member’s newsletter | summer 2008 WING LUKE ASIAN MUSEUM OPENS ITS NEW HOME The new Wing Luke Asian Museum. “Letter Cloud” art installation by Erin Shie Palmer. Photo by John Pai. The Wing Luke Asian Museum opens its new permanent home at 719 South King Street in Seattle’s Chinatown/International District after rehabilitating the historic East Kong Yick Building and transforming a community with its successful $23.2 million capital campaign. From its 60,000-square-foot building, the Wing Luke Asian Museum expands its role as an economic and community resource for a distinctly diverse neighborhood, as one of Seattle’s historic and creative treasures, and as a cultural institution of national significance. Spaces include Honoring Our Journey, Community Portrait Galleries, Historic Immersion Exhibits, Safeco Insurance Foundation Special Exhibition Gallery, George Tsutakawa Art Gallery, East and West Lightwells, Tateuchi Story Theatre, KidPLACE, Frank Fujii Youth Space, Learning Studios, The Marketplace, Community Hall, and the Governor Gary Locke Library and Community Heritage Center. A national model for community-based exhibition process, upcoming special exhibits include the Native Hawaiian Community in the Pacific Northwest (Special Exhibition Gallery, October 2, 2008); Civic Engagement (New Dialogue Initiative, August 19, 2008); Dance (KidPLACE, August 16, 2008), and Mixed Race/Ethnicity (Community Portrait Gallery, September 4, 2008). The “George Tsutakawa: The Making of a Fountain,”an exhibition featuring the fountains, paintings, models and sculptures of the pioneer artist, is on display through November 2008, in the art gallery bearing his name. The Wing Luke Asian Museum is open Tuesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; and during free First Thursday and Third Saturday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. The Museum is closed on Mondays. General admission is $8, adult (18-61); $6, seniors (62+); $6, students: grades 6 and above; $5, students: grades K-5; $5, kids ages 5-12; and free for kids under 5. Docent-led education and neighborhood tours are offered. The Wing Luke Asian Museum is dedicated to engaging the Asian Pacific American communities and the public in exploring issues related to the culture, art and history of Asian Pacific Americans. A Smithsonian Institution affiliate, the Museum was founded in 1966 and celebrates its namesake, Wing Luke, the first Asian Pacific American elected to public office in the Pacific Northwest. For more information, visit www.wingluke.org. “Sweet Hello” donor art installation by Saya Moriyasu. Photo by John Pai. MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR WELCOME TO THE NEW WING LUKE ASIAN MUSEUM! Board of Trustees After 42 years of progress, we open the doors to our first Gloria Lung Wakayama, Co–President permanent home. Ellen Ferguson, Co–President Casey Bui, Vice–President When you enter the light-filled Welcome Hall, with its Helen Kay, Secretary immediate pathway to the sky overhead, please remember Victor Mizumori, Treasurer the 170 community pioneers who came together in 1910 to Bruce Brundige Katherine Cheng construct this community resource, a hub of business and Gemma Valdez Daggatt home life. We honor all those who lived and worked within Jackie Der these walls over the past 100 years. And we celebrate the Mimi Gan opportunity to give voice and venue to our communities’ Bruce Hayashi future, sharing with all. Judd Lee Patricia Norikane Logerwell Paul Mar I remember when the Museum Board and staff worked with architect Ken Kubota in JoAnn Mills Marshall 1996 on a Site Feasibility Study. They subsequently knocked on almost every door in the Barbara Mizoguchi neighborhood until the opportunity to explore the East Kong Yick building emerged. Twelve Savitha Pathi community-based planning studies and 12 years later, we have opened the doors to a new Dolores Sibonga Museum. Judy Tobin Dave C. Williams Sung Yang We are grateful to the community members and leaders who nurtured the Wing Luke Asian Museum over its 42 years, including the family and friends of City Councilmember Wing Staff Luke, the community investors who raised the $23.2 million that made possible our new Roldy A. Ablao II • Aimee Aquino • home, and a brilliant and dedicated project team who surmounted all manner of surprises Joann Natalia Aquino • Janet Aviado • and obstacles that a century-old building reveals when you try to coax it into its future. Still Russel Bareng • Vivian Chan • David Chattin-McNichols • Cassie Chinn • today we feel the presence of our predecessors in this building, and we appreciate our 2005 Claire Hyon Cho • Cesar Cueva • Blessing Ceremony that sought permission prior to the start of construction. Monica Day • Bob Fisher • Miya Forrest • Mary Ann Midori As we enter