Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center

10/11/2024

This week, we’ve been featuring images from the “Sightlines” exhibition title wall. While many of the photos capture people posing for the camera, today’s image stands out for its spontaneity and pure joy 😊. In this photo, a young Jack Lee (center) is seen roughhousing with friends in the heart of D.C.’s Chinatown. The delight on his face reflects a moment of carefree play, a snapshot of a childhood lived in the close-knit Chinatown community 🏙️.

Jack Lee was born and raised in D.C.‘s Chinatown, a community his family had deep roots in. His father arrived in the area in the 1920s, joining his grandfather, and both were involved with the On Leong Merchants Association, which helped Chinese businesses and residents establish themselves in the neighborhood 🏢. For Jack and his friends, Chinatown’s alleys were their playground 🛝.

Reflecting on this time, Jack recalls: “We spent most of our time in the alleys. That’s where we played. That was our playground.” 🏃‍♂️👦

This photo captures the joy and sense of community that shaped so many lives in D.C.’s Chinatown ❤️.

Explore more moments of joy and connection in the “Sightlines” exhibition, on view now at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery.

📸 Photo by Tom Davenport. Courtesy of Jack Lee.

10/10/2024

Zenichi and Yoshiko Imamoto were longtime teachers in Southern California until World War II, when they, along with other West Coast Japanese Americans, were forcibly removed from their homes and incarcerated in government-run camps. After the war, they resettled in Washington, D.C., where their daughter Alice later joined them.

Alice (née Imamoto) Takemoto recalls her parents’ journey: “When Rohwer camp was closed, everybody had to leave. And so they chose to go move to Washington, D.C., … and they found employment where my mother would be a cook and my father would be a butler. [They worked for a couple—the husband was a surgeon teaching at Howard University].” Although her parents eventually returned to California, Alice remained in the area, where she built her life and raised her family.

Zenichi and Yoshiko Imamoto’s journey highlights both the resilience of Japanese Americans and the unjust treatment they faced during one of the darkest periods in U.S. history. Their story is an important reminder of how national and world-historical events, such as the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II, shaped the experiences of Asian Americans in Washington, D.C.

Check out this photo and explore more stories of resilience at the “Sightlines” exhibition, currently on view at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery.

📸 Zenichi and Yoshiko Imamoto pose on their daughter Alice’s wedding day in front of their home in Rock Creek Park by Peirce Mill, where they worked, 1951. Photo courtesy of Alice Takemoto and Paul Takemoto.

10/09/2024

The “Sightlines” gallery title wall features powerful photos that showcase how Asian Americans have come to Washington, D.C. through diverse pathways—establishing roots, building communities, and creating a lasting impact. Ellen Lee and her sister Sylvia (shown here, left and right), joined their parents in D.C. after their mother secured a position with the Army Map Service and their father helped found the Korean Church, whose congregation initially convened at Foundry Methodist Church on 16th Street NW. Their family’s story reflects not only the desire to settle but also to create a space for the community to gather.

As Ellen recalls: “A year after the Korean War broke out and we had relocated from Honolulu … [my father] decided that what the Koreans in Washington D.C. needed was a church to meet as a community not only to worship but in solidarity for peace in Korea.”

Visit the “Sightlines” exhibition at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery to discover more stories through photos, objects, and narratives.

📸: Ellen Lee (left) with her sister Sylvia (right) and their friend Grace Park (center), in front of the Foundry Methodist Church, ca. 1961. Photo by and courtesy of Carol Kim Retka.

10/08/2024

Spotlighting the Sarmiento Family: Celebrating Filipino American History Month

On the gallery title wall of the “Sightlines” exhibition, on view at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery, is an invitation to visitors: “If you could see through this wall, you would be looking at Chinatown, the oldest and most prominent Washington, D.C., site associated with Asian Americans. For nearly a century, this neighborhood has been a haven providing for a community’s social, economic, and cultural needs.”

Featured on this wall are four windows, each with a photo of an Asian American individual or family whose story reflects the exhibition’s focus on Asian Americans’ communal and cultural contributions to Washington, D.C.

This week, we are spotlighting the stories behind these photos, beginning with the Sarmiento Family, just in time for Filipino American History Month. On the far left of the family photo is Anthony (Tony) Sarmiento, the sixth of seven children, born in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, while his father served in the U.S. Army. The family settled permanently in D.C. in 1957, after his father’s retirement.

Reflecting on the photo, Sarmiento recalls: “My guess is that that ‘parol’ on the front porch is something my father designed and constructed to celebrate our first Christmas, Christmas 1958.”

Visit the “Sightlines” exhibition to explore more untold stories of Asian American families in D.C. history.

