Upcoming Events
Past Events
Ascend AAPI Spring Fashion Show
Join Houston Public Library and Rice University on May 20th as we amplify the voices of the Asian American Pacific Islander community. Ascend AAPI Spring Fashion Show will transform the Houston Public Library's Historic Julia Ideson Building into a beautiful and festive runway.
Come to explore the world of fashion and art! The show will feature:
- Designer Chloe Dao, fashion designer and television personality, winner of The Project Runway Season 2
- Designer Tina Zulu, owner and creative chieftess at Zulu Creative and Kimono Zulu
- Visual artist Anthony Pabillano
This immersive experience celebrates Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and the exhibit,"Our Vibrant AAPI Community: Selections from the Houston Asian American Archive"on display at the Julia Ideson Building Gallery from January 19, 2023, to June 3, 2023. This event is made possible thanks to the collaborative effort of the Houston Public Library and Rice University's Houston Asian American Archive. We also thank the Miss Chinatown Houston Scholarship Pageant. Several previous contestants will be modeling for this event.
This event is free and open to the public. Registration is required. Register here.
Meet the designers!
Chloe Dao is a Vietnamese-American, born in Laos, fashion designer and style expert based in Houston. She was catapulted to international fame after winning Project Runway Season 2 in 2006 with a collection of women's evening wear. She has been featured on the cover of Forbes, Elle Magazine, as well as CNN, The View and numerous media outlets both national and international.
Chloe’s signature flair, as noted on Project Runway, demonstrates her expert understanding of women’s bodies. Her garments are carefully constructed to flatter every body type and give every woman a wardrobe that’s as one of a kind as she is. Chloe's mission is to make everyone feel beautiful.
Kimono Zulu, a creative exploration led by Tina Zulu, a Filipina-American will present a collection of reimagined vintage Japanese kimonos. Kimono Zulu draws upon the rich history of traditional Japanese attire, mainly the kimono, and its influence on other cultures throughout Asia and the West. Through artist collaborations, Tina Zulu inspires and initiates the visual conversation for artists to incorporate their own design sensibilities into the vision for the brand, bringing new life to vintage kimonos in a thoughtful, beautiful and often playful way.
Anthony Pabillano, a Houston-based Filipino artist and accessories designer, currently explores weaving in the style of the Philippine bayong, a traditional bag made from dried leaves but redefined today through his use of unexpected materials and forms. Grounded on the human form and empowered by reconciliation of present with past experiences, Anthony Pabillano creates pieces that serve as vessels of memories and emotions traversing over distances and time, woven into objects centering around matters of the self and of the collective.
Hair Sponsors: Cutloose Hair and Oribe
Coverage of the Ascend AAPI Spring Fashion Show
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From Chloe Dao on YouTube |
Liu Distinguished Visitor Series: Kevin Chen
The Chao Center for Asian Studies, along with our co-sponsors, The Asia Society Texas Center, Inprint, and the Taiwan Academy in Houston, an arm of the Taiwan Ministry of Culture, is proud to present Kevin Chen, awarding-winning author of Ghost Town, as part of our Liu Distinguished Visitor Series.
DATE: Thursday, April 27, 2023
TIME: 6:00 – 7:30pm
VENUE: BioScience Research Collaborative (BRC), room 103 (auditorium)
SPEAKER: Kevin Chen
Kevin Chen started his career as a cinema and theater actor. Now based in Germany, he has published several novels, as well as short story and essay collections. His many honors include the Taiwan Literature Award, Golden Tripod Award, Lin Rung San Literature Award, and the Chiuko Prize for Fiction. His novel Ghost Town–his first in English translation–was a New York Times Most Anticipated Book of Fall 2022, on Library Journal’s Best Books of World Literature 2022, and on the longlist for the 2023 PEN Translation Prize. Chen will read from the novel and discuss the craft of writing with Pritha Bhattacharyya, winner of the 2023 Inprint Joan and Stanford Alexander Prize in Fiction.
More information at https://rice.lwcal.com/event/347495-liu-distinguished-visitor-series-kevin-chen-ghost.
Followed by a reception in the adjacent lobby space.
Free and open to the public.
Supported by a generous gift from Frank (’78) and Cindy Liu, the Liu Distinguished Visitor Series brings distinguished visitors to campus to discuss a topic of broad humanistic interest.
Exploring the World of Asian American Poets!
Date: Saturday, April 22, 2023
Time: 11:00 am - 1:00 pm
Location: Julia Ideson Building, Houston Public Library
Join us at the Houston Public Library! Enjoy a wonderful poetry reading featuring:
- Bao-Long Chu (top left)
- Rohan Chhetri (top right)
- Weijia Pan (bottom left)
Moderated by Houston's second Poet Laureate Robin Davidson (bottom right).
