Member Newsletter • Spring 2012 celebrate year of the dragon IN THIS ISSUE Up Close With Meet Me at Higo . .pg 3 Memories of Wing Luke . pg 4 Celebrating Year of the Dragon . pg 6 Supporter Spotlight. pg 7 Artist Ken Taya with the dragon he created as our 2012 Celebrate Year of the Dragon image. Ken is also one of the artists featured in our new exhibition, Asian American Arcade. Message From the Executive Director Happy New Year of the Water Dragon! Lunar year 4710 is said to be one of major progress in the realm of diplomatic and global issues, and is a good time to examine the global significance of our daily efforts. Board Of Trustees Ellen Ferguson, Co-President In October I was one of 56 individuals invited to participate in an Casey Bui, Co-President international seminar in Salzburg, Austria, examining Libraries and Katherine Cheng, Vice President Mimi Gan, Secretary Museums in an Era of Participatory Culture. This Salzburg Global Victor Mizumori, Treasurer Seminar, supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), gathered cultural Gloria Lung Wakayama, Past President leaders from 23 countries to rethink our roles and responsibilities in a time defined by economic Aileen Balahadia disruptions, massive population shifts and the transformation of public expectations for individual Bruce Brundige Sai Chaleunphonh cultural participation because of technology. Nanette Fok Jamie Ford Misun Chung Gerrick The Wing was one of three U.S. museums represented, and I was asked to facilitate Culture and Bruce Hayashi Communities, one of the five working groups. I was inspired by the work of each of our global Judd Lee Patricia Norikane Logerwell colleagues, including Rudo Sithole, the Director of the International Council of African Museums Paul Mar AFRICOM; Anupam Sah, founder of The Himalayan Society for Heritage and Art Conservation, at JoAnn Mills Marshall Pankaj Nath Ranibagh, India; and Michelle Hippolete, Kaihautu (Maori leader) of the Museum of New Zealand Jill Nishi Te Papa Tongarewa. As summarized by Gabriela Aidar, from the Sociocultural Inclusion program Savitha Pathi Diane Sugimura of the Pinacoteca do Estado de Sao Paulo, Brazil (art museum): “Participation in cultural activities, Judy Tobin together with access to them, forms the backbone of human rights pertaining to culture.” Sung Yang Staff Thank you to the IMLS and congratulations to all in The Wing family for supporting The Wing’s Ethelyn Abellanosa explorations and voyages into uncharted territories. Clearly the world demands that all hands are Roldy Ablao II Janet Aviado on deck in the search for human advancement, including our cultural institutions. Josie Baltan Elizabeth Bly Vivian Chan On Saturday, January 21, over 1500 people came to The Wing to participate in Lunar New Year David Chattin-McNichols activities, our highest visitation day since the Grand Opening in 2008. Warm and grateful thanks Amy Chinn Cassie Chinn for being part of this global journey. Monica Day Toryan Dixon Bob Fisher Beth Takekawa, Executive Director John Hom Suzanne Hu Karen Kajiwara Michael Kan Nam Keo Michelle Reiko Kumata Jennie Fong Ly Donna Ma Jennifer Maines Charlene Mano Shen Thank You and Welcome Luie Marcotte Maria Martinez Welcome to has stepped down from his Doan Nguyen Sung Yang Hanh Pham Pankaj Nath, position as Vice President of our Board of Mario Pilapil the newest Trustees, but will continue to serve as a board Jeannette Roden Jessica Rubenacker member of member. We appreciate his hard work and Elizabeth Shaiken our Board of dedication and his continuing commitment to Margaret Su Stacey Swanby Trustees. At the board. Thank you, Sung! Beth Takekawa JPMorgan Troy Tsuchikawa Donald Wong Chase Bank Congratulations to board member Katherine Mikala Woodward in Seattle, who has stepped up to an officer Annia Yoshizumi Cheng Pankaj is a vice position as the new Vice President. Thank you, president and Katherine, for your leadership! Wing Luke Museum of the Asian banker serving Pacific American Experience Pankaj Nath the needs of Please welcome new staff members who 719 South King Street businesses in recently joined the Museum: Toryan Dixon, Seattle WA, 98104 Phone: (206) 623-5124 the Puget Sound area, especially those in Maria Martinez, Doan Nguyen, and Annia Website: www.wingluke.org technology/bio tech as well as companies Yoshizumi. dealing in international trade. Previously, he Winter 2012 Newsletter held positions at Citi Private Bank and Bank Thank you to staff members who concluded Cover Photo: Ken Taya, courtesy WLM Layout Design by: of America. He serves on the organizing their service to the Museum over the course Collin Kwan Design committee of Celebrate Asia and has served of the past six months: Russel Bareng, Daniel on the board of the Indian Association of Guan, Suzanne Hu, Ammara Kimso, Howard Western Washington, and has volunteered for King, Vi Mar, and Robin Park. the Chinese Information and Service Center and Chaya. 