📷: The Sarmiento family pose with their “parol,” a traditional Filipino Christmas decoration, outside their home on 30th Street NW, about 1958. Photo courtesy of Anthony Sarmiento

10/07/2024

🎉 Join us this Saturday for Sightlines Saturday! 🎉

We’re excited to welcome you to our first monthly public program accompanying the stunning exhibition “Sightlines: Chinatown and Beyond” at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery! 🖼️

🗓️ What’s in store?
👀 A guided tour from 12-1pm through the fascinating stories and landmarks featured in the exhibition.
🏛️ PLUS, a hands-on activity from 1-3pm where you’ll dive into exploring iconic landmarks and get creative with your own architectural design!

Bring your friends and family, and let’s make it a day of discovery and creativity! ✨ Reserve your spot today and see you this Saturday!
https://s.si.edu/3U3cOrd

📍 Location: Smithsonian American Art Museum
🕛 Time: 12-3pm
📅 Date: This Saturday

Sightlines Saturdays will take place every second Saturday of the month for the duration of the "Sightlines" exhibition.

🖼️: Credit: AEPA Architects Engineers P.C., Friendship Archway, Streetscape at Seventh and H Streets NW, 1985–86. Smithsonian's Anacostia Community Museum

10/02/2024

The third anchor object featured in “Sightlines: Chinatown and Beyond" is “Rise Up! DC Stands United Against Hate,” a reproduction of the mural created by Cita Sadeli, aka MISS CHELOVE (The Work of Miss Chelove), included in the exhibition’s “Visualizing Identity” section.

What can solidarity look like? Through her artwork, MISS CHELOVE offers a compelling answer. A prolific muralist, she reflects her personal connections to diverse people and places—including her Javanese family. In 2020, during the global protests sparked by the murder of George Floyd, she created this mural on an H Street storefront in Chinatown to express her solidarity with the racial justice movement. Wheatpasting the artwork on a block she’s familiar with since her teenage years, MISS CHELOVE’s mural marks her ongoing connection to D.C.’s vibrant cultural and political landscape.

As she explains, “Public art provides an opportunity to reflect the experiences of communities with respect, empathy, and compassion.”

📍 Visit the “Sightlines” exhibition at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery to see this striking mural and discover more about the historical, cultural, and creative connections of Asian Americans to Washington, D.C.

Credit: Image courtesy of the artist.

10/01/2024

Continuing our feature on the anchor objects in our exhibition, “Sightlines: Chinatown and Beyond,” today we focus on “Safety Jacket: A Mourning in Chinatown” by artist Terence Nicholson.

Who embodies tradition? The “Transforming Tradition” section of the exhibition examines this question through the lens of martial arts in Washington, D.C.’s Chinatown, which has crossed cultural boundaries. Nicholson, an African American visual artist, musician, and 19th-generation disciple of the Wudang Longmen Lineage, created this sculpture in the form of a Kung Fu uniform jacket. The piece is made from martial arts sashes recovered after the closing of Wah Shing Kung Fu School, where he trained for many years before its eviction in 2016.

Nicholson’s sculpture is a tribute to the loss of this school and the Chinatown community it once fostered, but also a testament to the lasting influence they have on his life. As he notes, “My Kung Fu family, they are like my siblings.”

📍 Come experience this powerful work, along with the rest of “Sightlines: Chinatown and Beyond,” at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery. This and other objects featured in the exhibition showcase the historical, cultural, and creative connections of Asian Americans to Washington, D.C.

Credit: Terence Nicholson, “Safety Jacket: A Mourning in Chinatown” (2018). Smithsonian's Anacostia Community Museum. Gift of Alexia and Roderick von Lipsey.

09/30/2024

This Saturday, join APAC and the Washington Chinese Youth Club - CYC—in front of the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery—for an exciting day of 9-Man Volleyball as part of Open Streets DC!

Known as “the unofficial sport of American Chinatowns,” 9-Man is a unique volleyball game with 9 players per side, played on a larger court. It began in the 1930s as a recreational sport among Chinese American men, many of whom were immigrants from Taishan in Guongdong, China. The game became a symbol of resilience and unity in Chinatowns across the U.S.

Come watch live scrimmages and, afterward, explore our exhibition “Sightlines: Chinatown and Beyond,” on view at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, to learn more about the rich history of 9-Man and its place in Asian American culture.

This is a can’t-miss event combining sport, history, and culture—reserve your spot today! https://s.si.edu/4dnHs5y

09/30/2024

This week, we’re excited to feature the three anchor objects that guide visitors through our exhibition, "Sightlines: Chinatown and Beyond," currently on view at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery. These key pieces direct attention to the surrounding walls, helping to unfold the exhibition’s broader themes of “Making Place,” “Transforming Tradition,” and “Visualizing Identity.” Together, they provide meaningful insights into the cultural and historical ties between Asian Americans and Washington, D.C.

