Chinese American Journey Exhibit Prototype
November 2023
Providence once had a Chinatown in the 1880s. It came to an end in 1914 when homes and businesses were demolished to widen the roadway. According to the artist Yoo Warren who curated the exhibit “Seeing Providence Chinatown” in 2022, about 300 Chinese people lived on Empire St between 1906 and 1917. It was a bustling place with Chinese groceries and pharmacies; The Chin, Lee and Quong families lived at 51 and the On Leong Merchants Association served as a community service organization that helped businesses and families. Today, documents, images and objects from these places are stored in archives and the rich histories of the Chinese diaspora in Rhode Island are passed down through oral tradition. However, by removing Chinatown, in many ways rendered invisible the Chinese and larger AAPI community presence and impact in Rhode Island. Thus, an authentic first step towards equity is representation.
On June 29th, 2022, a bill was signed into law requiring Asian American (AAPI) history and culture to be taught in Rhode Island schools. This was due to the work and dedication of Asian American activists; AAPI history will no longer be taught as secondary to U.S. history but in fact embedded and entangled within it.
Beginning with a Chinese American Journey Exhibit, this pilot project is part of a much larger effort led by the CSEBRI Cultural Society to create an AAPI History Museum. Funded by the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, the traveling exhibit prototype acts as an opportunity to envision new realities and futures for AAPI groups. It is a joyful and ongoing work that captures moments of transformation, hardship, leadership, resilience, and humanity within the Chinese American experience in the United States. The design makes specific allowances for community research, interactivity, programming, iteration and replication.
Building a public space for AAPI education....
- Celebrates Asian-Americans cultural heritage and history of leadership
- Teaches a comprehensive timeline of major historical periods in US history with a focus on Asian immigrants and their experience in the United States
- Confronts legacies of xenophobia and anti-Asian discrimination
- Prompts an ongoing dialogue about the role Asian Americans played in the formation of the United States and its identity
Exhibit Guidebooks
Images
Team
Design & Research: Lily Gucfa
Research: Indigo Mudbhary