Smithsonian Debuts “CrossLines: A Culture Lab”

The Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center will debut “CrossLines: A Culture Lab on Intersectionality” at the Smithsonian’s historic Arts and Industries Building Saturday and Sunday, May 28–29, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., in celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Featuring the works of more than 40 artists, scholars and performers, “CrossLines” will host an array of art installations, live performances and interactive maker spaces.

This two-day event over the Memorial Day weekend marks the first time the Arts and Industries Building has been open to the public since 2004. The building will host occasional pop-up exhibits and special programs for the public throughout the year. Beginning June 29, Arts and Industries will serve as the marketplace for the annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival.

“‘CrossLines’ will engage the public in a powerful experience that will illustrate the rich diversity of the Asian Pacific American story,” said Jeanny Kim, acting director of the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center. “This special ‘culture lab’ will show how these stories are threaded throughout the fabric of American life and how they intersect numerous categories of identity.”

Visitors to “CrossLines” will stroll through interconnected stalls showcasing visual and performance art and can engage with the art and the artists at a collective stage. Among the featured artists and performers are:

• American artist Roger Shimomura, whose works are in 90 permanent collections nationwide, including the Smithsonian American Art Museum and Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery
• Local Washington, D.C., artist SUPERWAXX, whose collective works are heavily influenced by popular culture and street art
• Wooden Wave, a duo from Hawaii, who will create Treehouse Mural—a participatory mural that serves as the entrance piece to “CrossLines”
• The Oakland, Calif.-based trio of artists, People’s Kitchen Collective, who will create a mock pharmacy counter and dispense edible “remedies” while inviting visitors to share stories of family remedies and communal healing practices
• “Circles and Circuits,” an art-projection installation featuring visual works by a range of Chinese Caribbean artists, will be presented by the Chinese American Museum of Los Angeles
• A complete listing of participants for the “CrossLines: Culture Lab” is on the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center’s website.

About Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center

Established in 1997, the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center is a national resource for discovering the consequence and complexity of the Asian Pacific American experience through collaboration, exhibitions, programs and digital experiences. Follow the center on Twitter: @SmithsonianAPA.

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