Chinese Exhibit to Open at the Oklahoma History Center
September 22
Contact: Tinny Chang
(405) 722-1338
or Susan de Quevedo
(405) 522-0788
Oklahoma City, OK
September 14, 2007
For Immediate Release
The Oklahoma History Center announces a new exhibit opening September 22, 2007, telling the story of Chinese immigration to Oklahoma from territorial times to present day. A Scissortail Returns: The Chinese Experience in Oklahoma is a year-long exhibit that will be located in the Inasmuch Foundation Gallery at the Oklahoma History Center. The Oklahoma History Center is located at 2401 N. Laird Avenue, Oklahoma City, and is open Monday thru Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sundays from Noon to 5:00 p.m.
Mike Bell and Susan de Quevedo of the OMH staff developed the exhibit in collaboration with the Oklahoma Chinese Community Foundation, interviewing people from the OKC and Tulsa Chinese communities. One story came from the Eng family, who owned and operated the well-known Mandarin Café in downtown Tulsa during the 1930s and 1940s. The owner's children share their family's history and experiences working in and living above the restaurant in the exhibit.
Along with personal stories, the exhibit will display objects that individuals brought with them on their journey to Oklahoma such as a Chinese/English dictionary, musical instruments, and traditional clothing, as well as Chinese artifacts from the museum's collections.
The title of this exhibit, A Scissortail Returns: The Chinese Experience in Oklahoma, refers to the Chinese story of a bird flying away from home but returning to the same area to nest again. In the early 1900s, Chinese individuals left their families looking for work in America with the hope of returning to their homeland. Today, Chinese families have made Oklahoma their home, visiting China and then, much like the scissortail, returning home.
The exhibit is made possible through funding provided by the Oklahoma Chinese Cultural Foundation. The foundation received a $5,000 grant from the Oklahoma City Community Foundation and its Fund for Oklahoma City.
The Oklahoma Chinese Cultural Foundation, founded in 2001, has been actively involved in various activities contributing its rich and unique Chinese heritage and traditions and reaching out to the residents of the State of Oklahoma. The Foundation was also the first to publish a bilingual Chinese-English newspaper with a monthly distribution of 5,000 copies and is recognized by the State and its people as the voice of the Chinese community within Oklahoma. Currently, the Foundation also sponsors Oklahoma ABC Chinese School that has campuses in Oklahoma City, Norman, and Stillwater and teaches the Chinese language and various Chinese arts and craft skills. In January 2005, on behalf of the Foundation, Ms. Tinny Chang received an award honoring the Foundation's Feed the Homeless annual event.
Founded in 1969, the Oklahoma City Community Foundation manages more than $500 million in assets and is ranked as one of the largest community foundations in the country. The Oklahoma City Community Foundation works with donors and organizations to create endowments that address needs and opportunities within the community. Grants are awarded through the Community Grants Program three times a year to metropolitan area charitable organizations.