AMERICAN STORY AMERICAN EARTH: I WANT THE WIDE AN ASIAN PACIFIC. Exhibition Prospectus. Smithsonian

Transcription

1 I WANT THE WIDE AMERICAN EARTH: AN ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN STORY Exhibition Prospectus Smithsonian

2 I WANT THE WIDE AMERICAN EARTH: AN ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN STORY

3 In the first exhibition of its kind, the Smithsonian celebrates Asian Pacific American history across Joseph Pierce, an adoptee of Chinese descent, fought for the Union in many of the Civil War s pivotal conflicts. Courtesy Michael J. McAfee, Curator of the Museum of United States Military Academy, New York a multitude of diverse cultures and explores how Asian Pacific Americans have shaped and been shaped by the course of our nation s history. Rich with compelling stories and images, the exhibition takes a sweeping look at this history, from the very first Asian immigrants centuries ago to the complex challenges facing Asian Pacific American communities today. While the Asian Pacific American experience has many points of origin, it truly began in America, a nation founded and built by immigrants and enriched by the vibrant diversity of heritage and tradition. Asian Pacific Americans are an integral part of every chapter in this country s great chronicle, building bridges, toppling barriers, forming communities and pointing the way to our future. Opposite: In the late 1840s, when gold was being discovered in the American West, tens of thousands of young Chinese bought passage to California, the place they dubbed Gam Saan, Gold Mountain. Courtesy Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley Cover: Laborers work the fields in Tule Lake, California, one of ten internment camps that imprisoned nearly 120,000 Japanese American and immigrant men and women during World War II. Courtesy National Archives Exhibition at a Glance Contents: Thirty 47" 87" free-standing flexible graphics with text, photographs, art, and graphics; downloadable mobile application with supplementary multimedia materials; and downloadable illustrated e-book Participation fee: $2,000 for 10 weeks plus outgoing shipping Size: 300 running feet Limited Security Tour Begins: Fall 2013 For information, please contact: Minnie Russell, , russellm@si.edu

4 Gold Rush / Transcontinental Railroad / Civil War / Annexation I WANT THE WIDE AMERICAN EARTH charts the beginnings of Asians in America, from Christopher Columbus s search for Asia in his historic trans-atlantic voyage in 1492 to the arrival of Asian laborers along the Gulf Coast and Eastern American seaboard throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. The exhibition tells the stories of early Asian immigrants as they helped build a nation while struggling for acceptance in their new home. Asian immigrants panned in the Gold Rush, hammered ties in the Transcontinental Railroad, fought on both sides in the Civil War, and helped build America s agricultural system on plantations in Hawai i and on farms in California. In the decades that followed, Asians fought to be recognized as full citizens and helped advance the cause of social justice. Events like the issuance of Executive Order 9066, which led to the internment of nearly 120,000 Japanese Americans and immigrants in 1942, motivated a number of the interned, along with some Native Hawaiians and Korean Americans, to serve in the armed forces during World War II, earning the nation s highest honors. Throughout history, Asian Pacific Americans saw themselves in the founding dream of this nation. Since the 1960s, vibrant new American communities, pan- Asian, Pacific Islander and cross-cultural in makeup, have blossomed. New cultural and political coalitions and labor alliances have formed in response to national challenges. Innovations and extraordinary achievements by Asian Pacific Americans enrich the cultural life of the nation. Today, Asian Pacific Americans continue to write the remarkable story of America. The title of the exhibition is taken from a poem by Filipino American writer, Carlos Bulosan ( ). Bulosan is known for capturing the struggles of the immigrant experience while also celebrating the ideals of America and the bright meaning of America to the world. Above left: In 1893, Queen Liliùokalani, the last monarch of the Kingdom of Hawai i, was deposed when the independent Hawaiian nation was annexed by the United States. Courtesy Hawai i State Archives Above: Saint Malo, a small Louisiana fishing village, active from the mid 18th century into the early 20th century, was the first settlement of Filipinos in the United States. Courtesy Library of Congress

