Dreams Deferred: Artists Respond to Immigration

Dec. 10, 2010 – December 18, 2011

The Chinese American Museum (CAM) and El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument is proud to present Dreams Deferred: Artists Respond to Immigration Reform opening on December 10, 2010. This exhibition will showcase local artists exploring the tensions, repercussions, hopes, and dreams of immigrant communities in the face of new immigration legislation, through a broad spectrum of art including street art, graffiti art, sculptures, painting and multimedia installations.

U.S. immigration laws have long reflected a lasting legacy of racial exclusion starting with the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, the first legislation to restrict immigration based on race and ethnicity. This legacy of immigration legislation targeting immigrant communities has since reemerged in the recent decades with California's Proposition 187,and Arizona's Senate Bill 1070, as attempts at inhibiting the livelihoods of undocumented immigrants.

Dreams Deferred continues the current national dialogue about immigration, kicked-off by the recent opening of CAM's Remembering Angel Island, an exhibition commemorating the 100th year anniversary of the opening of the West Coast's first immigration station. Both exhibitions will serve to shed light on the parallels of past and current immigration policies and reform, and how Los Angeles' diverse immigrant communities collectively share not only their immigrant histories, but also many of the challenges facing new immigrant communities today.

Artists participating in this exhibit include:

Sponsors:
Chinese American Citizens Alliance | Grand Lodge
Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles
Friends of the Chinese American Museum

Co-Sponsors:
Asian Pacific American Legal Center
Mid-City Arts
Self Help Graphics
The UCLA Labor Center

Remembering Angel Island

June 16, 2010 – Dec. 18, 2011

Remembering Angel Island exhibition commemorates the 100th year anniversary of the opening of Angel Island Immigration Station through its history, legacy, and unforgettable stories. Constructed in 1910 in the heart of San Francisco Bay, Angel Island Immigration Station processed more than one million immigrants from over 80 countries—including 175,000 Chinese—during its 30 years of operations before burning down in 1940.

Though often nicknamed “The Ellis Island of the West,” the mission of Angel Island served an entirely different purpose than its East Coast counterpart, particularly for Chinese immigrants. The passage of the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act subjected many Chinese to intense interrogation and detention on Angel Island that lasted weeks, months, and sometimes even years. The ordeal of this experience left an indelible mark in the lives of Chinese immigrants that forever changed the course of America’s history.

Remembering Angel Island provides a bracing look into the hope and heartache of this seminal chapter of America’s immigrant history through historic photographs, a reproduction of a poem carved on the barracks of Angel Island, coaching papers, artifacts, and a multi-media station featuring a mock interrogation and personal stories of those who endured or were profoundly affected by the Angel Island experience.

Read about the exhibit as featured in the Los Angeles Times.

Click here for a PDF of the story: Page 1 | Page 2

Click here for the exhibit press release [pdf]

Special Thanks to our Angel Island Exhibit Donors: (List as of May 7, 2010)

Benefactor Level ($1,000 and above)
Annie Jeng
Buck Gee
Byron Lee
CACA Grand Lodge
CACA Greater San Gabriel Valley
Chung King Properties
Joseph & Flora Ko
Laura Lai
Ronald L. & Lisa L. Moy
Tim & Annie Siu
Dolores Wong
James Bok Wong & Mrs. Betty KC Yeow
Victor Wong
Wei Wong, Esq.

Sponsor Level (up to $500)
Israel & Nadine Soo Hoo Levy
James J & Christiane A Cook
Linda Wah
Nowland C. Hong
The Central City Optimist Club of Los Angeles California
Tim & Cecilia Yu
In memory of Silun Ho and Kamping Chan

Advocate Level (up to $250)
Al & Bibiana Y. Soo-Hoo
Albert & Marjorie Lew
Allison C. Mah
Debra Wong
Dorothy Tamashiro
Edwin Kwoh
Eugene & Susan Moy
Ging Loy & Kam Chun Gin
Greg & Debbie Soo-Hoo
Jean Quan
Joe Quan
Louis E & Lavinia L Kwok
Pauline Wong, Ph.D.
Perry & Alice Lew
Randolph & Karolynne A. Gee
Raymond & Elsie S. Chan

Supporter Level (up to $100)
Charles Wong
Peter & Linda Yao
Donna Young
Gene W. & Nancy Choy
John & Ginger Fong
Sharon Chow
May Jang
Doré Hall Wong
Dennis Soo-Hoo
Desmond Lew
Jean Bruce Poole
Saykin Foo, CPA
Peter & Lucy Soo-Hoo, Jr.
Angi Ma Wong
Michael Fong
Jan Lin
Ed Lew
Diane Tan
Gene & Alma Chin
M. Michael & Lisa A. Deaderick
Dr. Wayne Flicker & Janice Lew
A.Y. & C.Q. Chow
Dean & Nellie Jew
Pearl Lee
Patricia Q. & Debra Eng
David A. & Linda L. Dow
Stephen & Nancy Pang
Bob Gin
Ava Lee
Frankie F. Yan
Jimmy M. & Dale A. Gin
Samuel Joe
Peter J. Wong and Patricia Kinaga
Howard Chin
Randy & Vickie Hom
Roy & Daisy Chan
Agnes Fung
Emily C. Mayeda
Janice Ng
Cynthia Woo
Wei C. Wong, Esq.
Heather Lee-Yoshioka
Richard Ferrante

Journeys

This exhibit narrates Chinese immigration to the United States with an emphasis on community settlement in Los Angeles. The display is outlined into four distinct time periods. Each period is defined by an important immigration law and event, accompanied by a brief description and a short personal story about a local Chinese American and their experiences in that particular historical period.

Sun Wing Wo General Store and Herb Shop

This exhibition is a recreation of an actual store that was housed in the Garnier Building in the 1890’s. The Sun Wing Wo store opened in 1891 and remained in this building until 1948.  The store was a multi-purpose space that showed how self-sufficient the Chinese were and had to be due to racism and discrimination, while also being responsive to the needs of their community.  Even though the store predominantly served the Chinese, there were European, Japanese, and Mexican Americans who also came to purchase Chinese merchandise.

On one side of the gallery, people can find merchandise sold at the general store such as food, clothing, furniture, firecrackers, and dishes; they can also find western products that were popular at the time such as cigars and perfumed soaps. The store also provided banking, postal, and letter writing services for the community.

On the other side of the gallery, the Museum recreated the herb shop where Chinese could practice their traditional form of healthcare - Chinese Medicine. There were acupuncture services and prescriptions of herbal remedies provided.

Meet Albert Lew

Engage in a lively chat with Albert Lew as he relives his childhood days in the original Sun Wing Wo Store. Experience what it was like inside the hustle and bustle of this vital community center as seen through the eyes of a then thirteen-year old Albert, who worked in the store upon his arrival to the United States in 1937.

Born in Los Angeles, California, Albert Lew moved to China with his parents at the age of five during the Great Depression. In 1937, Albert Lew was thirteen years old when he came back to the United States to earn money to support his mother and younger siblings in China. Upon his arrival, Albert worked in the Sun Wing Wo general store and herb shop, located in Chinatown, and owned and operated by his uncles and cousin. After working at the store for six months, his older sister and her husband arranged for Albert to join them in San Francisco. Albert eventually served in the U.S. Navy and worked for the Department of Water and Power. He has since retired in Los Angeles with his wife and two children.

Scheduled appearances: The SECOND WEDNESDAY of every month.