I Want the Wide American Earth: An Asian Pacific American Story

MVC adds its own unique imprint and mirrors the societal and cultural achievements of the local Asian community to its presentation of “The Wide American Earth: An Asian Pacific American Story”, with contributions from local artists Hiroko Yoshimoto, Tiger Huang, Virgil Cardinez, Bijian Fan and Katherine Chang Liu are featured in this exquisite presentation of fine art and Asian culture and traditions, old and new.

Asian and Pacific Americans make up more than 5 percent of the U.S. population––more than  17 million people–– and those numbers are growing. Their ancestral roots represent more than 50 percent of the world, extending from East Asia to Southeast Asia, and from South Asia to the Pacific Islands and Polynesia.

In commemoration of this important history, “I want the Wide American Earth: An Asian Pacific American Story” will open at the Museum of Ventura County is now on view as part of a 21-city national tour. This exhibition was created by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES). The exhibition is supported by a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

In this first exhibition of its kind, the Smithsonian celebrates Asian Pacific American history across a multitude of diverse cultures and explores how Asian Pacific Americans have shaped and been shaped by the course of the nation’s history. It tells the rich and complex stories of the very first Asian immigrants, and their participation in key moments in American history: Asian immigrants panned in the Gold Rush, hammered ties in the Transcontinental Railroad, fought on both sides in the Civil War and helped build the nation’s agricultural system. Through the decades, Asian immigrants struggled against legal exclusion, civil rights violations and unlawful detention during World War II. Since the 1960s, vibrant new communities, pan-Asian, Pacific Islander and cross-cultural in make-up, have blossomed.

MVC Showcases Local Asian Artists in its New Exhibition

Celebrating Asian Pacific American Achievements and Culture

MVC adds its own unique imprint and mirrors the societal and cultural achievements of the local Asian community to its presentation of “The Wide American Earth: An Asian Pacific American Story”, with contributions from local artists Hiroko Yoshimoto, Tiger Huang, Virgil Cardinez, Bijian Fan and Katherine Chang Liu are featured in this exquisite presentation of fine art and Asian culture and traditions, old and new.

Artist  Hiroko Yoshimoto, whose diptych April #28 and #29, is featured in the exhibition stated, “I appreciate and enjoy my Japanese ancestry, culture, and customs, but my day-to-day life is among the mixed Southern California Community and especially, in the arts community.”  Her Chinese American artist Katharine Chang Lu presents paintings from her “Paper Window Series” inspired by a 16th-century haiku, and a third painting, “Chatter” which was done this year.

The illustrative 8-foot-tall panels created by the Smithsonian will also be augmented by local artifacts and artwork, including a 19th century tea set and porcelain dinnerware that was traded by a Chinese family working on a local farm in exchange for housing; menus and vintage photos from the Soo Hoo family of Oxnard, who owned a local restaurant, and a beautiful wedding kimono from Hiroko Yoshimoto.

The Museum of Ventura County’s presentation of this national exhibition was made possible by the generous support of Susan Van Abel and Eric Oltmann, Tolman & Wiker, and the Downtown Ventura Organization.