What makes a place matter? One answer lies in the Friendship Archway, designed by architect Alfred H. Liu (1942-2021), an illustration of which serves as the anchor object for the exhibition’s “Making Place” section. Liu believed Chinatown’s survival—both economically and culturally—depended on creating a space that looked distinctly Chinese. He envisioned the archway as “a magnet” for the community, symbolizing both Chinatown’s significance and D.C.’s international connections. Dedicated in 1986, the archway continues to be a vibrant landmark, representing the sister city relationship between Washington, D.C. and Beijing.

Dr. Dwan L. Tai of the Asian Benevolent Corps noted that “The archway will tell the world that Washington’s Chinatown does exist.”

📍 Come see the Friendship Archway in the "Sightlines" exhibition and experience the deeper connections it represents.

Credit: AEPA Architects Engineers P.C., "Friendship Archway, Streetscape at Seventh and H Streets NW, 1985–86." Smithsonian's Anacostia Community Museum.

09/28/2024

Today, we commemorate and honor the life and legacy of Dr. Franklin S. Odo. A third-generation Japanese American historian, scholar, and activist, Dr. Odo served, from 1997 to 2010, as the founding director of the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program (now the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center), where he worked tirelessly to bring more attention to AAPI history, art, and culture. He was also the first Asian American curator at the National Museum of American History, helping to diversify the stories told through the Smithsonian’s collections and exhibitions.

From 1989 to 1991, Dr. Odo served as the president of the Association for Asian American Studies - AAAS. During the 1990s, he held visiting professorships at the University of Pennsylvania, Hunter College, Columbia University, and his alma mater, Princeton University.

Dr. Odo’s groundbreaking work to preserve and promote AAPI stories has left an indelible mark on the world. As a scholar, he mentored generations of scholars and museum professionals. As an activist, he uplifted communities and championed diversity, inclusion, and social justice. Under his leadership, the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center grew into a vital platform and resource for sharing the significant cultural contributions of the nation’s diverse Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities.

As we reflect on his enduring impact, we are reminded of the importance of continuing his legacy and supporting the stories he so fiercely believed in. Thank you, Dr. Odo, for paving the way for a more inclusive future.

09/26/2024

📢 Calling all students! Are you an undergraduate student passionate about AANHPI histories and communities? Interested in a career in museums? Then apply to the Asian Pacific American Center's 2025 Spring Internship!

The internship provides all interns with stipends and an immersive experience within the world's largest museum, education, and research complex!

Apply by October 4 at 11:59PM ET! Visit https://s.si.edu/4gImbqb to learn more about this exciting opportunity.

Pictured 📸: APAC's 2024 Summer Internship Cohort: Nathan Habon, Anya Tang, Hiru Dias Amarawardena, and Elizabeth Hudak

09/21/2024

During their partnership with APAC, Asian Texans for Justice and elementary teacher Lucel Frost wanted to tell the story of Asian American San Antonians. They were especially inspired by their city’s love of theme parks. What better, then, to create a theme park-like map, chock full of intriguing details about San Antonio’s Asian America.

For instance: Did you know that Chinese immigrants fought in the U.S.-Mexico War? And that their participation allowed them to migrate to San Antonio despite the exclusionary policies targeting Chinese people?

Learn all about San Antonio’s Asian America in this brand-new resource by visiting https://s.si.edu/3MNiYYv!

Illustrations by: Isabella Chavez

09/20/2024

As part of APAC’s Co-Create Initiative, the Orange County Co-Creators (, , and ) developed two postcards with accompanying lesson plans highlighting Vietnamese Americans’ impact in the local community. These postcards and lesson plans introduce audiences to the Vietnamese saying Ăn Quả Nhớ Kẻ Trồng Cây ("When eating fruit, remember who planted the tree") and the Asian Garden Mall, "Phước Lộc Thọ." This resource encourages intergenerational dialogue and celebrates the legacy of the Vietnamese American community in Orange County.

Visit https://s.si.edu/3MNiYYv to download and print your own copy!

Illustrations by .us

09/19/2024

As part of APAC’s Co-Create Initiative, Houston's Co-Creators (, , and ) highlight the local stories of AAPI immigrants and refugees in the Gulfton area of Houston, Texas through foodways. This booklet explores how people think, imagine, and create new foodways to connect with their heritage. “From Place to Plate” pairs ingredients and recipes with the stories and memories of their maker.

Visit https://s.si.edu/3MNiYYv to download and print your own copy!

09/18/2024

As part of APAC’s Co-Create Initiative, the Seattle Co-Creators (Dr. Third Andreson, Educator Annabel Garcia-Andresen, and ) produced two interactive digital zines, each in collaboration with two influential and historic multi-ethnic Filipino families: the Corpuz Family and the Jenkins Family. These zines present a personal history of how these families lived in Washington State through oral histories, family trees, interviews, family photographs, and a celebrated family recipe. The zines begin a conversation of how these families’ histories connect with larger conversations of identity and belonging.

