Judy: Myelin is known for her
memorials, her architecture, her
art.
A new project adds a very
personal side to her story and
those of millions of other Asian
Americans as the museum of
Chinese in America seeks to
expand its own presence and
expand understanding of the
American experience.
Jeffrey brown reports for our
arts and culture series canvas.
>> Basically, it is a vertical
landscape.
It will start with stone at the
base.
>> She shows the design for a
major new expansion of the
museum of Chinese in America.
Is this the puzzle?
>> This is the puzzle.
A tanker -- a tangram is a
14,000-year-old Chinese puzzle
that I played as a kid.
>> The design may be playful,
but the purpose of the museum
itself she says could not be
more important, especially now.
>> I don't think you can be an
Asian American in 20 and not be
acutely aware of the anti-asian
sentiment, and I think all these
are one of the reasons we have
doubled down on trying to be
part of moca.
>> The museum of Chinese in
America is a small institution
that presents moments from more
than 250 years.
Waves of immigration, biased
discrimination and exclusion,
images from popular culture,
immigration into American life
and the struggle for civil
rights.
There's also a law featuring
stories of prominent
chinese-americans.
For the museum president, this
is very much living history.
>> The phrase "Perpetual
foreigner" has been connected
with Chinese in America and
broadly Asians in America.
>> Meaning?
>> Meaning my face will never be
American enough to some people.
It looks to foreign.
We are constantly dealing with
the pressure, the tension of
being this perpetual foreigner
and also being a monolith, not
just chinese-americans, but
Asian Americans in this country.
If you think about the Chinese
immigration patterns to this
country, you cannot find a more
diverse group.
>> An exhibition titled
"Responses" addresses the
current moment of the rise in
violence against Asian
Americans.
>> It grounds the moment in 250
years of racism and
discrimination.
What we are trying to do is make
those markers for history, for
individuals to understand this
has been going on for quite a
long time, and it will take more
than just protests and
collective voice.
It is going to take rewriting
textbooks.
It will take going into classes
at a very early age.
Not to say one is better than
the other, but really encouraged
the broadening of the American
narrative to reflect the true
stories.
>> Lin grew up in what she calls
the soul Chinese family in
Athens, Ohio.
Her family that her parents came
from China in the 1940's, and
she did not think much about it,
but that will change
dramatically in the first moment
she came to public notice as the
21-year-old designer of the
Vietnam memorial.
It faced early opposition, some
of it virulent and focused on
Lin herself.
Some of that was around you
being Asian American.
>> Absolutely.
The veterans were very careful
to protect me from some of the
"How could you let a gook design
this" type of letters.
I was just so sure that it was
all about what you do and how
you do it.
>> Many years later, she says
designing this museum feels
important.
At an estimated cost of $118
million to be raised from
government foundations and
private donors, moca will
feature historical exhibitions,
contemporary art and culture, a
performing arts space, and a
genealogy center.
>> You kind of want to share all
those stories, teach those
stories, but also celebrate how
much we have contributed to and
help build our country because
I'm an American.
I think is it's interesting
because it is like I'm
chinese-american, but it's more
like I'm American Chinese.
I was born here.
Raise here.
My cultural heritage, my parents
brought a lot from China, but
they also choose to come from
America, and I think that is
important.
>> The moca president thinks the
exhibition will be critical.
>> I know my surname.
It is Yao.
When people come here and say
where is your old home, and they
just say China, there's no
pride.
It is almost as if the Chinese
identity has been devalued, and
I think what we are creating for
in this country, for Asian
Americans is a greater sense of
identity.
In that identity we think needs
to be rooted in history.
>> The expansion still faces
challenges including protests by
a group of chinatown activists
who say money given by the city
to purchase the museum, some $40
million, could be better used
two help local small businesses
and others hurt in the pandemic.
That fight within the chinatown
community is likely to continue.
>> This is the front entry, both
during the day rendered and then
at night so you can begin to see
how the museum will really be
welcoming.
>> For her part, Maia Lin is
staying focused on her part.
>> You can definitely send
messages.
The message here is we are here.
We want to share with the
community.
>> The plan now to close the
current building late next year
and open the new museum of