5 I Want the Wide American Earth depicts the rich history and heritage of Asian Pacific Americans and highlights the many roles they have played in the American story. Chinese immigrant workers built much of the treacherous Central Pacific stretch of the Transcontinental Railroad, comprising over 80% of the Central Pacific workforce. While many lost their lives and all were paid less than their non-asian counterparts, the Western line was completed seven years ahead of schedule. Courtesy The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley

6

7 I WANT THE WIDE AMERICAN EARTH: AN ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN STORY Plantation Farms / Migrant Workers / Organizing Left: Between 1850 and 1930, more than 200,000 Japanese, 112,000 Filipino, 7,000 Korean, and nearly 50,000 Chinese laborers moved to Hawai i to work the plantations, playing a major role in building the archipelago s agricultural industry. The recruitment of Asian workers had a second effect: When Hawai i joined the U.S. in 1959, it was the first and only state with a predominantly Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander population. Photograph courtesy The Bishop Museum, Hawai i. Painting: Laura Kina, Issei, 2011 Below: The fight for equal wages and fair labor practices unites working Americans of all backgrounds. The 1946 sugar strike in Hilo, Hawai i, shown here, included 6,000 Filipinos alongside workers of various communities and brought an end to Hawaii s harsh and unfair labor conditions. Courtesy International Longshore and Warehouse Union

8 Citizenship / Civil Rights / Protest / Government Policy In 1894, coming home from a brief visit to China, 21-year-old, California-born Wong Kim Ark was denied entry to the U.S. under the Chinese Exclusion Act of He took his case all the way to the Supreme Court. Their landmark ruling in Wong s favor asserted the Constitutional right of anyone born in the U.S. to be a citizen of this country. Courtesy National Archives of San Francisco

9 This was the greatest act of civil disobedience to date in American history. scholar Jeannie Pfaelzer, on the late 1800s refusal of 107,000 Chinese immigrants to obtain certificates of residence, as required by law. Certificate of residence image Courtesy Library of Congress In 1968, students, artists, academics, and activists joined what came to be known as the Asian American Movement. Marching in solidarity with groups like the Black Panthers, pan-asian groups mobilized around many causes: protests against the war in Vietnam; civil rights for African Americans, American Indians, and women; and the fight to establish ethnic studies in higher education. Courtesy Roz Payne Archives India-born Dalip Singh Saund, the first Asian Pacific American to serve in the U.S. Congress, became an outspoken activist against the ban on naturalization of Asian immigrants. His story, from immigrant to Congressman, illustrates one of the many ways that Asian Pacific Americans have become part of the national tapestry. Courtesy Eric Saund Japanese American activist Yuri Kochiyama, who was interned during World War II, formed a lasting friendship with Malcolm X and was a bridge between African American and Asian Pacific American communities during the Civil Rights Movement. Courtesy UCLA Archives

10 Internment / World War II / Loyalty / Prejudice Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1942, the U.S. declared all persons of Japanese descent potential security threats and built ten internment camps to imprison thousands of Japanese Americans and immigrants for the next three years. No Japanese American was ever found guilty of espionage. Decades later, former internees gathered to remember their experience. Photograph by Corky Lee The Japanese race is an enemy race. Final Report: Japanese Evacuation from the West Coast 1942 by Lieutenant General John DeWitt, head of the wartime Western Defense Command, justifying the internment of all persons of Japanese descent during World War II. Manzanar Relocation Camp image Courtesy National Archives and Records Administration

11 The Delano Grape Strike of 1965 brought together Filipino and Mexican American labor organizers, including Larry Itliong (at left) and César Chávez (at right). The strike resulted in a successful nationwide grape boycott, the birth of one of the nation s most powerful unions, the United Farm Workers, and a powerful chapter in the American story. Courtesy Walter P. Reuther Library, Wayne State University I WANT THE WIDE AMERICAN EARTH: AN ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN STORY

