Library Hosts Hidden Portals Experience and Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Events in May
Innovator in Residence Invites Public to Virtually Visit Early Historic Asian American Sites Throughout Library’s Campus
Library of Congress 2023-2024 Innovator in Residence Jeffrey Yoo Warren is inviting the public to visit a series of virtual installations in the Library’s Washington, D.C. campus and five historic Asian American sites around the country. Accessible by mobile device, the experimental Hidden Portals experience provides an immersive 3D reconstruction of these neighborhoods developed using archival photographs and records from local and Library of Congress collections.
Part of Yoo Warren’s project, Seeing Lost Enclaves: Relational Reconstructions of Erased Historic Neighborhoods of Color, the Hidden Portals can be found in designated public spaces in five selected cities where early historic Chinese American and Korean American communities once thrived:
- Providence, Rhode Island on Empire Street between Washington Street & Chapel Street
- Portland, Oregon on SW 18th Avenue between SW Madison Street & SW Salmon Street
- Hanford, California on China Aly between N Green Street & N White Street
- Truckee, California at Donner Pass Road & Spring Street
- Riverside, California at Cottage Street & Commerce Street
During Asian Pacific American Heritage Month from May 1 through 31, members of the public can follow maps to experience the five Hidden Portal sites around the U.S. Visitors at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. can also use their smartphones to find each of the 3D reconstructions hidden in locations around the Library’s campus. Through collaborations with local Asian American artists and experts, Yoo Warren has developed a fully mobile experience in which visitors can immerse themselves in the unique sights and sounds of these long-ago neighborhoods.
Families with children ages 6-12 are also invited to visit the Library for a mask-making workshop with Yoo Warren as part of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Family Day on May 11. Attendees will create cardboard virtual reality masks in the shape of a tiger’s head and use them to visit each of the Hidden Portals.
Also in May, join the Library of Congress for additional events focused on Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, including:
May 11: Explore Asian American and Pacific Islanders’ stories and experiences while telling your own family's story. Join the Informal Learning Office for creative, participatory family activities within the Jefferson Building. Register for this event.
May 11: As part of Family Day at the Library of Congress, hear from award-winning author, actor and civil rights activist George Takei in the Coolidge Auditorium at 2 p.m. Register for this event.
May 23: Drop in for a special pop-up trivia event celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Test your knowledge and explore how the Library’s vast collections preserve the stories, accomplishments, and challenges of this diverse community. This event requires only a timed-entry ticket.
May 23: Join us for a special performance by the Somapa Thai Dance Group featuring some of the best traditional Thai musicians in the United States. They will be dancing on the Coolidge Auditorium stage at 7 p.m. Register for this event.
###
Media Contact: Elaina Finkelstein, efinkelstein@loc.gov
PR 24-039
01-30-24
ISSN 0731-3527