HPL News - Visit Us at Houston Public Library

January 19, 2023 – June 3, 2023

Grand Opening Reception Thursday, January 19 6 PM - 8 PM. Event is free and open to the public. Registration is encouraged.

The Julia Ideson Gallery
550 McKinney St., 77002 | 832-393-1313

The lives of the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community in Houston are woven intimately into the history of the larger metropolis. Asian Americans first settled in the Bayou City and its vicinity in the early twentieth century, and the community grew substantially after the relaxation of immigration laws in 1965. The archival materials displayed in this exhibit represent a sampling of the richness of AAPI experiences, offering a panoramic view of Houston's AAPI world.

Rice University’s Houston Asian American Archive (HAAA) began in 2010 and it continues to grow as a repository of materials documenting the lives and contributions of immigrants and their descendants from all corners of Asia: from East, to Southeast, to South Asia. Most of these materials consist of oral interviews. Rice student interns conduct and curate these interviews, which are housed in the Fondren Library’s Woodson Research Center with the hope that the archive, bearing witness to the role played by Asian Americans, will become the basis for the history of Asian Americans in greater Houston.

This exhibit is in partnership with the Houston Asian American Archive and the Woodson Research Center of Rice University.

More programming in celebration of this exhibit is planned through May 2023. All events are free and open to the public; registration is encouraged.

Chinese Classical Music Concert │Saturday, February 4, 2023 - 2 PM
HPL x HAAA Present: Dancing Across Asian America! │ Saturday, March 25, 2023 - 11 AM
Exploring the World of Asian American Poets │ Saturday, April 22, 2023 - 11 AM

Ascend AAPI Spring Fashion Show │ Saturday, May 20, 2023 - 2 PM

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Our Vibrant AAPI Community: Selections from the Houston Asian American Archive