Finding Home: The Chinese American West

Finding Home: The Chinese American West honors the Chinese immigrants of the American West. The exhibition touches on the history of racism and violence against the Chinese in America—specifically Tacoma’s exclusionary past—but it also offers artists’ views into Chinese immigrants finding a sense of home and hope and persevering despite hardship. The exhibition explores the spiritual, the mythical, and the laborious path of these seekers of the American dream in a counter-narrative to the conventional picture of America's history. All the artworks in the exhibition are contemporary—made in the 21st century—though they are imagining the time of 1785 (when the first Chinese immigrants arrived) to 1912 (the end of the American frontier period). Each artist considers history and identity deeply. Monyee Chau explores the arduous journey across the Pacific, where their ancestors risked everything, offered prayers to goddesses, and began a search for belonging. Through vignettes, they also tell the story of the railroad workers and their bond to the land. Zhi Lin, with his extensive research, places us at Tacoma’s Chinese Expulsion of 1885, with a reminder that anti-immigration sentiment and xenophobia persist today. Mian Situ, whose works are part of Tacoma Art Museum’s Haub Family Collection of Western American Art, shines light on the contributions and legacy of Chinese Americans in history. Together these artists give voice to untold stories, perspectives outside the dominant colonizer’s narrative. — Lele Barnett, Guest Curator

May 18, 2024 - September 5, 2027