Gallery Programs
MOCA’s gallery programs utilize our museum’s exhibit and our classroom for a full hands-on, interactive workshop. Students may go through MOCA’s popular “learning cases,” which are filled with primary sources such as historical letters, photographs, and artifacts, to cover a wide range of topics in Chinese American history. Educators can select the gallery program that best fits their grade level and content area and speak to our Education Department if they have special needs. College and graduate classes can work specifically with our Education staff to tailor the program for older students.
Gallery programs are available Monday-Friday 10:30am-5:00pm and Saturday 11:30am-3:00pm.
Fee: $3 per K-12 student, $3 per senior (65+), $5 per college/graduate student, $5 per adult (up to 3 adults receive complimentary admission for student groups). Prices include admissions to MOCA's exhibits.
Family Journeys: The Chinese American Experience
Grades 4 and up
Through an examination of personal artifacts, photographs, and documents from the Museum’s collection, students will explore the Chinese American experience from past to present. Students will learn about successive waves of Chinese immigrants, their motivations for coming, where they settled, how they were treated, how they adapted to their new life, and how they shaped American society. Hands-on activities with primary sources will encourage students to delve deeper into pertinent themes and to make connections with their personal experience.
Customs and Traditions
Grades K-6
What are the origins of some of the major Chinese holidays? What are popular Chinese symbols and designs? Why is the color red considered lucky and the number four considered unlucky? What role does language play in Chinese culture? Through guided worksheets, scavenger hunts, and other interactive activities, students will use MOCA’s exhibits and educational resources to explore traditions like the Lunar New Year, Mid-Autumn Festival, Cantonese opera, Chinese zodiac, popular folktales, and other customs that permeate Chinese American culture.
Allies and Enemies
Grades 9 and up
Who are America’s allies and enemies and do these definitions ever change? Students will examine the importance of World War II for Chinese Americans and look at how America’s relationship with China affected the condition of Chinese Americans during the Cold War. The program will also ask students to think critically about constitutional rights and the changing notions of what it means to be American. Topics covered will include the Chinese Exclusion Act, McCarthy period, the Red Scare, the Confession program and the House of Un-American Activities Committee. This program is an excellent supplement to students who are studying World War II, the Cold War, US-China relations, and constitutional rights.
Where Do Stereotypes Come From?
Grades 8 and up
Looking at MOCA’s collection, students will interpret representations of Chinese in America in political cartoons, advertisements, and pop culture ranging from the 19th century to present-day. Through a series of document-based exercises that ask students to practice visual literacy - look at, look for, and ask themselves - students will explore the origins of social fears such as xenophobia and racism in American history and make connections between representations of race and labor relations, immigration and naturalization policies, and international affairs.
Happy Lunar New Year (seasonal)
Grades K-6
Through a guided interactive gallery program, students learn about one of the most important and long-standing holidays for Chinese communities in America and all over the world. How do people prepare for Lunar New Year? What are the meanings behind the various customs? How have Chinese Americans preserved and adapted these customs? What makes the Lunar New Year celebration unique and what makes it universal?
Available January 16, 2011 through February 12, 2011
