Asian Americans push for a gallery of their own in Washington DC

SMITHSONIAN

Linda Sasaki, director of the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, at the National Mall in Washington, DC.

The drive for permanent gallery space on the National Mall in Washington D.C. was launched 3,000 miles away in Los Angeles with Hollywood celebrities and politicians.

The Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center Saturday (May 18) launched a $25 million fundraising drive for a proposed museum or exhibit space dedicated to the history and future of Asian America with an event simply called The Party.

"Museums preserve what's important to society. They tell our stories, give historical context to contemporary issues and help us imagine a better future," said Laura Lott, president and CEO of the American Alliance of Museums.

"The ability to have that visibility and recognition is so important," said Lisa Sasaki, the center's director, to the Associated Press. Despite temporary exhibits along the mall, she said, "there has never been a dedicated space where the public could consistently visit and find out about the history and culture of Asian Americans."

Asian Americans are the nation's fastest-growing minority and number about 22 million, or roughly 6% of the population. They come from more than 20 countries, with the largest populations from China, India, Philippines, Korea, Vietnam and Japan. They range from recent immigrants to descendants of laborers who migrated in the 19th century to build the Transcontinental Railroad and work sugar cane fields in Hawaii.

About Smithsonian Asian Pacific Center

From its establishment in 1997 as an initiative critical to the mission of the Smithsonian until today, the vision for the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center has been to enrich the American story with the voices of Asian Pacific Americans.

Asian Pacific America is the story of a vibrant, diverse, and resilient set of communities that have been part of the American experience for more than 200 years. It is the story of two continents and a constellation of islands joined by the migration, exchange, and competition of people and ideas. Yet, across museums and galleries in the nation’s capital and around the country, most people find only fragments of America’s rich Asian Pacific heritage.

There are more than 22 million people of Asian or Pacific Islander descent in the United States. In less than 50 years, nearly one of every ten people in America will trace his or her heritage to Asia and the Pacific — a region that is home to nearly half of the world’s population, natural life, nations, economies, major faiths and languages.

The Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center believes that understanding all of America and America’s standing in the world is richer, more compelling, and more powerful when it includes the Asian Pacific American story. The center serves as a dynamic national resource for discovering why the Asian Pacific American experience matters every day, everywhere, and all of the time.

It's too early to say how large a gallery would be or when it might be secured, but Sasaki says they are looking at several locations along the mall. The 4,500-square-foot (418-square-meter) Molina Family Latino Gallery is scheduled to open in the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in 2021. 

DIOKNO

A diorama at the Smithsonian American History Museum depicts Chinese workers in a California field.

The Smithsonian already has separate museums for the American Indian and African American history and arts.

Presently, parts of the AAPI history are on display within the Smithsonian American History Museum and AAPI art is exhibited in a separate building. For lectures or additional exhibits, the Center has to seek space in other institutional buildings. For its recent 3-day literary festival, for example, the Center had to hold it July literary festival events had to behdl at the Phillips Gallery, the Library of Congress and the Dupont Underground.

"I don't know that we have an Oprah," said former Center director Franklin Odo, referring to Oprah Winfrey's charitable foundation, which donated $21 million for the National Museum of African American History and Culture. But "we have lots of people with immense means, so there's no question in my mind we can do it."

The launch for a museum or permanent gallery space on the Mall took place at The Party, the first fundraising event of the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, a migratory museum that shares Asian Pacific American (APA) history, art, and culture through innovative community-focused experiences.

The Party emceed by Harry Shum, Jr., celebrates "the indelible contributions of Asian Pacific Americans to the American experience,” said Lisa Sasaki, the director of the Smithsonian APA Center. 

“From music to technology, sports to entertainment, these modern history-makers inspire Americans of every ethnicity, religion and socioeconomic background by demolishing barriers and challenging time-worn stereotypes with their talents, perseverance, and ingenuity.”

Inaugural awards

Spanning categories including Culinary Arts, Music, and Sports, the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center recognized the contributions of the following:

• Pioneer Award in Culinary Arts to Helene An, the chef known as “the mother of fusion cuisine,” and her family.

• Legend Award in Music to Hiroshima, the Grammy-nominated and first Asian American R&B jazz band.

• The Game Changer Award in Music to Jay Park, the multi-platinum global hip-hop and R&B artist, choreographer, entrepreneur, and songwriter.

• The Titan Award in Sports to Vivek Ranadive, the founder of TIBCO and owner of the Sacramento Kings.

At The Party, the iconic blue dress worn by Constance Wu's character in Crazy Rich Asians was presented as a donation from Marchesa to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. The 2018 Hollywood film was the first in 25 years to feature an all Asian and Asian American cast.

“For over 200 years, Asian Pacific Americans have been an integral part of America’s cultural fabric,” said Rep. Doris O. Matsui, Smithsonian regent and a member of the Center’s Advisory Board. “It is time for our struggles to be recognized and our diverse contributions honored within the respected halls of America’s Smithsonian Institution.”

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