Asian Cultural
Experience (A.C.E.) Pop-up Museum.
Our Salinas Stories:
Inside / Outside Salinas Chinatown
Salinas Chinatown was founded by Chinese merchants
in 1893. During the early to mid 20th century, the 12 square block
area was home to many closely-knit Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Mexican, and
African American families. They lived, worked, and played together within their
thriving neighborhood, and ventured outside of the area mainly to go to school
or to work. On the other hand, many Salinas residents who lived outside of Chinatown may have perceived it as an exotic, perhaps even dangerous place.
This Pop-up Museum (the first in a series focusing
on Salinas Chinatown) sponsored by Asian Cultural Experience (A.C.E.) in
collaboration with the National Steinbeck Center, explores and, more
importantly, brings together those two worlds: Inside and Outside Chinatown.
Did you live inside Chinatown? What was
it like when you were a child? How did you view the larger Salinas community outside of your neighborhood? How do you
perceive the area now?
Did
you live outside of Chinatown? How
did you, or do you view the Chinatown community? Did you ever walk or drive
through Chinatown, talk to the people, or take photographs? Did you have
friends in Chinatown, or do business there?
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We invite Salinas residents and visitors to come and
share their experiences as insiders or outsiders to Chinatown, and find our
common ground. The event is free. Bring one or two objects or photographs, and especially your
stories, to share with us. For the 3-hour period of the Pop-up, we will provide
temporary exhibit space and labels for your items, along with snacks and people
who are interested in your story. If you would like us to record your story for
the future Salinas Chinatown Cultural Center and Museum, we will have recording
equipment.
We look forward to seeing you!
