Wing Luke Museum Newsletter 2020 HEAR US RISE IN THIS ISSUE: Up Close with Where Beauty Lies PG. 3 New Exhibit Guilty Party PG. 6 Up Close with Hear Us Rise PG. 7 Supporter Spotlight PG. 10 Photo by Naomi Ishisaka A Message from IT’S THE YEAR the Executive Director BOARD OF TRUSTEES Ellen Ferguson, Co-President Jill Nishi, Co-President OF THE RAT! “As a second generation Dutchman of Indian heritage, Katherine Cheng, Co-Vice President Diane Sugimura, Co-Vice President unfortunately I could not associate myself with either of my By artist Nadine Tabing Bruce Brundige, Treasurer communities in the U.S. Never in my wildest imagination did I Mimi Gan, Secretary think that I would also discover my “home” at the Wing Luke Casey Bui, Immediate Past President Rat years: 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020, 2032 Museum where I had found acceptance! I firmly believe in Kiran Ahuja the Museum mission and the lasting impression of its warmth, Tera Beach Famous Rats: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, RuPaul, Laverne Cox, James Sai Chaleunphonh a place where neither I nor any visitor can be bored but a Baldwin, Lebron James, Trevor Noah, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Bella Hadid, Nanette Fok place where I am always at home.” Jamie Ford Jennie Kim Louie Gong Pat Norikane Logerwell These are the eloquent words of a departing Museum staffer. Characteristics of people born in the Year of the Rat: Characteristics of Donna Lou Thank you Rushil, the Wing Luke Museum is always your home. Paul Mar people born in the Year of the Rat: Energetic, optimistic, clever, kind, outgoing, Midori Matsui observant, adaptable, diligent, sociable Maya Mendoza-Exstrom Home and place have always played a significant role for the museum; JoAnn Mills Victor Mizumori • in 1910, when the early Chinese immigrants to Seattle built our building as their Savitha Reddy Pathi first home; Michael Shiosaki Mark Takagi • in 1967, when the Museum founders opened the Wing Luke Museum as a cultural Year of the Judy Tobin home to share with others; Gloria Lung Wakayama Larry Yok • in 2020, when Asian Pacific Americans are expressing our numbers and votes, part of Rat Coloring determining America’s future. STAFF Andrea Allsop Contest LUNAR NEW YEAR Josie Baltan We don’t take our home and place in America for granted. There is much to fight for, Heather Chan much to appreciate, much still to do. Max Chan Judges will select DESIGN CONTEST WINNER Mimi Chan three entries from Vivian Chan In 2020, the Year of the Rat, the museum exhibits and programs intend to reclaim, 2020 YEAR OF THE RAT COLORING CONTEST each of four age GRAND PRIZE: Seattle Attractions Experience Cassandra (Cassie) Chinn Sounders match tickets, family passes to Seattle attractions, and more) celebrate and heal: Get FREE kids’ admission Plus 3 additional winners! and ½ price for accompanying adults with contest entry! CONTEST ENDS MARCH 31, 2020 AT 5:00 PM! (valued at over $700, includes Ling Chun (see reverse side for details) groups (ages 0–3, participant present. VOTE ONLINE APRIL 1122! Aziza Dixon • Our unique APA beauty; Must be submitted with child NADINE TABING 4–6, 7–9, 10–12) Artist’s Age Date of visit Robert (Bob) Fisher to The Wing To be fi lled out Daniel Glauber • Our APA vision on the suffragette anniversary; which will then be by museum sta Rahul Gupta • Our relentless evolution of our dumpling heritage; put to an online Em Halladay vote. From these Marie (Maya) Hayashi • Our witnessing against racist incarceration and internment, no matter what border For our second annual Lunar New Year Bailee Hiatt or era. 12, one Grand design contest, we challenged local Samantha Hilario Prize winner will artists to create our Year of the Rat John Hom Mackenzie Lawrence We also celebrate the museum as a permanent place to honor the passing generations, receive over artwork. We received many incredible Season Sponsor: Jintana Lityouvong with a special spot in our hearts for the beloved and kind Marge Luke Young (1940–2019), $700 worth Supporting Sponsors: submissions and are thrilled to announce Friend: Meilani Mandery Wing’s second sister. of tickets to this year’s winner, Nadine Tabing! Rayann Matsui Shaun Mejia Seattle attractions, gift Nadine is a graduate of the University Blake Nakatsu Thank you for all the ways you may be connecting with the Wing Luke Museum. You’re certificates to local restaurants, and tickets of Washington whose work focuses on Doan Nguyen helping the Asian Pacific American voices and cultures secure our permanent place in to an upcoming 2020 Sounders FC match! Somchay Phouleuanghong the design of things that bring people Alex Plemitscher the American story. May 2020 be a year when the APA voice counts. Three runners up will also receive ticket happiness. We’re excited to see her Madison Ramey packages to famous Seattle attractions. design ring in the Year of the Rat! Jeannette Roden Jessica Rubenacker Julie Salathe Follow us on social media or check back on Charlene Mano