the next life phase of the Wing Luke Asian Museum, we are reminded of Goto • Joshua Heim • John Hom • the community charge to steward your investment well, and discover routes to financial Suzanne Hu • Ammara Hun • sustainability, the topic of much planning over the past 12 years. One of these routes is Karen Kajiwara • Polly Kang • Nam Keo • Eli Kim • Howard King • establishment of the Wing Luke Asian Museum’s first permanent endowment. We offer our Michelle Reiko Kumata • Leo Lam • sympathies to the family of Calvin Lang on his recent passing, and we thank Calvin and his Cindy Manabat Lee • Susan Lee • family for the amazing bequest to the Wing Luke Asian Museum, a substantial beginning Jennie Fong Ly • Charlene Mano Shen • to our first endowment. Mrs. Helen Lang is well known for her participation in Chinese Vi Mar • Jeannette Roden • American community activities as well as museum support both locally and in their long- Christina Seong • Elizabeth Shaiken • Amber Strangstalien • Margaret Su • time home in Kentucky. The Museum Board of Trustees and staff will announce more on our Beth Takekawa • Angel Taniguchi • first endowment campaign in the coming months. Troy Tsuchikawa • Lisa Wan The new Wing Luke Asian Museum offers you a choice of three distinct experiences. You are welcomed to explore contemporary exhibits and galleries and our new pan-Asian Wing Luke Asian Museum 719 South King Street Pacific American Marketplace, or perhaps to take a walk back in time through a Museum Seattle, WA 98104 Historic Immersion Tour, or thirdly to use the Museum as a portal to its neighborhood, the Phone: (206) 623–5124 historic Chinatown/International District – see the neighborhood doors open as you join a Website: www.wingluke.org Chinatown Discovery Tour. Summer 2008 Newsletter Edited by Joann Natalia Aquino Thank you for joining us in our Year of New Beginnings – here we go! Layout Design by Naomi Mittet Beth Takekawa Executive Director [02] MANY THANKS TO OUR DEDICATED VOLUNTEERS Francis Acacio • Rahell A. • Ethelyn Abellanosa • Kristin Affolter • Amy Alberts • Raimund Alforque • Linda Ando • James Laurence Ardena • Vance Bader • Christopher Batalon • Maria Batayola • Kevin Beder • David Brown • Bruce Brundige • Casey Bui • Lulu Carpenter • Kathy Caubsao • Cherry Cayabyab • Kaliko Chamberlain • Joy Chan • Donna Chan • Katherine Cheng • George Cheung • Jerry Chihara • Kathy Chin • May Ching • Franklin Chinn • Chris Chinn • Hing W. Chinn • Ray Chinn • Andrew Cho • Iwalani Christian • Bradley Chu • Susanna Chung • Misun Chung • Dorothy Cordova • Fred Cordova • Ann Coulter • Stan Dahlin • Kelly Dang • Jane Davenport • Jessica Dayton • Jackie Der • Eydie Detera • Van Diep • Dara Dong • Mary Downes • Nancy Doyle • Izabel Egglin Volunteers Ed Suguro, Fumi Kojima and Betty Fujiki • Lily Eng • Bill C. Eng • Lucia Enriquez • Amanda Kay Erekson • Anne Ferber • Ellen Ferguson • Nanette Fok • Wing Fong • John Foz • Tracey Fugami • Frank Fujii • Boy Chun Fuk • Jeni Kay Fung • Mimi Gan • Betty Gharai • Ann Gilbert • Bob Givens • Dave Goedde • Stephen Gomes • Louie Gong • Aaliyah Gupta • Rich Gurtiza • Emily H. • Bob Hasegawa • Bruce Hayashi • Susan Hayden • Irene Heninger • Meredith Higashi • Gil Hirabayashi • Dale Hom • Faye Hong • Victor Hsieh • Jason Huff • Candace Inagi • International District Emergency Center • Mary Ishii • Michael Itti • Fatihah J. • Jared Johnson • Barb Jones • Elizabeth Jones • Barbara Jones • Dr. Kamuela Ka’ahanui Jr. • Moodette Ka’apana • Kalehua Ka’apana • Michael Kan • Kristie Kaneta • Polly Kang • Danny Kaopu’iki • Sujot Kaur • Helen Kay • Pom Khampradith • Martha Kingsbury • Shinichi Kito • Yuko Kodama • Takeo Kraishi • Shelly Krishnamurty • Susan Kunimatsu • Colleen Kwan • Annie L. • Joanne L. • Jason L. • Karen L. • Tracy Lai • Christine Lam • Michael Lam • Adam Lee • Kathy Liao • Chakrya Lim • Carmela Lim • Elana Lim • Betty Lock • Maile Lono • Keana Lono • Steve Lono • Kit Loo • Jocelyn Lui • Gloria Lung Wakayama • Alsyon M. • Donna Ma • Sharon Maeda • Karen Maeda Allman • Kitty Mahon • Carlyn Mar • Sue Mar • Paul Mar • Luzviminda Marcotte • Vicki Mar-Scroggs • Akemi Matsumoto • Beverly Mendheim • Joann Mills Marshall • Barbara Mizoguchi • Victor Mizumori • Esther Mumford • Oanh N. • Glen Nakamichi • Nhien Nguyen • Helen Nicadao • Diane Nichols • Amy Nielsen • Patricia Norikane Logerwell • Iris Okimoto Nielsen • Renato Oliva • Tom Ono • Savitha Pathi • Annie Penta • Monique Perkins • A.C. Peterson • Quynh Pham • Joel Poncz • Mellisa Ponder • May Praseuth • Lucy Purcell • Shama Ramzan • Uma Rao • Nicole Robert • Christina Rockrise • Jeannette Roden • Martha Rogers • Maria Root • Mariko Sakai • Joe Sakay • Meuy Seng Salee • Tazue Sasaki • Bob Scrogg • Ashley Seymour • Pam Seymour • David Seymour • Shang-yen Shen • Ryen Shimizu • Nadine