EUREKA—“Chinese Pioneers” at the Clarke Historical Museum (CHM) explores visual history of Chinese Californians during the Exclusion Era and considers how the first generations of Chinese Californians were represented in mostly nineteenth-century photography before the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act and after. This temporary exhibit, on view from September 7 to October 27, explores the social, political, and judicial disenfranchisement of Chinese Californians — as well as moments of Chinese agency and resilience — in the decades before and after the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act.
Also on display at the Clarke during the “Chinese Pioneers” exhibit are artifacts from the Chinese communities in Humboldt and Trinity Counties that are in the collections of the CHM, the HCHS, and the Trinity County Historical Society. In addition, the Clarke’s “Community Case” will feature an exhibit by HAPI members highlighting the planned monument to Eureka’s Chinatown.
Where: Clarke Historical Museum, 240 E Street, Eureka, California
When: September 7 through October 27, 2024. Exhibit hours: 10 am – 6 pm.
Organizer: “Chinese Pioneers: Power and Politics in Exclusion Era Photographs,” organized by the California Historical Society in 2022, opens at the Clarke Historical Museum during Arts Alive on September 7 at 6 pm. The exhibit was sponsored locally by Humboldt Asian and Pacific Islanders in Solidarity (HAPI), the Clarke Historical Museum (CHM), the Humboldt County Historical Society (HCHS), and the Humboldt County Library (HCL).
For questions, please contact: hapi.humboldt@gmail.com.