With a special reading of the poem “Homeward Bound” by Ariana Lee, 2022-2023 Houston Youth Poet Laureate, at the beginning of the event.
This performance is part of the programming around the exhibit "Our Vibrant AAPI Community: Selections from the Houston Asian American Archive" on display at the Julia Ideson Building Gallery from January 19, 2023, to June 3, 2023. It's made possible thanks to the collaborative effort of the Houston Public Library and Rice University's Houston Asian American Archive.
This event is free and open to the public. Please register here.
Snapshots from Exploring the World of Asian American Poets!
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Meet the Poets!
- Bao-Long Chu
Originally from Vietnam, Bao-Long Chu earned an M.F.A. in poetry from the University of Houston's Creative Writing Program.
His poems and essays have been published in several anthologies, including The New Anthology of American Poetry: Postmodernisms 1950-Present and From Both Sides Now: The Poetry of the Vietnam War and Its Aftermath. His libretto for Houston Grand Opera's East + West initiative, Bound, premiered in 2014.
- Rohan Chhetri
A Nepali Indian poet, writer and translator, currently based in Houston, TX. He is the author of Slow Startle (Winner of the Emerging Poets Prize 2015), the chapbook Jurassic Desire (Winner of the Per Diem Prize 2017) and Lost, Hurt, or in Transit Beautiful (Tupelo Press/ HarperCollinsIN, 2021).
He is a recipient of a 2021 PEN/Heim Grant for translation, his poems have appeared in The Paris Review, Revue Europe, AGNI and New England Review, and have been translated into Greek and French.
- Weijia Pan
Weijia Pan is a poet and translator from Shanghai, China, and an MFA candidate at the University of Houston. His poems have appeared in or are forthcoming from AGNI, The Georgia Review, Tupelo Quarterly, 诗釱, and elsewhere.
- Robin Davidson
Poet and translator, she has published two full-length poetry collections and two poetry chapbooks, has served as Houston Poet Laureate (2015-2017), and has taught literature and creative writing at the University of Houston-Downtown, where she serves as Professor Emerita of English.
- Ariana Lee
Ariana Lee serves as the 2022-2023 Houston Youth Poet Laureate and is a member of Meta-Four Houston, the city’s official youth slam poetry team. Recognized by the National YoungArts Foundation, she combines her passion for arts and activism as a Youth Fellow for the International Human Rights Art Festival. She believes poetry is necessary for forward movement, and her work celebrates overlooked, undervalued, and forgotten stories.
Snapshots from Exploring the World of Asian American Poets!
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HPL x HAAA Present: Dancing across Asian America!
 Anjali Center for Performing Arts |
 Dance of Asian America |
 Rea Sampilo |
Date: March 25, 2023
Time: 11 AM - 1 PM
Location: Central Library, Houston Public Library
Join us for a full immersion into the Asian American culture at the Houston Public Library! Explore the world of dance in this exciting and dynamic program featuring:
- Anjali Center
Anjali Center for Performing Arts is a Texas organization dedicated to promoting and preserving Indian performing arts. Since its inception in 1975, Anjali, Texas’ first and premier Indian dance academy, has blossomed into a renowned institution, under the direction of its Founder, internationally reputed danseuse Rathna Kumar.
Top: Dance of Asian America / Li Jia; Bottom: Anjali Center for Performing Arts / Lynn Lane; Right: Rea Sampilo
- Dance of Asian America
Dance of Asian America (DAA) promotes and preserves the rich cultural heritage of China through authentic Chinese dance. In doing so, DAA sustains traditions, builds international ties, educates Houstonians in cross-cultural understanding, and fosters new generations of professional artists. DAA reaches over 50,000 people annually through over 50 free city-wide performances, educational programs for youths and community events.
- Rea Christina Sampilo
Rea Sampilo (she/her) is a Filipina-American, interdisciplinary movement artist, and community organizer residing in Houston, Texas. Her mixed-media interactive pieces, performances, and collaborations question and explore the concept of play, embodied behavior, and the Filipino/a/x body. Sampilo believes in the interstitial spaces of art and performance as sites for deeper dialogue, identity, and healing. She is the current Programs Director for the Filipino American National Historical Society Houston, Texas Chapter.
This performance is part of the programming around the exhibit "Our Vibrant AAPI Community: Selections from the Houston Asian American Archive" on display at the Julia Ideson Building Gallery from January 19, 2023, to June 3, 2023. It's made possible thanks to the collaborative effort of the Houston Public Library and Rice University's Houston Asian American Archive.
This event is free and open to the public. Please click here to register.