Visit https://s.si.edu/3MNiYYv to explore both zines!

Photography by

09/17/2024

As part of APAC’s Co-Create Initiative, the Chicago Co-Creators (KAN-WIN and ) highlighted the women who have led, served, and strengthened Chicago's Asian and Asian American community. The Chicago co-creators were inspired by KAN-WIN’s mission to eliminate gender-based violence in Asian American and immigrant communities. By interviewing community leaders, the Co-Creators hope to empower readers, especially those with marginalized gender identities, to become leaders advocating for a more equitable future for all. Visit https://s.si.edu/3MNiYYv to access a printable booklet spotlighting the women who have led and strengthened Chicago's Asian American communities.

Illustration by .studio

09/16/2024

As part of APAC’s Co-Create Initiative, Austin's Co-Creators (Educator Annie Nguyen and the Asian American Resource Center - City of Austin) focused on Austinite Isamu Taniguchi’s life and the garden he built at the City of Austin’s Zilker Botanical Gardens in the aftermath of his World War II-era incarceration in Crystal City, Texas. Honoring the lush plants and walkways of the garden, the Austin team co-created a one-page informational poster with an interactive zine project on the other side to help guide students on how they can connect their stories of home and family to the garden’s history. Visit apa.si.edu/co-create-initiative/ to download and print your own copy!

Graphic Design by

09/15/2024

As the school year kicks off, APAC is excited to share a new series of educational resources for exploring local Asian American histories in the classroom and beyond! This week we’ll share six new resources from our inaugural Co-Create Initiative, which brought together teachers and Asian American community organizations from six localities across the country to produce a range of creative resources including cookbooks, zines, postcards, and maps!

A special thanks to YURI Education Project for their huge role in this initiative!

09/13/2024

08/27/2024

🖼️ New Exhibition Alert: "Sightlines: Chinatown and Beyond" 🖼️

The Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center is excited to announce the opening of our first museum exhibition in a decade! "Sightlines: Chinatown and Beyond" opens on Sept. 7 at the Smithsonian American Art Museum!

"Sightlines" examines and celebrates Asian Americans’ contributions to the cultural and built environments of Washington D.C. The themes “Making Place,” “Transforming Tradition,” and “Visualizing Identity” are explored through sculpture, photographs, architectural drawings, sketchbooks, and ephemera.

Join us for the exhibition opening festival to enjoy martial arts presentations, visual arts demonstrations and hands-on craft activities, a discussion with local Asian American chefs, and music and dance performances, including DJ sets. Plus, representatives from local Asian American community organizations will speak with visitors about their work and histories in the area.

🗓️ Opening Festival: Sept. 7, 11:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m
📍 Smithsonian American Art Museum (800 G St NW, Washington, DC)

Reserve your free tickets today! https://s.si.edu/4gf3s5p

Image Credit: Terence Nicholson, "Safety Jacket: A Mourning in Chinatown," 2018. Anacostia Community Museum, Smithsonian Institution. Gift of Alexia and Roderick von Lipsey.

08/09/2024

Few organizations can say they've been advancing their mission for 178 years – and that's something worth celebrating! Join fellow supporters from around the world in signing the Smithsonian's birthday card to share your well wishes on this momentous occasion. https://s.si.edu/4dAumCl

07/02/2024

On this day in 1964, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act, prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, religion, s*x, and national origin. This landmark legislation outlawed racial segregation in schools, unequal application of voter registration requirements, and employment discrimination.

On the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, we remember its enduring impact, including its influence on the nation’s immigration laws. One year after the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965—also known as the Hart–Celler Act.

This Act aimed to eliminate racially based restrictions on immigration to the U.S. It instituted a new immigration system based on immigrants’ skills and family relationships in the U.S. and abolished the restrictive national origins quota system that had been in place.

From the early 1800s to the era of Hart-Celler, Asian Americans’ rights to immigration and citizenship were severely restricted by laws targeting Asians specifically. The Hart-Celler Act has since increased immigration to the U.S. from Asia, Europe, and Africa. Just as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 aimed to end discriminatory practices against African Americans, the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 sought to eliminate racially based restrictions on immigration to the U.S.

Photo credit: This stamp is in the collection of the Smithsonian National Postal Museum. ©USPS; all rights reserved.

06/30/2024

Register today for the education event of the summer! Join Smithsonian educators from over 22 museums research centers, and the Zoo, for the 2024 Smithsonian National Education Summit—a free three day conference unlike any other.

With a blend of both virtual livestreamed and pre-recorded sessions, as well as in-person programming in the heart of Washington, D.C., there is something for everyone across education. Registration is free, with some sessions at limited capacity. https://s.si.edu/EducationSummit2024