Museum of Chinese in
America (MOCA) - Interesting Cultural
Learning Experience
My spouse and I visited the Museum of Chinese in
America (MOCA) on a Saturday afternoon in mid-October 2017. The museum is open Tuesdays
through Sundays from 11:00 am until 6:00 pm, with extended hours on Thursday
evenings (closed on Mondays). Admission costs $10 per adult. In addition, you
can participate in the daily 10:30 am optional $15 walking tour of Chinatown,
with an additional walking tour on Saturdays at 1:00 pm. A complimentary museum
highlights tour takes place on Saturdays at 2:45 pm. Restrooms and a children’s
play space are located on the basement level (accessible by stairs or
elevator), and a gift shop is located on the street level (which can be visited
without purchasing museum admission).
MOCA is located in SoHo on Centre Street (between
Howard and Grand Streets). The rear of the museum faces Lafayette Street, and
although you can glimpse inside from there, you must circle around the block to
pass through the main entrance on Centre Street. Originally, when the museum
was founded in 1980 until 2009, it was located in Chinatown and was called the “New
York Chinatown History Project”. The previous museum space still operates as a
Chinese-American archival and research center.
This museum
documents the Chinese-American experience, including photographs, videos,
artifacts, objects, mementos, documents, artwork, and oral history. Material
describes the hardship and discrimination experienced by foreigners settling in
the US, including the struggle to live as outsiders without the support of
family. Exhibits explain the Opium Wars, the Exclusion Act (which created
Chinatowns in various cities), the spread of Chinese food and restaurants, the
creation of the Chinese laundry business, Eastern medicine (including a restored
life-size merchant’s shop), and ethnic stereotypes.
During our visit,
we viewed a rotating exhibit called “FOLD Golden Venture Paper Sculptures”,
which used paper artwork to document the story of the passenger of the ship “Golden
Venture” that carried nearly 300 undocumented Chinese immigrants to New York
City in 1993. Immigrants created over 40 paper sculptures during their years of
detention at the York County Prison, including representations of caged birds,
American eagles, and Chinese folk art. An accompanying video documentary plays
on one wall of the temporary exhibition space.
We enjoyed our brief visit to the Museum of Chinese in America.
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