MOCA Ushers in a New Era as a National Museum of Chinese American History

MOCA's site www.mocanyc.org, ushers in a new era as a national museum of Chinese American History.

Ushering in a new era as a world class national museum of Chinese American History, The Museum of the Chinese in the Americas (MoCA) has a new name, a new website and will have a new space at 211-215 Centre St., designed by architect Maya Lin, slated to open next fall.

Last night, executive director Charlie Lai, announced at the annual Legacy Benefit Dinner at Tribeca Rooftop in New York, that the Museum's name will change from Museum of Chinese in the Americas (MoCA) to Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA). With its new name, Lai unveiled MOCA's new and unique English and Chinese logos and the website.

"These visual symbols not only reflect the contemporary interiors designed by Lin, but represent the dynamic and vibrant role that MOCA aims to play in interpreting more than 160 years of Chinese American history," said Lai.

MOCA's vast collections of more than 60,000 letters and documents, business and organizational records, oral histories, clothing and textiles, photographs, and precious artifacts will be digitized and made available on the World Wide Web for the first time, further increasing the Museum's capacity to share and lend its resources. This digital feature will facilitate MOCA's ability to continually collect new materials, oral histories, and scholarship globally.

"By visiting the new website, www.mocanyc.org, visitors will see that it not only reflects its new physical home but complements its growing caliber of work. The website is an extension of its exhibits and features offered at its physical space. It aims to become a strong online presence and connect MOCA with individuals around the country and around the world," Lai continued.

In addition, MOCA will offer Web-based versions of gallery exhibitions (including the new core exhibit, The Chinese American Experience); a comprehensive, interactive timeline of Chinese American history; and downloadable resources on topics such as immigration and diversity.

When MOCA's new home on Centre St. is completed, the physical space will increase the Museum's total size six-fold (when combined with MOCA's present space at 70 Mulberry St.) and enable it to serve as a national center, presenting the Chinese American experience as an integral part of the American story. The new site will feature multiple exhibition galleries, interactive visitor kiosks, a multi-purpose auditorium/classroom, research center, and a flexible space for various multidisciplinary public programs.