Museum of Chinese in America
The Museum of Chinese in America (traditional Chinese: 美國華人博物館; simplified Chinese: 美国华人博物馆; pinyin: Měiguó Huárén Bówùguǎn; Jyutping: Mei5gwok3 Waa4jan4 Bok3mat6gun2; abbreviated MOCA) is a museum in New York City which exhibits Chinese American history. It is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) education and cultural institution that presents the living history, heritage, culture, and diverse experiences of Chinese Americans through exhibitions, educational services and public programs. Much of its collection was damaged or destroyed in a fire in January 2020. After being closed for more than a year following the fire, the museum reopened to the public on July 15, 2021.[1][2]
For other uses, see Chinese American Museum (disambiguation).Established
History[edit]
Founded in 1980 in Manhattan's Chinatown, the museum began as the New York Chinatown History Project by historian John Kuo Wei Tchen and community resident and activist Charles Lai to promote understanding of the Chinese American experience and to address the concern that "the memories and experiences of aging older generations would perish without oral history, photo documentation, research and collecting efforts."[3] From 1997 to 2006, Fay Chew Matsuda served as director of the museum.[4][5]
In 2005, the museum received part of a $20 million grant from the Carnegie Corporation, made possible through a donation by then-New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg.[6][7]
The museum moved to a new site at 215 Centre Street in 2009.[8] The space was designed by architect Maya Lin and was six times as large as the old site.[9][10] The permanent exhibition, With a Single Step, was designed by Matter Practice.[11] In May 2011, Herb Tam became curator and director of exhibitions.[12]
In 2019, the museum relaunched their gift store with a new partner, the Asian American retail brand Pearl River Mart. Called MOCA Shop by Pearl River, the store is a "curated collection of items that hold great meaning in Chinese American culture."[13]
In January 2020, a fire damaged the building at 70 Mulberry Street, where the museum's collection was held, with about 85,000 items potentially affected by water damage.[14][15][16] While it was initially believed that nearly all of them might have been lost, a substantial part was determined to be "very much salvageable" several days after the incident.[17] Around 35,000 items had been digitized and backed up before the fire.[17] Much of the collection was restored by disaster-relief specialists who worked to prevent mold growth and preserve structure.[18]
The museum bought its main building at 215 Centre Street in 2024 for $51.1 million.[19]
At MOCA's 2015 Legacy Awards Gala, the museum honored several people and organizations for their roles in Chinese-American culture. Honorees were the C.V. Starr Scholars, Hong Kong-born American actor Nancy Kwan, and Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates founding design partner William C. Louie.[28]
2014 honorees included:[29] Tyrus Wong, Theodore T. Wang, and Victor and William Fung Foundation Ltd.
2013 honorees included:[29]
2012 honorees included:[29]
2011 honorees included:[29]
2010 honorees included:[29]
2009 honorees included:[29]
Previous awardees:
