NOW Live from the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center

This post is a part of our awesome #GivingTuesday 2014 Showcase! See what else we’ve done this year.

What most excites us is being on the leading edge of museums and technology and the opportunity to contribute to a new understanding of how the Smithsonian engages history, art, and culture. We live in a complex and dynamic time, a moment when the Asia-Pacific region and America’s role as a Pacific Rim nation is central to understanding the American story. The Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center is increasingly a “cultural laboratory,” constantly engaged in innovative initiatives and seeking new ways for learning. Digital media allows the Center to be accessible 24 hours a day and 365 days a year from anywhere and in novel ways.

The Center’s BookDragon provides daily recommendations for multicultural reading opportunities ranging from prize-winning novels to children’s books. Pickles and Tea — the Center’s food blog — encourages an adventurous, hands-on approach to Asian and Pacific food traditions by providing inspiring recipes for both classic dishes and modern reinterpretations, thoughtful articles, good advice, and still more book recommendations.

All of the Center’s digital exhibitions are archived and remain accessible long after a physical exhibit would have been closed down and packed away. At any given moment, the Center can receive visitors to one of scores of digital exhibitions about Asian Pacific American history, art, and culture in visually compelling ways.

Here are two of our recent crowd-sourced digital initiatives reimagining the Asian Pacific American experience:

 

 

Help us to be the voice that tells the complete story. Your gift provides funding we need to continue the conversation nationally—through exhibitions, collaborations, programs, and other innovative initiatives. Every dollar makes a difference!