12 Vincent Chin was a wake-up call that we re not all equal here, we re still foreigners, we re still different. Dale Minami, civil rights attorney In June 1982, Chinese American Vincent Chin was beaten to death by two autoworkers angry about the rise of Japan s auto industry. The perpetrators served no jail time. The case became a rallying point for Asian Pacific American communities. Photograph by Corky Lee

13 On September 11, 2001, Asian Pacific Americans were among the victims and the first responders. In the aftermath of the attacks, when South Asian Americans experienced hate crimes and racial profiling, Asian Pacific Americans of all backgrounds decried the backlash, believing in an America that was respectful, tolerant, and just. Photograph by Corky Lee. Painting: Tomie Arai, The Shape of Me, c The 1992 riots in Los Angeles destroyed a number of Korean American businesses, primarily in the Koreatown area of L.A., home to the largest population of Korean Americans in the U.S. Racial tensions flared throughout the riots, but the period also gave birth to an important series of cross-cultural dialogues that ultimately improved relations between Asian Pacific American, African American, and Latino communities. Photograph by Hyungwon Kang

14 This exhibition offers excellent programming opportunities! A Complete Exhibition Package As a host of I Want the Wide American Earth, you will receive the following: Complete curatorial and registrarial information Accompanying app and supplementary multimedia materials Thorough shipping, handling, and installation instructions Wall-to-wall fine arts insurance coverage under the Smithsonian s policy Ability to link to exhibition website for additional content Public relations support including sample press releases, images, and logos; digital graphics templates of advertisements, flyers, and other promotional materials; and advice on promoting the exhibition and hosting special events Guidelines for local fundraising Educational and programming resources Registrarial Requirements This exhibition has been designated LIMITED SECURITY and will be offered to institutions able to meet the following requirements: Space The exhibition must be displayed in a gallery or lounge area, not in a hallway. No SITES exhibition is to be displayed outdoors or in a tent or a temporary building. Security Supervision can be by guard, volunteer, student, or receptionist. Someone must be in the room with the exhibition at all times and may be performing other duties as well as watching the exhibition. No SITES exhibition is to be left unguarded at any time while open to the public. Exhibition area must be locked and secure during closing hours. Environmental Controls Fire protection must be provided according to local ordinances and subject to SITES approval. Direct sunlight should be diffused or eliminated to prevent fading of panels and photographs. Smoking, eating, and drinking are prohibited in the exhibition, staging, and storage spaces. Empty crates must be stored in secured, pest-free storage. Project Partners The Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center APAC provides vision, leadership, and support for Asian and Pacific Islander American initiatives for the Smithsonian Institution and works to better reflect their contributions to the American experience, world culture, and the understanding of our planet and the natural world throughout Smithsonian Institution collections, research, exhibitions, outreach, and education programs. The Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service SITES has been sharing the wealth of Smithsonian collections and research programs with millions of people outside Washington, D.C. for 60 years. SITES connects Americans to their cultural heritage through a wide range of exhibitions about art, science, and history, which are shown wherever people live, work and play. I Want the Wide American Earth: An Asian Pacific American Story was created by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center and organized for travel by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. The exhibition was made possible by a grant from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation.

15 The Vietnam War caused a mass exodus of Vietnamese and other Southeast Asian refugees from Communist-controlled Vietnam and surrounding nations. More than 800,000 boat people relocated to the United States in the 1970s and 1980s, with many thousand more perishing at sea. The surviving refugees, along with new waves of Asian Pacific American immigration made possible by the 1965 Hart-Cellar Act, dramatically changed the makeup of America. Courtesy U.S. Department of the Navy Back cover: In Hawai i, the Hokule`a and other recreated Polynesian sea-faring canoes have brought a deeper understanding of the technology, voyaging traditions, and history of Polynesian ancestors and become proud symbols of Pacific identity and heritage. Monte Costa/PhotoResource- Hawaii.com

16 Find out more about this traveling exhibition. Minnie Russell Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service