USC Pacific Asia Museum
Pasadena, California 91101
Open Wednesday through Sunday 10am to 6pm
EXHIBITION
Chinaman's Chance:
Views of the Chinese American Experience
March 6 - July 27, 2008
View the Exhibition Brochure [PDF: 4.8MB]
Names of the Unremembered: Transcontinental,
Zhi Lin, video: Daniel Boord and Luis Valdovino
Three contemporary artists – Zhi
Lin, Arthur Ou, and Amanda
Ross-Ho – have created new
multi-media installations especially for this
exhibition, which examines the diversity
of the Chinese American experience over
the last 150 years.
The phrase “a Chinaman’s chance in Hell” derives from the experience of Chinese immigrant workers who played a crucial role in the building of the first Transcontinental Railroad in the 19th century. They were assigned the dangerous work of planting loads of dynamite to blast passages through the mountains so track could be laid. Many of them were killed.
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Golden Spike Site, Promontory, Utah, 2008, Chinese ink on paper, Zhi Lin, Courtesy of Koplin Del Rio Gallery |
While Chinaman’s Chance is not meant to be an historic show about the building of the railroad, the exhibition uses this important period as a starting point to investigate the issues of assimilation, identity, and the concept of being American.
Zhi Lin, born and educated in China, has lived in America since 1989. In response to his fear that America is witnessing a growing anti-immigration movement as well as a resurgent Sinophobia, Zhi’s five large-scale works focus on the plight of the Chinese railroad workers. It is his hope that viewers will analyze the current social-political landscape and prevent history from repeating itself.
Arthur Ou, born in Taiwan in 1974, has lived
in America since 1985. He explores the past
and present, Eastern and Western culture,
and art and architecture. Included in the
exhibit are Ou’s three series: Untitled (Cased
Mountains), Untitled (Screen Tests), and Untitled (Mirror Lakes).
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| 2007 Snapshot of a 1964 Self-Portrait, photo by Ruyell Ho |
Amanda Ross-Ho was born and raised in Chicago. In her installation, Ross-Ho “curates,” contextualizes, and presents the artworks of her father, Ruyell Ho. Of mixed race heritage, Ross-Ho presents a different and less traditional Chinese American experience. Her connection with her Chinese heritage is once-removed, accessed by navigating her father’s experience.
While each of these artists has had unique experiences, together they present a cohesive perspective of the Chinese in America.
Exhibition sponsored by the Pasadena Art Alliance.
Chip Tom, Guest Curator
Related Events
- Sunday, February 17,
5:30pm
Principal Edward Tom
Lecture
USC Pacific Asia Museum is pleased to welcome Principal Edward Tom, who sacrificed a lucrative business career to lead a small high school in New York City's notorious South Bronx. Join Principal Tom as he reveals his inspirational life story, and discusses how today's Asian American community can significantly impact the field of education. We will also screen a few short clips from Whatever It Takes, the exciting new documentary of Tom's first year as principal. Reception to follow. This is a free event; call 626.449-2742 ext. 31 to RSVP.
- Sunday, March 9, 10am-5pm
Writing Workshop
Join author, editor, and award-winning documentary filmmaker Loren Stephens for her popular “Writing Your Life Story” workshop. Limited to a small group, this day-long program includes reading excerpts from popular memoirs, short writing exercises, and immediate feedback to get even first-time writers well on their way to becoming memoirists. $75 per person. To register, call ext. 31. For more about Loren, visit www.writewisdom.com. This program
is expected to sell out.
- Highlighted Event
Thursday, March 13, 6-9pm
Opening Party
Free for members and a guest. $10 for non-members. Food, drinks and music by DJ Tony. Call 626.449.2742 ext. 31 to R.S.V.P.
- Highlighted Event
Thursday, March 13, 7pm
Film Premiere
Chinese Ghost Story by Dan Boord and Luis Valdovino (2008, 25 minutes) It is estimated that over 1,300 Chinese laborers perished during construction of the Transcontinental Railroad. While the remains of many were eventually shipped home, others lie in unmarked graves throughout the American West. Chinese Ghost Story is a poetic essay in which history and landscape intersect in ghost towns, parks and undisturbed railroad grade. The filmmakers will introduce the film and answer questions. Part of the Chinaman’s Chance opening party’s activities. Call 626.449.2742 ext. 31 to R.S.V.P.
- Highlighted Event
Saturday, March 15, 1pm
Artist' Tour
Join Amanda Ross-Ho, Arthur Ou, and Zhi Lin in exploring Chinaman’s Chance: Views of the Chinese American Experience.
- Thursday, March 20, 10 and 11am
The East West Players' Theatre presents Dawn's Light: The Story of Gordon HIrabayashi. This 45-minute performance was written by actress/playwright Jeanne Sakata. Based on a true story, the audience journeys with Gordon Hirabayashi from his college days in the 1940's as he fights to defend his constitutional beliefs. Dawn's Light is suitable for 7th grade to adult. Free with admission. To RSVP, call (626)449-2742 ext. 31.
- Highlighted Event
Saturday, April 26, 1pm
Curator's Tour
Explore Chinaman’s Chance with guest curator Chip Tom. Free with admission; call 626.449.2742 x 31 to RSVP.
-
Sunday, May 11, 2-4pm
Performance
“Chinese American Stories” A presentation of community, family and personal memories collected in a writing/oral history workshop by playwright Henry Ong. Free with admission; call 626.449.2742 ext. 31 to RSVP.
- Sunday, May 18, 3-4:30pm
Concert
“Flute and Harp of East and West” Enjoy music from around the Pacific, from Mexico to China, played on flute and harp. Co-Sponsored by the Pasadena Symphony. $10 for members, $12 for non-members; includes museum admission. To register, call 626.449.2742 ext. 31.
- Thursday, May 29, 8:30-9:30pm
Thursday, July 10, 8:30-9:30pm
Films in the Courtyard
Invisible Portraits by Hung Viet Tran (2008, 19 min.)
One Los Angeles night, seven people seek escape: Rosa searches for a mysterious caballero who will take her to her husband, while Todd and Phuong seek to leave their strict family. A long-distance romance has one couple trying to find each other outside the digital world, and two friends have an expected encounter on a desolated road.
Hung Viet Tran is an artist and filmmaker. His work is about people, environment, technology, dream, story, and language, often inspired by his travels and the need to search for the unfamiliar.
Chinese Ghost Story by Dan Boord and Luis Valdovino (2008, 25 min.)
It is estimated that over 1,300 Chinese laborers perished during construction of the Transcontinental Railroad. While the remains of many were eventually shipped home, others lie in unmarked graves throughout the American West. Chinese Ghost Story is a poetic essay in which history and landscape intersect in ghost towns, parks and undisturbed railroad grade.
Dan Boord is a Professor and Luis Valdovino an Associate Professor at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Their work has been exhibited around the world.
Free with admission; call 626.449.2742 ext. 31 to RSVP.
- Saturday, June 7, 1pm
Lecture
“Chinese Pioneers in the San Gabriel Valley”
The San Gabriel Valley is the destination of many Chinese immigrants, but this is not a new phenomenon. A hundred years ago, small Chinese communities thrived in Pasadena and elsewhere. Join Professor Susie Ling as she discusses the history of Chinese Americans in the San Gabriel Valley, and their contemporary concerns. Susie Ling is an Associate Professor of History/Asian American Studies at Pasadena City College and an active member of the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California. Free with admission; call 626.449.2742 ext. 31 to RSVP.
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