2 SPRING 2012 Up Close With... Meet Me at Higo: An Enduring Story of a Japanese American Family Exhibition on display through May 27, 2012 Book by Ken Mochizuki, available in The Wing Marketplace Aya and Masa Murakami, former owners Tamaye and many others. of the Higo 10 Cents Store in Seattle’s I went to Vancouver, Bremerton and Nihonmachi (Japantown), taught a fourth some more places. grade class at the Minidoka concentration We used to have fun at our school camp. As one of their assignments, they playing catch, dogde ball, tag & having asked students to write autobiographies. races. Transcribed exactly as written (even with Then we had to evacuate. We packed misspellings and grammar mistakes), our things from morning till late in the these writings provide samples of candid night. About 8: A.M. we started to go to reflections by children during the war. The Puyallup on May 1st. following are excerpted from the Meet Me The school in Puyallup wasn’t very bad. at Higo book. First in the morning was language and next was athletics etc. First page of autobiography by Ayako Jean Fujii, Auto-Biography of Ayako Jean Fujii Then 4 months later we boarded the 1943. Murakami Family Collection, Wing Luke I was born in Seattle Washington on train on September 1st. Then we came to Museum November 17, 1933 at Columbus Hospital Idaho! How different Idaho is compared to at 10:A.M. I am the second child in the Puyallup! family. I have no brothers but two sisters. The houses here are much different One is smaller than I am and the other is because they have steps & a hall way. I older than I. got to know many new friends here some Bon Voyage to Vi My father was working in his factory are Masae, Miriam, Frances, Mitsuye & making soda-pops. other friends. and Howard When I was 7 months old my teeth We had 5 or 6 teachers. The first started to come up. When I was a little teacher was Miss Yorozu next was Miss We bid a fond farewell to retiring staff older I used to get into mischief many Ikeda etc. members Vi Mar and Howard King. times. The scenery here is just sagebrush – Vi Mar founded and began operating Then I soon went to kindergarten. My sagebrush all surrounding us. Chinatown Discovery Tours in 1985. teacher’s name was Miss Waterhouse. When I grow big I plan to be an office Thanks to Vi’s generous donation of She was very kind and I liked her. Then girl. her business to The Wing, Chinatown I went to 1st 2nd 3rd & 4th grade. I had Discovery Tours has been a program many friends that I used to play with. Continued on page 4 of the Museum since 2007. Through it, Some were Shizuko, Sakiye, Barbara, the Museum has been able to share the rich history, diverse cultures and small businesses of the Chinatown- International District with thousands of visitors each year. Significantly, Chinatown Discovery Tours has been of critical importance in helping the Museum sustain its operations, both today and into the future. While neither Vi nor Howard will be leading tours at the Museum any longer, they will continue to remain active in the community. Vi and Howard: Enjoy your upcoming worldwide The fourth grade class taught by Aya and Masa Murakami pose for a June 1943 class photo at Minidoka. Murakami Family Collection, Wing Luke Museum traveling Howard King and Vi Mar adventures! wingluke.org 3 Continued from page 3 forty-four blocks. Each block there are 12 barracks. I live in block 38, barrack 8, Auto-biography of Shokichi Tokita rooms e and f. I do not have much friends From Our I was born on March 23, 1934 at over here. Collections: Beacon Hill, Seattle, Wash. I was the first I had more friends over at the Seattle child to be born. I have 2 brothers and 3 school. What is This? sisters. The teachers name was Sister Marcol. My parents worked at a hotel named She was a very good and kind teacher. I Cadillac Hotel. My mother said that we liked her very much. earned a lot of money there at the hotel. At Idaho the scenery is very pretty. When I was a baby I fell down the stairs. When the sun goes down the sky is Some time I fell off the bed. When I was beautiful. There is a canal and in the canal fives years old I went to kindergarten. you can fish. Then I got friends with other children. When I grow up I plan to be a business Some of my friends were Yoshio, George, man or a baseball player. and Jerry.