Wing Luke Museum facts for kids
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The East Kong Yick Building, the third and current location of the museum, in 2008
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| Former name | Wing Luke Memorial Museum (1967–1987), Wing Luke Asian Museum (1987–2010) |
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| Established | May 17, 1967 |
| Location | 719 S King Street Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
| Type | Ethnic history museum |
| Public transit access | Link light rail (International District/Chinatown), King County Metro, First Hill Streetcar |
The Wing Luke Museum is a special place in Seattle, Washington, USA. It teaches visitors about the culture, art, and history of people from Asian and Pacific Island backgrounds who live in America. You can find it in Seattle's Chinatown-International District.
This museum started in 1967. It is connected with the Smithsonian Institution, which is a famous group of museums and research centers. The Wing Luke Museum is the only museum in the country that focuses on the experiences of all Asian Pacific American communities. It has moved twice since it opened. Its current home, the East Kong Yick Building, opened in 2008. In 2013, it became one of the places connected to the U.S. National Park Service.
Contents
What You Can See: Collections and Exhibits
The Wing Luke Museum has a huge collection of over 18,000 items. These include old objects, photos, important papers, books, and oral histories. Oral histories are stories told by people about their lives. You can even look at some of the museum's collection online. The museum also has a special lab where staff and visitors can record oral histories.
Exhibits: Stories from Many Cultures
The museum features both temporary and permanent exhibits. These shows explore the history, art, and cultures of Asian Americans. The museum represents more than 26 different ethnic groups.
The Wing Luke Museum creates its exhibits in a special way. They work with the community to decide what stories to tell. This is called a "community-based exhibition model." First, the museum reaches out to people and groups in different communities. Then, they form a Community Advisory Committee (CAC). This committee helps decide what the exhibit will be about.
Museum staff then do research and collect items. They also record oral histories with guidance from the CAC. The committee even helps decide how the exhibit will look and what information it will share. This whole process can take a long time, sometimes 12 to 18 months.
In 1995, the Wing Luke Museum won a national award for its unique exhibit process. One famous exhibit was "Do You Know Bruce?" in 2014, which was about the martial arts legend Bruce Lee. This exhibit also won an award in 2015.
Museum History: Honoring Wing Luke
The museum is named after Wing Luke. He was a Seattle City Council member and the first Asian American elected to public office in the Pacific Northwest region. In the early 1960s, Wing Luke thought there should be a museum in the Chinatown-International District. He wanted to save the history of the neighborhood, which was changing quickly.
Sadly, Wing Luke died in a plane crash in 1965. His friends and supporters then donated money to start the museum he had dreamed of. The Wing Luke Memorial Museum opened in 1967 in a small storefront.
At first, the museum focused on Asian folk art. But soon, it started to include more programs that showed the many different cultures in the local community. The museum displayed art from new local artists. By the 1980s, exhibits about many different Asian cultures, made by community volunteers, became very important to the museum.
In 1987, the Wing Luke Museum moved to a bigger building and changed its name to Wing Luke Asian Museum. In the 1990s, it became well-known across the country. This was thanks to local journalist Ron Chew, who led the museum. He was a pioneer of the community-based model, which put personal stories at the center of exhibits. Today, the museum continues to create exhibits and programs that promote fairness, understanding between cultures, and acceptance.
In 2008, the museum moved to an even larger building at 719 South King Street. This new home was in the beautifully restored 1910 East Kong Yick Building. The museum kept working on civil rights and social justice issues. It also saved historic spaces inside the building. These include the former Gee How Oak Tin Association room, the Freeman SRO Hotel, a family apartment in Canton Alley, and the Yick Fung Mercantile, which was a general store.
In 2010, the museum changed its name again to the Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience. People often call it "The Wing" for short.
In September 2023, nine of the museum's windows were broken in a crime. People described this as being motivated by hate. After this happened, the state and city governments gave money to the museum. The broken windows were replaced with a colorful mural.
Where to Find The Wing: The Building and Neighborhood
The Museum's Building
The East Kong Yick Building, where the museum is located, has a rich history. It was built in 1910 with money from 170 Chinese immigrants. The building also housed the Freeman Hotel, which was a place for Chinese, Japanese, and Filipino immigrants to stay until the 1940s.
Today, the museum's galleries share the building with recreated spaces. These include the meeting room of the Gee How Oak Tin Association, old kitchens, and apartments that were inside the hotel. The museum also keeps the entire contents of a general store, Yick Fung Co., exactly as it was when the owner donated it.
The Lively Neighborhood
The museum is in Seattle's Chinatown-International District. It's right next to Canton Alley, which has historically been a place where people lived, worked, and gathered. The Wing Luke Museum also offers "Chinatown Discovery Tours." These tours started in 1985 and take visitors to important places in the neighborhood.
Images for kids
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The East Kong Yick Building, the third and current location of the museum, in 2008
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Wing Luke Asian Museum at its second location in 2007; it relocated the following year