Shen the website (wingluke.org/lunarnewyear) for Chrissy Shimizu more details on the voting process. Alexis Silva Deyland Somer MJ Steele @winglukemuseum Emma Sullivan Beth Takekawa, Executive Director Beth Takekawa Troy Tsuchikawa Louisa (Raine) Warden Katherine (Wren) Wheeler PRESENTING SEASON SPONSORS LEAD SPONSOR PRIME SPONSOR MAJOR SPONSOR SUPPORTING SPONSOR Nicholas Williamson Ann Wong Donald Wong The Wing Donors The Lester and MUFG Union Bank Mikala Woodward Phyllis Epstein Foundation Gary Yamamoto Foundation US Bancorp Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Foundation Pacific American Experience 719 South King Street, Seattle WA, 98104 206.623.5124 | wingluke.org 1 WING LUKE MUSEUM / WINTER 2020 2 UP CLOSE WITH MUSEUM WHERE BEAUTY LIES By Exhibit Developer Mikala Woodward DIVERSITY In December of 2018, the Community The Wing Luke Museum is currently participating in the Diversifying Advisory Committee for the exhibit that Art Museum Leadership Initiative (DAMLI), a grant supported by would become Where Beauty Lies met the Ford Foundation and Walton Family Foundation. In October, for the first time. Staff had recruited a DAMLI fellows Emma and Jintana had the opportunity to visit a group of people with a wide range of sister museum to Wing Luke Museum, the National Museum of connections to the topic of Asian Pacific Mexican Art in Chicago. There, they got an in depth look into Americans and Beauty: cultural critics and the programs and operations of another unique institution that journalists, hairdressers and wedding serves a community of color. In the world of Museums, POC stories planners, historians and therapists, are not often told, and we are not reflected in the leadership burlesque performers and visual artists and professionals that work in the industry. Participating in the and mothers raising mixed-race children. DAMLI program helped Jintana & Emma grow more confident We were excited about the group and the as AAPI professionals in the Museum world and reinforced to topic, looking forward to exploring the them how unique and special the Wing Luke Museum is in the fun, creative, empowering side of beauty, work it does, the stories it tells, and the people it uplifts. and interested in delving into the darker aspects of sexism, racism, and exploitation in the beauty industry. To kick things off, we went around the room asking everyone Thank You to describe a time when they felt beautiful. Before we’d gotten half-way around the and Welcome FROM THE COLLECTIONS room, several people were weeping. This wasn’t necessarily a bad thing: for the most YESLER part these were healing tears, stemming Many thanks to Judd Lee for from the sharing of vulnerable moments his time as a BASKETBALL in a supportive group. But it did make it Photography by Truong Photos Trustee of the clear that there was a deeply personal Museum. Judd TEAM and painful side to this topic, and that we began serving as would need to find ways for visitors to for healing from body image issues that a Trustee in 2008 Here pictured are the Seattle Park League process some of these feelings as part of we adapted to address appearance more and concluded and Interleague Council Champs of 1954. the exhibit. generally. We tested out a variety of his service in The diverse team of players include Willie prompts, and then asked CAC members, 2019. He was Chin, Ray Soo, Frank Fujii, Glen Yee, Edwin a regular table captain at the Museum’s At that first meeting we brainstormed a staff members, and other contributors Wong, Ed Dilling, Don McIlwraith, Ted Davis. long list of ideas for the exhibit, including to record their responses to a series of auction over the years and provided his potential interactive elements. “We should questions: What messages did you get professional expertise to the Board’s Finance Committee. have mirrors for people to look into – with about your appearance as a child? How prompts that encourage them to see their did those messages make you feel? Where Thanks also to the following staff who faces in a new way.” “Let’s have a place do you think those messages came from? concluded their service this past year at the where people can burn all the rotten things What do you wish people had said to you Wing Luke Museum: Roldy Ablao, Sabrina people have said to them about how they instead? A half-dozen people sent in their (Monyee) Chau, Mari Clark-Nagaoka, Taylor look.” “Is there a way to use audio to share memories and thoughts. Kamna Shastri, a Deegan-Williams, Olive Huang, Christina Marketplace some of the more personal, intimate issues podcaster and radio journalist who was Nguyen, Erika Robertson, Rushil Sharma, Jennifer (Pin-An) Shy, James Sok, Amirah around beauty?” part of the CAC, wove the recordings Srong, Margaret Su, Shannon Urabe, Our Marketplace is more than a souvenir shop, together into a haunting and inspiring Nina Vichayapai it's a part of the Museum that takes our social This last question led to a long process of “sound bath.” impact beyond our walls.