 Dancers and organizers |
 Dr. Anne Chao, Rea Sampilo, Rachel Gonzales, Anthony Pabillano, and friends |
Performing Asia
Join us for a full immersion into the Asian American culture at the historic Houston Public Library facility Julia Ideson Building!
Enjoy a lively performance selection of classical Chinese music. Featuring:
- Taiwanese traditional Pipa player Hui-Kuan Lin
- Sheng player Lung-Yi Huang
Date: Saturday, February 4, 2023
Time: 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
This event is free and open to the public.
Click here for more details.
This concert is made possible thanks to the Houston Symphony Orchestra, Asia Society Texas, Taiwan’s National Culture and Arts Foundation, Rice University's Shepherd School of Music, and the Houston Public Library.
"Our Vibrant AAPI Community: Selections from the Houston Asian American Archive" Exhibit Grand Opening
Join the Houston Public Library to celebrate the opening of the exhibit "Our Vibrant AAPI Community: Selections from the Houston Asian American Archive" on display at JIB Gallery from January 19, 2023, to June 3, 2023.
Date: Thursday, January 19, 2023
Time: 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Click here for more details.
"Covering Race & Fetish in Media"
Workshop by Dolly Li (June 21, 2021, 12 PM)
Dolly Li (Rice '12, VADA & Economics) is a Los Angeles and New York-based video journalist and documentarian. She tells investigative and nuanced cultural stories about communities. Her short three-part documentary series, "Chinese Food: An All-American Cuisine," was awarded a Regional Emmy in Northern California. Her latest production with Asian studies professor, Adrian De Leon, "A People's History of Asian America," was aired by PBS Voices in May 2021. Her talk with HAAA will further unpack the research she has done on the episode, "Where Did Asian Fetish Come From?".
"Love Letter to Houston"
premiered at 6 PM CST on June 9, 2021
"To Be Visible"
premiered at 6 PM CST on June 12, 2021; followed by director Q&A.
We are happy to announce that two short films created by Leah Ogawa "To Be Visible" and "Love Letter to Houston", produced by HAAA and inspired by its oral history interviews and podcasts, have been chosen and will premiere on the 17th Houston AAPI Film Festival (HAAPIFEST). Its organizer, OCA Greater Houston, will be hosting this year's festival entirely virtual from Jun 3-13, 2021.
For tickets, visit HAAPIFEST.com.
Witness to History: Stories from the Houston Asian American Archive
A webinar lecture by Dr. Anne Chao, program manager of Houston Asian American Archive, on Friday, May 7th, at 6 PM.
Organized by Multicultural Community Relations in the Office of Public Affairs, Rice University.
To view a recording of the talk, follow here.
Fondren After Dark | Embodying Healing
Filipina-American dancer, Rea Sampilo, responded to the site-specific immersive exhibition "Portal of Healing," by Rachel Gonzales, through the language of her body in conversation with the words, the brushstrokes, in the space of the metaphoric "womb," "bridge" and "portal."
"I am the brush." -- Rea Sampilo
Oral History Workshop with Benji de la Piedra:
With the permission of the speaker, who was invited to speak with HAAA interns at Rice University on Feb 23, 2021, we have opened up the recording of his talk to share with HAAA's community on our YouTube channel. To view, follow here.
"Virtual Tour with MOCA"
Take a virtual tour with our friends at the Museum of Chinese America (MOCA) in New York City, on Feb 23rd, 2021 at 3 PM CST / 4 PM EST.
The tour will feature their permanent exhibition, "With a Single Step: Stories in the Making of America".
A recording of the tour can be assessed here.
An Artist Talk with Rachel Gonzales
In conjunction with "Portal of Healing," a site-specific installation by artist Rachel Gonzales, Houston Asian American Archive is organizing an artist talk with Rachel Gonzales, "Portal of Healing: We will cross the bridge together" at 11 am, Jan 23rd, 2021, moderated by Ann Shi, associate curator of HAAA.
A recording of the webinar is viewable here.
The exhibition is on view from Jan 15 - Mar 31, 2021. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, advanced reservation is required to visit, at https://calendly.com/visithaaa/healing.
Social Media: @RiceHAAA, @rachelgonzalesart, #HealwithHAAA, #HoustonAsianAmericanArchive
(Joint program) MOCA TREASURES ON THE ROAD
Unveiling the Untold Stories in the Chinese American Journey
As MOCA continues to rebuild from a devastating fire at its archives and the global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Museum remains committed to telling the untold stories in the making of America.
The near loss of MOCA's irreplaceable archives of 85,000+ artifacts that tell 200 years of Chinese American history is a stark reminder of how objects bring history to life and how quickly these stories may be lost. MOCA believes now more than ever that it must inspire individuals to preserve artifacts, share them with the public-at-large, and provide an educational resource to supplement missing parts of U.S. history.
