Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center

From left: Congresswoman Colleen Hanabusa being interviewed by Krista Aniel at the Pearl Gala, filmed by Mark Wolf.

By Emilio Eusebio, Spring 2013 intern

At the 2013 Pearl Presidential Inaugural Gala, I assisted our team while we filmed and conducted interviews for our upcoming exhibition: I Want the Wide American Earth: An Asian Pacific American Story. The traveling exhibition consists of 30 banners and an app that will tell the stories of many different Asian Pacific Americans (APAs). The Pearl Presidential Inaugural Gala brings together different leaders of the APA community, supporters, entrepreneurs, and public policy makers who highlight APA involvement in politics and prepare for the new administration.[1]

Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center staff attended the Gala because it was a great opportunity to meet and interview some of the biggest and important leaders in the APA community. Our team consisted of Lawrence Minh-Bui Davis, Noriko Sanefuji, Krista Aniel, Krishna Aniel, and videographer Mark Wolf. We asked our interviewees many different questions for our exhibition such as “What does it mean to you to be APA?” and “What does it mean to be American?”

A few of the interviewees include Secretary Norman Mineta, Congresswoman Colleen Hanabusa, and Deepa Iyer. I assisted our team by  making sure no one interrupted the interviews and had every interviewee sign our release agreement.  The experience was  surreal and I’m very proud to have been a part of it.

Intern Marie Ramos (right) with other APAC staff and interns.

Aloha! My name is Marie Antonette Anamong Ramos, and I am the 2012 Francis & Sarah Sogi Fellow at the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center. I am majoring in Ethnic Studies with a minor in Filipino Language and Culture at the University of Hawai`i at Mānoa and will be graduating in May 2013.  My main responsibilities at APAC revolved around #apa100, an upcoming online exhibition that tells the Asian Pacific American experience through 100 milestone objects, events, sites, images, sounds, and videos. As a project assistant, I secured materials for the exhibition from both the Smithsonian and outside cultural organizations and institutions across the nation.

In addition, I conducted independent research that examined the art form of Spoken Word as a site for identity construction amongst Asian Americans. I interviewed and analyzed the works of the following poets: G Yamazawa, Asia Samson, and Regie Cabico. This project was important to me because I do volunteer work with a couple of high schools in Hawai’i that have recently started a Slam Poetry club on their campuses. These schools have a predominantly Asian American student population.

To sum it up briefly, this fellowship fosters growth on multiple levels: professional, academic, and personal. I have gained valuable experience in public programming, curatorial work, and project management. Ultimately, I hope to take the skills and knowledge that I acquired at APAC and implement them in my work with the various communities that I serve in Hawai’i.

Interns Madeline Sumida and Marie Ramos at the Congressional Gold Medal Tour Press Conference, September 13, 2012.

My name is Madeline Sumida. I recently graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park, with a B.A. in History. While I did not study Asian American history in college, my Japanese American heritage sparked my interest in the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center.  This internship has exceeded my expectations of expanding my knowledge of Asian American history and present day issues. Now, I feel more connected to my roots and inspired to become more active in bringing attention to the experience of an often overlooked and misunderstood minority group.

One of my projects included searching for photographs to be used in an upcoming exhibition highlighting Asian American history. Through my research, I learned about diverse  immigrant Asian ethnic groups at a level of detail that I never encountered in school.  I also learned about the curatorial aspects of working at the National Museum of American History as I cataloged artifacts for upcoming exhibitions on Chinese take-out and Japanese American cowboys in Hawaii.

This internship also improved my research and analytical skills while I worked on my individual project. I explored the topic of Asians in the United States military, focusing my time frame of interest on World War II and the present day. Through analysis of historical context, newspaper and journal articles, demographic data from the Department of Defense and West Point, and interviews with individuals either in or closely associated with the military, I wrote a paper that provides a basis for future studies of Asian American soldiers. The Smithsonian provided the opportunity to go to the Nisei Congressional Gold Medal conference, where I was thrilled to meet veterans of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. To see the medal in person meant a great deal to me because my grandfather and his brothers served in the Military Intelligence Service and the 442nd.

The excitement and variety of the Smithsonian internship transformed my personal and professional growth. The real-world experience of working in an office and interacting with such dedicated staffers whets my appetite for the next experience. I look forward, too, to seeing the exhibitions that we worked on!

