The Chinese American Museum (Chinese: 華美博物館; abbreviated CAM) is a museum located in Downtown Los Angeles as a part of the El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument. It is dedicated to the history and experience of Chinese Americans in the state of California, the first such museum in Southern California. It presents exhibits of fine art by Chinese American artists as well as historical exhibits.
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Established | 1984 |
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Location | 425 North Los Angeles Street Los Angeles, CA |
Coordinates | 34.055832°N 118.239103°W / 34.055832; -118.239103 |
Type | Chinese-American experience and history in Southern California |
Website | Chinese American Museum official site |
Planning for the museum began in October 1984, with the grand opening taking place on December 18, 2003.
The museum is housed in the Garnier Building, the oldest surviving Chinese building in Southern California. The original Los Angeles Chinatown was located here before it was moved to New Chinatown for the construction of Los Angeles Union Station.[1]
It is funded by the State of California, the City of Los Angeles, Friends of the Chinese American Museum, the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California, the Getty Foundation,[2] the El Pueblo Association, the Center for Chinese Medicine, and hundreds of other donors.
A permanent exhibit at the museum is the recreation of the Hing Yuen Hong Chinese Herb Shop of yesteryear. Another permanent exhibit opened on December 13, 2012 is "Origins: The Birth and Rise of Chinese American Communities in Los Angeles", celebrating the growth and development of Cantonese American enclaves from Downtown Los Angeles to the San Gabriel Valley.
Past exhibits have included "Sunshine and Shadow: In Search of Jake Lee", showcasing the 60 watercolor work of prolific artist Jake Lee; "Milton Quon's Los Angeles" (2005-2006); "The Art of Diana Shui-In Wong" (2006); and "Tyrus Wong (Chinese: 黃齊耀): A Retrospective" (2004), who was one of the earliest and most influential Chinese American artists.[3]
During the Chinese New Year celebration each year, a Lantern Festival is held at the museum, featuring live entertainment, including lion dancers, acrobatics, musical, Chinese knotting, and dance performances.[7] "Long Story Short", a documentary on actress Jodi Long's family, was shown at the 8th Annual festival which was held on February 7, 2009.[8] The 2013 Lantern Festival was held Saturday, March 2, 2013, 12 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Each year, the museum sponsors the annual Historymakers Awards Banquet, which "honors extraordinary individuals who have made a significant impact or contribution towards the advancement of the Chinese American community and beyond." A 2009 honoree was Lisa Lu (Chinese: 盧燕), Chinese-American actress and documentary producer for excellence in film and entertainment.[9]
No. | Date | Visionary[lower-alpha 1] | Lifetime Achievement[lower-alpha 2] | Arts & Entertainment | Individual | Corporate | Justice & Leadership | Community & Giving | President[lower-alpha 3] |
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1[9] (1997) |
Oct 22, 1997 | — | — | — | Charles Woo[lower-alpha 4] | — | Hon. March Fong Eu[lower-alpha 5] | — | — |
Peter Woo[lower-alpha 4] | Hon. Matthew Fong[lower-alpha 5] | ||||||||
J. Paul Getty Trust[lower-alpha 6] | Larry Wong[lower-alpha 7] | ||||||||
2[9] (1998) |
Oct 6, 1998 | — | Dan Louie, Jr., Ph.D.[lower-alpha 8] | Bessie Loo[lower-alpha 9] | Cathay Bank[lower-alpha 4] | — | — | Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association[lower-alpha 10] | — |
Iris Chang[lower-alpha 6] | Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association[lower-alpha 11] | ||||||||
3[9] (1999) |
Sep 11, 1999 | — | Albert Quon[lower-alpha 12] | Michelle Kwan[lower-alpha 13] | Charles Sie[lower-alpha 14] | — | — | Friends of the Chinatown Library[lower-alpha 10] | — |
4[9] (2000) |
Nov 17, 2000 | — | You Chung Hong | Joan Chen[lower-alpha 15] | Gareth Chang[lower-alpha 16] | Chinese Historical Society of Southern California[lower-alpha 17] | — | Deborah Ching[lower-alpha 10] | — |
5[9] (2001) |
Dec 9, 2001 | — | Billy Lew[lower-alpha 18] | Nancy Kwan[lower-alpha 19] | — | — | Hon. Ronald S.W. Lew[lower-alpha 20] | — | — |
Tyrus Wong[lower-alpha 15] | |||||||||
6[9] (2002) |
Nov 9, 2002 | — | Gerald Jann | — | Steven Chu[lower-alpha 21] | — | Hon. Delbert Wong[lower-alpha 20] | Dolores Wong[lower-alpha 22] | — |
Bing Liu[lower-alpha 23] | |||||||||