HAAA invites you to the second installment of MOCA's newest initiative called MOCA Treasures on the Road on Wednesday, October 21, at 3:00 P.M. CT.
A recording of the webinar is available at MOCA's Vimeo Channel here as well as HAAA's YouTube Channel here.
Creativity Contest (Rice students only)
Artist Talk Series | "Faces In the Pandemic"
Houston Asian American Archive announces "Faces in the Pandemic" artist talk series, part of the programs for the current exhibition, featuring six artists in this group show.
The talks will contextualize each of the artists' works in the exhibit as well as their individual practices, journey, and vision. Audiences will have the opportunity to ask questions at the end.
The talk series is moderated by Ann Shi, associate curator, and Ashley Tsang, Rice student intern.
Artist Talk #1: Sherry Tseng Hill & Anthony Pabillano
Date: Sep 30, 2020 06:00 PM Central Time
A recording of the webinar can be found here.
Sherry Tseng Hill
Reflecting on the multi-faceted world we live in, Sherry Tseng Hill often superimposes imagery and pattern and plays with combining opposite expressions: the soft and the hard, the transparent and the opaque, the flat, and the spatial, the literal and the abstract. Constantly exploring different techniques and mediums to create textures and see how they can best tell the story or convey the emotions she hopes to evoke, her drawings, paintings, and 3-D constructions reflect her background as an architect. Her love of the sciences, mathematics, and literature, and her particular interest in the idea of nonlinear time/space of personal histories as well as the cosmos are prominent themes in her work.
Straddling the east and the west, Hill was born and raised in Taiwan until the young teenage years. Her childhood experiences in Taiwan forms a great part of her approach to life and her art. She is a Rice alum (BA in Art History & Architecture '80, B.Arch '82), and a practicing architect. She lives and works in Houston.
Anthony Pabillano was born and raised in the Philippines, moved when he was 11, and lived out the rest of his youth in Corpus Christi, Texas. Art has been part of Pabillano's life since childhood; although he later pursued studies in accounting and now a practicing accountant, he never gave up on art. Paper has been a medium unique to Pabillano, ever since an assignment during high school where he was asked to follow Henri Matisse's paper cut practice. Portraiture is his favorite genre from his introspective approach and sharp observations of human beings, especially people he respects and connects with. Using Matisse's inspiration, with self-made techniques of rendering "chiaroscuro" using layered paper art, Pabillano's portraiture forges a unique channel of storytelling, and the discourse in layers of and the depth of skin, their shades, and the intricate and hybrid world we live in.
Artist Talk #2: Brandon Tho Harris & Victor Ancheta
Date: Oct 7, 2020 06:00 PM Central Time
A recording of the webinar can be found here.
Artist Talk #3: Antonius-Tin Bui & Jennifer Ling Datchuk
Antonius-Tín Bui (they/them pronouns) is a polydisciplinary artist with roots all over the USA.
They are the child of Paul and Van Bui, two Vietnamese refugees who sacrificed everything to provide a future for their four kids and extended family. Born and raised in Bronx, NY, Antonius eventually moved to Houston before pursuing a BFA at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MIC/A).
Since graduating in 2016, Antonius has been fortunate to receive fellowships from the Vermont Studio Center, Kala Art Institute, Tulsa Artists Fellowship, Halcyon Arts Lab, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, Yaddo, Anderson Center at Tower View, The Growlery, and Fine Arts Work Center.
Antonius has exhibited at various institutional, private, public, and underground venues, including the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, IA&A at Hillyer, Lawndale Art Center, Pennsylvania College of Art & Design, Artscape, Satellite Art Fair Austin, Blaffer Art Museum, Laband Art Gallery, and Smithsonian Arts & Industries Building.
As the child of a Chinese immigrant and grandchild of Russian and Irish immigrants, the family histories of conflict she has inherited are a perpetual source for her work. She captures this conflict by exploring the emotive power of domestic objects and rituals that fix, organize, soothe, and beautify our lives.
Trained in ceramics, her works often use a myriad of materials ranging from porcelain to fabric or embroidery. Datchuk holds an MFA in Artisanry from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and a BFA in Crafts from Kent State University. She has received grants from the Artist Foundation of San Antonio as well as Artpace to research the birthplace of porcelain in Jingdezhen, China.
In 2016, she was awarded a residency through the Blue Star Contemporary Art Museum at the Künstlerhaus Bethanien in Berlin, Germany, and was a Black Cube Nomadic Museum Artist Fellow. Recently, she completed a residency at the European Ceramic Work Center in the Netherlands and was awarded the Emerging Voices Award from the American Craft Council.