BC Library’s Chung Collection has been added to the Canadian Commission for UNESCO’s Canada Memory of the World Register in recognition of its historical value. Please click here to read the news on UBC Library website. The Wallace B. Chung and Madeline H. Chung Collection was donated to UBC Library by the Chung Family in 1999. The family added a second significant donation to the collection in 2014 and has continued to donate items over the years. Inspired to start collecting by an illustrated poster of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company’s steamship R.M.S. Empress of Asia in his father’s tailor shop in Victoria, Dr. Wallace B. Chung amassed more than 25,000 items over sixty years. The collection consists of textual records, maps, artefacts, books and other materials and focuses on three main themes: early British Columbia history and exploration, the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR), and early immigration and settlement, with a particular focus on the Chinese experience.
This exhibit showcases pieces of sudden inspiration or unusual choices
of materials or some other feature that will make you stop and question
their creation. Meet the Artist, Roxsane K. Tiernan on September 14th
from 1pm to 3pm at 13530 – 72nd Avenue, Surrey, BC. Click here to learn more about the artist or here to visit the Arts Council of Surrey Gallery @ Newton Cultural Centre.
Jim Wong -Chu (1945- July-11-2017)
was a well-known Asian-Canadian historian,
editor, author, and poet. Born in Hong Kong, Jim Wong-Chu came to Canada
in 1953. He attended the Vancouver School of Art (Emily Carr University of Art
+ Design) from 1975-1981, majoring in photography and design. From 1976-1981, Jim Wong-Chu was involved with
the Vancouver Co-op Radio Program on culture and assimilation, Pender Guy Radio
Program while working at the Vancouver School of Art
Considered one of the first Asian-Canadian authors who gave voice to the Asian Communities in the times when the support for the Asian arts was difficult to obtain. Jim Wong-Chu dedicated much of his time to compile a literary anthology, “Many Mouthed Birds” to showcase the richness of Asian-Canadian literature. During 1995 and 1996 Jim Wong-Chu co-founded the Asian Canadian Performing Arts Resource (ACPAR) and became one of the founders of the Asian Canadian Writers’ Workshop (ACWW) where he helped many young Asian -Canadian writers to succeed by editing and finding publishers for their works. Jim Wong-Chu along with Mishtu Banerjee, Mo-Ling Chui, Grace Eiko Thomson, and Winston Xin? formed the Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Society, as an organization that endeavoured to explore the diversity of Asian Canadian life and culture and promote the discussion of relevant issues and concerns within and beyond the Asian Canadian communities. Since then, VAHMS has based its mission on social advocacy and integration to support Pan-Asian and Asian Canadian Arts, Cultures, and Communities. Jim Wong-Chu’s vision was fundamental to explorASIAN festival success.
Pender Street East
Jim Wong-Chu fresh rock cod a pleasant smile roast pork fresh hot taste before you buy (guarantee to satisfy) ginger green onions soy sauce msg take a break across the street find a booth order green tea relax… where else would you possibly want to be?
Sean Gunn: Readings of Jim Wong-Chu’s Poetry
Listening Event Readings of Jim Wong-Chu’s poetry, Saturday October 19, 2019 IMF Studio, Emily Carr University of Art and Design.
The three poems:
hippo luck (for Sid Tan): Sid is a good friend of mine and we go back a long way.
memories of old kubla khan nightclub: I played a Fender Pre. Bass into an Ampeg B15 in the house band there. We were a lousy band, but no one heard a note that we played! Bandmates were Owen Chan on Drums and Lito Castillo on the Organ. Miss Sumi, an Asian-Canadian Peeler, was the featured act at the Kubla Khan at the corner of Pender and Main in the heart of Vancouver’s Chinatown during the 1970s.
merritt b.c. revisited 1965: Two friends of mine, Raymond Dang and Jack Mar, were friends of Jim’s in high school in Merritt BC.
There are 20 individuals and organizations nominated for the explorASIAN 2019 Pan Asian Recognition Award, and among them, Lan Tung, Lenore RS Lim and Indian Summer Arts Society are the winners. They are recognized for their outstanding contributions to cultural diversity in Vancouver.
Lenore RS Lim is recognized for creating opportunities for visual and performing artists to share their work with a wider audience. The driving force behind the Filipino Music and Art Foundation in BC, Lim is a passionate mentor of talent and a tireless promoter of family and community connections across cultures and generations.
Lan Tung is an erhu performer, composer and concert producer who has promoted cross-cultural collaboration between musicians from Asia and the West for more than 20 years. Lan is the artistic director of the Orchid Ensemble, Sound of Dragon Society/Sound of Dragon Music Festival and Proliferasian. She organizes educational programs for young audiences and the public, lectures at the post-secondary level, and has led several residencies with different organizations.