Caroline Hsu[lower-alpha 24] | |||||||||
7[9] (2003) |
Sep 21, 2003 | — | Munson A. Kwok, Ph.D. | Jackie Chan[lower-alpha 9] | Dominic Ng[lower-alpha 16] | — | Gilbert Cedillo[lower-alpha 5] | Dr. Annie Chin Siu[lower-alpha 25] | — |
Peter Paanakker Estate[lower-alpha 26] | |||||||||
Henry C. Lee, Ph.D.[lower-alpha 20] | |||||||||
Lisa See[lower-alpha 27] | |||||||||
8[9] (2004) |
Sep 10, 2004 | Leroy & Carol Baca | Wilbur Woo | — | — | — | Antonio Villaraigosa[lower-alpha 5] | — | — |
Debra W. Yang[lower-alpha 20] | |||||||||
9[9] (2005) |
Sep 10, 2005 | Joseph and Betty Wong | William Chun-Hoon | Andrew and Peggy Cherng[lower-alpha 28] | Kenjohn Wang[lower-alpha 29] | — | Lucille Roybal-Allard[lower-alpha 5] | — | — |
No. | Date | Visionary[lower-alpha 1] | Lifetime Achievement[lower-alpha 2] | Arts & Entertainment | Individual | Corporate | Justice & Leadership | Community & Giving | President[lower-alpha 3] |
10[9] (2006) |
Sep 10, 2006 | — | Robert and Edith Jung | Tim Dang[lower-alpha 9] | — | — | Assy. Judy Chu[lower-alpha 5] | Rev. Dr. Hoover Wong[lower-alpha 10] | — |
C.Y. Lee[lower-alpha 30] | |||||||||
11[9] (2007) |
Sep 9, 2007 | Lai Y. Lillian Lee Jang | Southern California Council of Chinese School | — | — | Southern California Edison[lower-alpha 31] | John Chiang[lower-alpha 5] | — | — |
Stewart Kwoh, Esq.[lower-alpha 20] | |||||||||
12[10] (2008) |
Sep 7, 2008 | — | — | Arthur Dong[lower-alpha 32] | Lisa Ling[lower-alpha 33] | Union Bank of California[lower-alpha 31] | — | Jim Tsai[lower-alpha 10] | — |
Pacific Alliance Medical Center, Inc.[lower-alpha 34] | |||||||||
13[11] (2009) |
Sep 20, 2009 | Jean Bruce Poole | — | Lisa Lu[lower-alpha 35] | — | — | Matthew Lin[lower-alpha 7] | Paul Tea[lower-alpha 10] | — |
14[12] (2010) |
Sep 19, 2010 | Kong Chow Benevolent Association | Dr. S.Y. Wong | — | Blake Chow[lower-alpha 36] | Avery Dennison[lower-alpha 31] | — | Dr. Tim Siu[lower-alpha 10] | — |
15[13] (2011) |
Sep 22, 2011 | Gin D. Wong, FAIA | — | — | Hwei Chih Cheng Sun[lower-alpha 37] | Chinese-American Engineers and Scientists Association of Southern California[lower-alpha 38] | — | The Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles[lower-alpha 39] | — |
16[14] (2012) |
Sep 27, 2012 | Latham & Watkins, LLP | Chinese American Citizens Alliance | — | — | Tom McKernan & The Automobile Club of Southern California[lower-alpha 31] | Carol Liu[lower-alpha 5] | Carl K. Moy, MD[lower-alpha 40] | — |
17[15] (2013) |
Sep 12, 2013 | Kin Hui | Charles W. Wong[lower-alpha 41] | David Henry Hwang[lower-alpha 42] | — | — | Michael F. Eng[lower-alpha 43] | Center for Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment[lower-alpha 10] | — |
18[16] (2014) |
Sep 25, 2014 | Ming Hsieh | David Fon Lee | — | Kenneth Chin-Ming Lo[lower-alpha 44] | Rose Hills Memorial Park & Mortuary[lower-alpha 31] | Dr. James Bok Wong and Betty KC Yeow[lower-alpha 45] | Board of Directors, Tung Wah Group of Hospitals[lower-alpha 46] | — |
19[17] (2015) |
Sep 17, 2015 | Greg Penske | Jeffrey G. Chan | — | Paula Madison[lower-alpha 47] | Enterprise Rent-A-Car[lower-alpha 31] | — | Dr. Ina Chan Un Chan, BBS[lower-alpha 48] | — |
No. | Date | Visionary[lower-alpha 1] | Lifetime Achievement[lower-alpha 2] | Arts & Entertainment | Individual | Corporate | Justice & Leadership | Community & Giving | President[lower-alpha 3] |
20[18] (2016) |
Sep 15, 2016 | Susanna & Evans Lam | Bill Imada | Fresh Off the Boat[lower-alpha 9] | Gang Ding[lower-alpha 44] | — | Kent Wong[lower-alpha 20] | Esther Woo Jan[lower-alpha 49] | — |
21[19] (2017) |
Sep 14, 2017 | Assy. Ed Chau | Dunson K. Cheng | Milton Quon[lower-alpha 15] | — | Nissan North America Inc.[lower-alpha 31] | T.G. Wing Chow, M.D.[lower-alpha 40] | Leo Chu[lower-alpha 48] | — |
22[20] (2018) |
Sep 13, 2018 | Winston and Joanne Young | Dr. Kang L. Wang | — | — | Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, San Francisco[lower-alpha 50] | Los Angeles Chinatown Corporation[lower-alpha 45] | Hong Kong Schools Alumni Federation Scholarship Foundation[lower-alpha 51] | — |
23[21] (2019) |
Sep 19, 2019 | Elizabeth Yang | Suellen Cheng | — | — | Morning Light Foundation[lower-alpha 52] | Linda Liu Sun[lower-alpha 45] | Linda Moy[lower-alpha 48] | Doré Hall Wong |
24[22] (2020) |
Oct 20, 2020 | Judge Dolly Gee | Helen Zia | — | Mei Wah Lau[lower-alpha 53][lower-alpha 54] | Los Angeles Times[lower-alpha 55] | Hilda Solis[lower-alpha 56] | — | Jim Jang |
Asian American Journalists Association–LA Chapter[lower-alpha 57] | Renee Tajima-Peña[lower-alpha 58] |
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