By Allia Alliata, Fall 2012 Intern

Interning this past Fall semester at the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center (APAC) has truly been a one of a kind experience. I worked with curator Masum Momaya on the upcoming exhibition Beyond Bollywood: Indian Americans Shape the Nation, as well as the development team. This provided me with a rich and well rounded intern experience. Working with both the curator and development staff, I was able to see that no matter how much they differ; one could not exist without the other. With each day came a new opportunity to learn, whether it was working on image licensing forms, attending meetings, or assisting with fundraising outreach. It is rewarding to know that I was able to contribute to Beyond Bollywood, an exciting, relevant, and important exhibition.

In addition to my internship duties, my research project focused on the personal reactions of Asian Pacific Americans during the 2012 Presidential and Congressional elections. My research was based on surveys, polls, news articles, reports, interviews, and panel discussions. Being an APAC intern allowed me to attend various panel discussions and events where I was able to conduct interviews to supplement my analysis and research.

APAC fosters a community of growth and innovation that allowed me to understand how each role in this organization is necessary. I learned about how the Smithsonian Institution impacts not only Washington D.C., but the world at large. This internship was an invaluable experience that allowed me to see the direct impact of my hard work and dedication within the APA community.

Fall 2012 interns: Marie, Emily, and Allia.

My name is Emily Vallerga. I recently graduated from UC Santa Cruz, double majoring in Italian Studies and  Anthropology. I have interned with the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center for about three months and it has been a truly amazing and irreplaceable experience. One of the greatest things I will take away from this internship is how I can apply what I studied in school to a real-life job scenario. I quickly realized that many of the skills I learned in college, such as email etiquette, researching techniques, data compilation, critical thinking, analysis, and interpersonal skills are invaluable parts of a working environment. I used these skills on a daily basis and they have only improved.

As an intern, I worked closely with Masum Momaya and the exhibition Beyond Bollywood: Indian Americans Shape the Nation. I came on board as a research intern, which means being responsible for updating statistics and data, filling in blanks of the exhibition script, and conducting research on the yoga section of the exhibition. I have learned the process of presenting my research to a wide audience that is not strictly academic, what a design meeting looks like, and where many of the items in the exhibition will be coming from. Overall, this experience has been eye-opening and allowed me to see the many possibilities an Anthropology degree has to offer.

Summer 2012 intern Josie Suh at India Sari Palace in Takoma Park, MD.

10 weeks have passed. Each day here at the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program has been full of knowledge, inspiration, and good company. Whether I was researching APA graphic novels, assisting the curator of HomeSpun, exploring the nooks and crannies of museums, or having lunch with officemates, I felt fortunate in every moment to be constantly learning and oftentimes laughing.

I engaged with the world of APA graphic literature with little more than a curiosity. After many trips to the hidden door of the Hirshhorn library (it’s camouflaged in a wall of solid blue), countless requests for books via Smithsonian’s Interlibrary Loan process (a researcher’s dream), and an obscene amount of small pink post-it notes, I discovered a sophistication behind APA graphic novels that I did not anticipate. As a visual medium grounded more in icons than realism, APA graphic novels hold great power in deconstructing stereotype and envisioning heroes that represent the APA community.

In addition to my research, I joined the HomeSpun initiative during the transition between curators. I helped Pawan prepare for the baton toss by chasing down unlabeled items in his office and cataloguing them. When Masum arrived, I corralled the images and objects of every exhibit subcategory into clearly labeled (and MacGyvered) containers. Besides investigating the occasional HomeSpun item-without-source-information, I helped Masum add a stronger visual arts element to the upcoming Beyond Bollywood exhibit. I searched for artists and photographers who depicted various aspects of the Indian American experience, hoping to find something visually interesting that would still speak volumes about Indian Americans. Along the way, I gained skills and knowledge in image research—I attended a SITES seminar on image licensing, and learned ways to search for images under the public domain to save costs.

Being a part of the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program has been the ultimate learning experience. On behind-the-scene tours I have talked to a Holocaust survivor, seen a giant squid eye, and touched a clouded leopard’s soft pelt. I have been able to witness the incredible thought processes that fuel museum exhibitions from concept to design to construction. Just by being around the incredible staff and interns here I have grown as a professional and a scholar. But most of all I have been inspired by the excitement and sheer brainpower behind all the work being done in this office. I am so thankful for the opportunity to be an intern here, and I cannot wait until I return to D.C. in 2013 to see what everyone at the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program is up to then!