Since joining the Smithsonian, my goal has been to transform the office into a leading and impacting national museum center. Over the last two years, we have increased staff, fundraising goals and the scale of our exhibitions and programs, taking up novel topics like understanding the American experience through South Asian Indian Americans or exploring the intersection between Asian and Latino Communities in the U.
The renaming reflects our plans for growth, the pan-institutional nature of our work and the importance of the Asian Pacific American experience to the Smithsonian. Our mission is to produce national exhibitions and public programs that show how the Asian Pacific American experience reflects the American spirit, is a universal lens for learning, and sparks the learning in everyone.
I think many people recognize that the Asian Pacific American experience is a quintessentially American story — it offers a history about the peopling of our country and the character of the citizenry, and it tells a story about the future, in how we are experiencing identity in unique ways. The Center has to fundraise for all its initiatives and that is always a challenge, but I am betting that the nation is hungry to learn more about itself through the history, art and culture of Asian Pacific American communities.
Does this poem have any special significance to you? We were moved by Bulosan's life and work Here is a man who was born soon after the end of the Philippine - American War , left the Philippines to pursue better opportunities in America — and, as in many other immigrant communities, the country of opportunity was also an experience of hardship.
Yet, for every reason for Bulosan to feel cynical, he instead wrote poems and stories that celebrated the ideals of America, that saw America as a beacon of freedom to the world and, importantly, as a home for Asian Pacific Americans. Bulosan's poem is also the title of the exhibition that we opened to commemorate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. This exhibition views the American experience from the perspective of Asian Pacific America. It shows our contributions and struggles, our achievements and sacrifices, how we have been central to this nation since the founding of the republic in every way, across the arts and sciences, as agents of change in courtrooms and on the streets, in public office and on the battlefield, and as brothers, sisters and compatriots to African Americans, Latinos and other communities in America.
Asian Pacific Americans played an important role in determining the outcome of the most recent presidential election and, as the fastest-growing segment of the U. What can candidates do to better connect with this key constituency? I think it is important to recognize that we are a sophisticated constituency that requires investments in terms of time and recognition.
This means spending time in Asian Pacific American communities, learning our histories and concerns, and making sure that the most talented members of our communities are also senior members of any team.
Really, the strategy is no different from building and expanding a base necessary to win an election on any scale.
The growing recognition of Asian Pacific Americans as a deciding vote will depend on the location and scale of the campaign, but it is happening at a time when technology is enabling ever more sophisticated polling operations.
Better data and multiple mediums of communication will allow political campaigns to calibrate their outreach in key ways. The museum is housed on the former estate of American philanthropist Doris Duke and represents the architectural traditions and cultural histories of North Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia. How do you think your approach differs from other museums?
While we strive to honor her story, Duke intended Shangri La to be a site-specific engagement with a fluid set of Islamic worlds. So, we will be open to hosting Palestinian American poet, Naomi Shihab Nye , and ask her to share work that makes connections between our collection, Doris Duke, and African American and Palestinian youth. I like to think that Shangri La is part of a broader museum moment and movement that may be characterized by innovation, inclusivity and self-critique.
How has the current political climate in the United States effected the way your museum is perceived and your work? Museums have the opportunity to push back on what feels like the coarsening of civility in public life, the erosion of democratic norms in our politics, and a concerted effort to undermine safe spaces on the basis of race, gender and sexuality. Museums must create welcoming spaces for dialogue and encourage empathy through their work. For Shangri La, this means curating exhibitions and programs that offer opportunities for community engagement.
I am grateful and excited about the opportunity to speak at MuseumNext Australia and join such an incredible group! I have much to learn from everyone who will be attending. I hope folks will be prompted to think about how intersectionality can be part of museum work by challenging us to think about the dynamics of cultural power and cultural politics. I hope that we can collectively work to empower both the museums, and the communities they represent and serve, to enhance cross-cultural understanding, nurture civic engagement through the arts, and offer new spaces for collaborative problem solving.
Truthfully, though, I just hope folks will find my session interesting enough to stay awake!
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