturalism (February 11, 2010 â€" March 28, 2010)
- Here & Now: Chapter II Crossing Boundaries (November 19, 2009 â€" January 4, 2010)
- Here & Now: Chinese Artists in New York Chapter 1 (September 22, 2009 â€" November 2, 2009)
Collections
MOCA has amassed a nationally-significant collection of materials documenting Chinese life in America. Beginning as what the Smithsonian Magazine described as "a cultural rescue mission to save a little-known immigrant heritage," MOCA’s collection has grown to document the changing profile of Chinese Americaâ€"from its humble beginnings in the 19th century to its dynamic presence today. Collections and Research Center houses more than 65,000 artifacts, photos, memorabilia, documents, oral histories, and art work. This expansive array of archival material enriches the history of Chinese in America for our visitors in ways both rigorously academic and profoundly personal.
Research Center
The Museum’s previous gallery space on 70 Mulberry Street is retained and transformed as an archival center and serves as a research center, open to anyone with a desire to learn or research Chinese American history. Online, the general public, students, educators, and scholars alike can find a host of features, such as Web-based versions of gallery exhibitions (including the core exhibit, The Chinese American Experience); and a comprehensive, interactive timeline of Chinese American history; downloadable resources on topics such as immigration and diversity are also available.
Special collections
Special collections include:
Legacy Awards Gala
At MOCA's 2015 Legacy Awards Gala, the museum paid tribute to Benefactors and Builders for creating foundations for a better world, and celebrating their outstanding achievements and contributions to the ongoing legacy of Chinese in America. Honorees were the C.V. Starr Scholars (The Starr Foundation with recognition by Savio Tung, Chief Investment Officer of Investcorp), Nancy Kwan (Hong Kong-born, American actress who played a pivotal role in the acceptance of actors of Asian ancestry in major Hollywood film roles), and William C. Louie (Founding Design Partner of the worldwide architectural firm, Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates).
2014 honorees have included:
- Tyrus Wong
- Theodore T. Wang
- Victor and William Fung Foundation Ltd.
2013 honorees have included:
- Michael Bloomberg
- Pei-Yuan Chia
- Ming Tsai
- Wang Yannan
2012 honorees have included:
- Angelica Cheung
- Silas Chou
- Calvin Tsao
- Humberto Leon and Carol Lim
2011 honorees have included:
- Oscar L. Tang
- David Liu
- Dominic Ng
- Pichet Ong
2010 honorees have included:
- The Chao Family
- Maurice R. Greenberg & The Starr Foundation
- HSBC Bank USA
- Anita Lo
- Bill and Judith Davidson Moyers
- Ben Wang
- Major General John L. Fugh *(posthumous award)
2009 honorees have included:
- Ronnie C. Chan
- Charles B. Wang Community Health Center
- Anla Cheng
- Mark E. Kingdon
- Lucy Liu
- Wan-go Weng
- Jerry Yang
See also
- Chinese Americans in New York City
- Chinese American Museum
- Chinese Historical Society of America
- Chinese Historical Society of Southern California
- Chinese Culture Center
- List of museums and cultural institutions in New York City
References
External links
- Official website