The Indian Summer Arts Society stages the Indian Summer Festival as part of its mission of creating an inclusive, culturally rich society. Now a multi-arts, multicultural, multi-gender and multi-racial event, the festival features more than 200 artists, both emerging talent as well as global names, and activities ranging from neighbourhood walking tours to dialogues about gentrification.
The nominees for the 2019 Pan Asian Recognition Award are as follows:
Asian Canadian Writers’ Workshop Burnaby Art Gallery exhibition: “Anna Wong: Traveller on Two Roads” Canadian Society for Asian Arts Daniel Wu (Founder and curator of Tian Jin Formation Drum) Dr Jan Walls (Professor of East Asian languages and culture studies) Dr Millie Creighton (Professor at UBC) Grace Eiko Thomson (Director|Curator of the the Nikkei National Museum) Indian Summer Festival Society Itrath Syed (PhD student at SFU) Joan Frias (Philippine independent music) Laura Saimoto (Director of Community Relations Committee at Vancouver Japanese Language School and Hall) Mita Naidu (Vancouver International Jazz Festival) Shushma Datt (Spice Radio) Tamio Wakayama (The Bulletin) Wong’s Family represented by Maurice and Jane Wong
The Philippines is a country with a deep and rich cultural history, and has been the top country of birth of immigrants in Canada, according to the 2016 Statistic Canada Census. Yet, how much do we know about the Philippines and its people, especially those who have emigrated to Canada and made their home here?
If it is not taught in school, it is hard for our children to know where their families have come from? How do Canadians begin to appreciate the richness embedded in the diversity of their neighbourhoods and among their friends?
“The first step towards cultural harmony starts with understanding and learning about each other’s histories, ” observed Dr Robert Daum, Chair of the Laurier Institution, which has been promoting multiculturalism and diversity in Canada for thirty years. Sponsors, led by the Laurier Institution, decide to enable more school children and teachers to the show.
Bali is indelibly associated with beaches and sand and summer getaways, but what’s less well known is that the region also offers distinctive, delicious food — and a culinary tradition that goes back centuries.
On May 22, we’d like to invite you to join us for the second installment of the Kuliner lunch series to find out what makes Balinese food unique and memorable.
Date/Time: Wednesday, May 22 at 12 noon
Venue: The Holy Crab, 1588 Robson St, Vancouver, BC V6G 2G5
Details: Balinese lunch (prepared by Kuliner head chef Djaka Putra leading a team of highly experienced chefs) accompanied by the history and background of the dishes served.
The event is organized by PERMAI BC and the Indonesian Consulate General in Vancouver, and is part of explorASIAN 2019 — the annual celebration of Asian Heritage Month in Vancouver.
Wednesday, May 22 | 7-8:30pm Port Moody Arts Centre 2425 St. Johns Street, Port Moody, British Columbia V3H 2B2
Free admission
Join 2018-2019 Ceramic Artist in Residence, Julia Nygra, as she shares her PoMo Arts residency experience, artistic process, and insights into her solo exhibition, Tender Formation (on display at the Arts Centre May 2 -30, 2019).
from left to right Winnie Cheung, Esmi Gallo, Leticia Sánchez, and Celia Leung. Photograph by Ana Diaz
Photograph by Ana Diaz
Photograph by Ana Diaz
Opening Reception: May 4, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm Exhibition: May 1 – 31, Tuesday – Sunday, 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Celia is a Chinese-Canadian economist, artist, and writer. Celia improved her watercolour and calligraphy techniques with Master Yukman Lai and likes to paint whatever makes her feel at ease. British Columbia sceneries have given Celia plenty of opportunities to find relaxation in nature.
Esmie, a Filipino-Canadian artist, who is also a Biologist and Psychologist studied art at Emily Carr University in Vancouverand loves to capture the essence of the natural world, as well as the feelings, expressions, and traits of moments that happen to us in everyday life. Both, Celia and Esmi, have particular synchronicity in their painting themes. They both love nature, colour, and expressing feelings through painting.
During the opening on May 4th, the Jeunesse Art Gallery was full of smiles and familiar faces. It was a delight to be able to enjoy the art pieces displayed while meeting with so many interesting people. Just Breathe– Scenes, Sounds, and Scents in RomanticWatercolours is an exhibition that deserves to be seen, not only for the beauty of the art but also for the themes that remind us to nurture compassion and respect for all beings on earth.
A Celebration of Filipino-Canadian Writers, VAHMS, Vancouver Public Library
explorASIAN 2019
Join the Vancouver Filipino-Canadian Writers Collective for an evening of poetry, short stories, and monologues from the city’s best emerging writers of Filipino ancestry
Venue: Montalbano Family Theatre, Vancouver Public Library
