The Chinese American Museum occupies what may seem an unlikely spot -- a corner of El Pueblo de Los Angeles, the historical park whose cultural attractions and touristy Olvera Street are reminders of the city's Mexican American heritage.
"People are always surprised when they find us," says executive director Pauline Wong. "But we're here for good reason."
The El Pueblo site is most famous as L.A.'s birthplace, pioneers from Mexico having arrived there in 1781. Nearly a century later, it became the home of Southern California's first Chinatown. (On a darker note, it was the scene of a deadly anti-Chinese riot in 1871.) The area was cleared in the '30s to make way for Union Station and later the 101 Freeway. Eventually, city officials enlisted help from community groups to turn the enclave's only remaining structure, the Garnier Building, into a museum.
"Our location is a challenge," Wong says. "We're in the original Chinatown, but we're not at the heart of the community, which is either in New Chinatown or the San Gabriel Valley. Making things more difficult is that our community is really complex -- old and newcomers, people from Taiwan and mainland China and Southeast Asia. Trying to be the Chinese American museum for all of them is a big responsibility."
As CAM marks its fifth anniversary this month, Wong and her colleagues are working to raise the museum's profile, shift its focus from history to community and secure funding for a $5-million expansion. "We want to go beyond being a hidden gem," she says.
Annual attendance is running 25,000 to 30,000, numbers that Wong acknowledges need to grow -- especially when it comes to Chinese and other Asian Americans. They make up 40% of the total visitors, even though nearly a half-million people of Chinese ancestry are scattered throughout Southern California. "We need to give someone a reason to drive in from Hacienda Heights," she says.
Even when you're at El Pueblo, the 118-year-old Garnier Building can be hard to find, its landmark status precluding highly visible signage. Many guests are "accidental visitors," people who wander in while seeing other sights. "We get lots of school groups and families, many of them Latino," Wong says, adding that everything at the museum is in Chinese, English and Spanish.
Admission is free. The atmosphere is intimate.
