2017 Events

PST Family Day: Photomontages

Sunday, October 22, 2017 | 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
Pico House
424 N. Main St. | Los Angeles, CA 90012

Albert Chong, Aunt Winnie, 1995. Courtesy of the artist. © Albert Chong. On view in Circles and Circuits II at the Chinese American Museum.

Join us at the Pico House for a hands-on activity that takes a spin on
portraits. Inspired by Albert Chong’s photographs, families can
decorate their own photos with flowers, shells, and pebbles to create
a photomontage. Either bring in a photograph or print one out at a
printer station!

Accompanying our arts and crafts activity, the Chinese American Museum
will also host 3 docent led tours of the new exhibition, Circles and
Circuits II: Contemporary Chinese Caribbean Art. Learn about the
Chinese Caribbean diaspora and engage in a conversation about culture
and identity. Tours are approximately 30 mins long, running at 11:30
AM, 12:30 PM, and 1:30 PM. Each tour is limited to 10 adults with
children and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Please
sign in at the front desk. RSVP to rsvp@camla.org.

This program is held in conjunction with the exhibition Circles and Circuits, part of Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA, on view in two parts at the Chinese American Museum and California African American Museum. Lead support for the exhibition and program is provided through grants from the Getty Foundation. Major support is provided by the Friends of the Chinese American Museum.

Albert Chong, The Sisters, 1993. Courtesy of the artist. © Albert Chong. On view in Circles and Circuits II at the Chinese American Museum.

 

Engaged Landscape

Saturday, November 4, 2017 | 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Gateway to Nature Center
130 Paseo de la Plaza | Los Angeles, CA 90012

Flora Fong, Temporada ciclónica, 2014. Courtesy of the artist. © Flora Fong. On view in Circles and Circuits I at the California African American Museum.

Hurricanes and marine pollution are environmental issues threatening the Caribbean. Artists in Circles and Circuits engage the Caribbean landscape in their work and challenge the image of the islands as “paradise.” Join us all day at the Gateway to Nature Center for a workshop featuring interpretive exhibits on the Caribbean environment and a hands-on art activity reusing natural resources like seashells and flowers. Co-presented by the Chinese American Museum and Western National Parks Association, this program is held in conjunction with Grand Avenue Arts: All Access and DTLA Regional Weekend in celebration of Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA. Lead support for the exhibition and program is provided through grants from the Getty Foundation. Major support is provided by the Friends of the Chinese American Museum with additional support for the program provided by Western National Parks Association. For more information on DTLA Arts & Culture Regional Weekend events, visit grandavearts.tumblr.com/dtlaregionalweekend.

Kathryn Chan, Measure of a Life (detail), 2017. Installation on view in Circles and Circuits II at the Chinese American Museum.

A Musical Journey feat. The Simpkin Project and Chinee Goldentouch

 

Friday, October 6, 2017 | 6:00 pm
Pico House
424 N. Main St. | Los Angeles, CA 90012

Across the street from CAM
Free to the Public | Please reserve a seat by emailing RSVP@camla.org

Co-presented by the Chinese American Museum and VP Records, join us at
Pico House for a reggae concert featuring The Simpkin Project and
Chinee Goldentouch. There will be a pre-concert talk about the Chinese
influence on Caribbean music highlighting Jamaica-born Pat Chin,
co-founder of VP Records -the largest independent reggae music
distributor. This event is held in conjunction with the exhibition
Circles and Circuits, part of Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA, which
explores the art of the Chinese Caribbean diaspora from the early 20th
century to the present day. Pacific Standard Time is an initiative of
the Getty. Lead support for the exhibition is provided through grants
from the Getty Foundation. Major support for the exhibition and
program is provided by the Friends of the Chinese American Museum with
additional support for the program provided by VP Records.  Limited
capacity. RSVP to rsvp@camla.org.

 

Movements, then and Now

Wednesday, April 12th, 2017 | 6:30 pm
Pico House
424 N. Main St. | Los Angeles, CA 90012

Across the street from CAM
Free to the Public | Please reserve a seat by emailing RSVP@camla.org

Asian American history is bound to activism, as CAM’s newest exhibition “Roots: Asian American Movements in Los Angeles, 1968 – 1980’s” demonstrates.  Yet the struggles of Asian American communities today- around immigrant rights, intersectional frameworks, housing & gentrification, economic justice, anti-blackness, artistic expression, and more- both resonate and simultaneously diverge with earlier movements.  In this urgent time, how do we stand for the oppressed and marginalized communities?  “Movements, then and Now,” a cross-generational and cross-movement discussion offers a space to recognize and consider these questions, connections to the past, and the future of Asian American activism.

Featuring:

Taz Ahmed
Phyllis Chiu
Alice Hom
Nobuko Miyamoto
Trina Pasumbal

Moderated by Ryan Wong, exhibit curator.

The museum will be open for guests before the event at 5 pm.

Back to Our Roots – Food and Identity: A Night of Conversation

Monday, April 24th, 2017 | 7:00 pm
Pico House
424 N. Main St. | Los Angeles, CA 90012

Across the street from CAM
Free to the Public | Please reserve a seat by emailing RSVP@camla.org

Why are some cuisines deemed “ethnic” and others not?  Who is their presumed audience?  What stories do chefs and writers feel they’re expected to tell- and what stories, perhaps, would they prefer to tell?

Food is a powerful way to explore ideas around identity, authenticity, and power.  Featuring food writers and chefs from restaurants Good Girl Dinette, Chengdu Taste, Cassia, and more, “Back to Our Roots” offers insightful conversations and dialogue around food, culture, and authenticity.

Co-sponsored by the Asian American Journalists Association.

Author Talk and Book Signing with Karen Ishizuka

Thursday, Feburary 9th, 2017 | 6:30 pm
Biscailuz Building
Basement
125 Paseo de la Plaza | Los Angeles, CA 90012

Across the plaza from CAM and across the street from Union Station
Free to the Public | Please reserve a seat by emailing RSVP@camla.org

Until the political ferment of the Long Sixties, there were no Asian Americans. There were only isolated communities of mostly Chinese, Japanese, and Filipinos lumped together as “Orientals.” Serve the People tells the story of the social and cultural movement that knit these disparate communities into a political identity, the history of how—and why—the double consciousness of Asian America came to be.

Karen L. Ishizuka is a third-generation American of Japanese descent who was part of the Asian American movement in Los Angeles. She is the author of Lost and Found: Reclaiming the Japanese American Incarceration, as well as many published articles, and coeditor of Mining the Home Movie: Excavations in Histories and Memories. An award-winning documentary film producer and museum curator, she helped establish the Japanese American National Museum and received her Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles.