Spring Fest 2025

The Chinese American Museum and El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument celebrate the Year of the Snake with our annual Spring Festival on Saturday, April 26th from 12 – 5 pm. Kick off Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) month with an exciting day of multicultural performances and family friendly activities!

The event is FREE to the public and no registration is required.

Beyond the Page: Dark Soil

Unearth the hidden histories of places big and small with Dark Soil! 

Join the Chinese American Museum on Thursday, March 27th, at 6:30 pm for a discussion on Dark Soil: Fictions & Mythographies, an anthology that digs deep into the racial and ecological landscapes of America and its borderlands. Tune in to hear contributing book authors Karen Tei Yamashita, Ronaldo V. Wilson, Sesshu Foster, and Angie Sijun Lou explore the power of storytelling, highlight the importance of amplifying marginalized voices, and seek ways to reckon with America’s past. 

Register today at camla.org/darksoil.

Bonus: Buy a signed copy of Dark Soil at the event! 

About the Panelists: 

Karen Tei Yamashita is the author of nine books, including I Hotel, a National Book Award finalist, and Sansei and Sensibility, both published by Coffee House Press. She is the recipient of numerous honors, including the Lifetime Achievement Award for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters from the National Book Foundation, the John Dos Passos Prize for Literature, and a U.S. Artists’ Ford Foundation Fellowship. Yamashita is a professor emerita of literature and creative writing at the University of California, Santa Cruz. 

Ronaldo V. Wilson is an award-winning poet, interdisciplinary artist, academic, and the author of six collections that blend poetry, fiction, hybrid theory, performance, and visual art. He is a Professor of Creative Writing and Literature at UC Santa Cruz. 

Sesshu Foster is a poet, teacher, and community activist from East Los Angeles. His recent works include City of the Future and ELADATL: The History of the East Los Angeles Dirigible Air Transport Lines, a novel co-authored with artist Arturo Ernesto Romo. Foster is the 2024 winner of the George Drury Smith Award in Poetry from the Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center. 

About the Moderator: 

Angie Sijun Lou is a Kundiman Fellow and a Ph.D. candidate in literature and creative writing at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Her essays and criticism have been published in the American Poetry Review, the Georgia Review, and Amerasia Journal. She currently lives in Oakland. 

Unmasking: The Toll of the Sea

Join the Chinese American Museum on Thursday, April 3rd at 6:00 pm at the historic Pico House (424 N. Main St., Los Angeles, CA 90012) for a special, colorized screening of The Toll of the Sea (1922). The film, directed by Chester M. Franklin and produced by Technicolor Motion Picture Corporation, features Anna May Wong at just 17 years old in her first leading role. Despite being a silent film, Wong’s emotive and expressive nature has led many to consider The Toll of the Sea as her breakout role in the film industry.   

Featured alongside the film screening will be an exclusive commentary and a post-screening discussion courtesy of Anna Wong, niece of Hollywood star Anna May Wong, and Katie Gee Salisbury, author of Not Your China Doll.   

RSVP today at camla.org/thetoll to join us in watching Anna May Wong shine in her first leading role and explore her life and enduring legacy through insightful conversations with experts on the iconic figure.  

About the Guest Speakers: 

Anna Wong grew up mere miles from Hollywood, where her aunt, iconic film star Anna May Wong, made an unforgettable mark on cinematic history. Inspired by the cultural impact and inclusiveness that her namesake strove to achieve, Anna has been dedicated to raising awareness of Asian Americans issues and advancing the cause of equality. She also serves on the board of directors for the Friends of the Chinese American Museum.  

Katie Gee Salisbury is a fifth-generation Chinese American writer and photographer based in Brooklyn whose work has appeared in The New York Times, Vanity Fair, The Believer, the Asian American Writers’ Workshop, and more. She authors Half Caste Woman, a newsletter dedicated to sharing research and ruminations about Anna May Wong, and, in 2024, released her debut biography Not Your China Doll: The Wild and Shimmering Life of Anna May Wong. 

*Be sure to visit Unmasking Anna May Wong, CAM’s latest exhibition that honors film legend Anna May Wong. Currently on view until April 27th, 2025, the exhibit showcases Wong as a trailblazer that fought racism, discrimination, and stereotyping in the film industry. The exhibit features a variety of objects, ranging from Wong’s personal effects to memorabilia from her films. Learn more about who Anna May Wong was behind the silver screen — from her childhood in LA Chinatown, to her iconic fashion sense, and her social activism outside of Hollywood.