Herstory 2 展覽

芝加哥圖書館
Chicago Public Library

March 1 - March 31, 2024

Press Release

Celebrating the 50th Exhibition of "Herstory - Chinese American Women's Legal History" in the Windy City of Chicago

Exhibition is from March 1st to May 30th, 2024

1) Chinatown Branch, from March 1 to March 31, 2024

Opening: March 1, 11 am in the Community Room

Location: 2100 S. Wentworth Ave, Chicago, IL 60616

Contact: Bianca Milligan Garcia

Phone: (312) 747-4302

2) McKinley Park Branch , from April 1 to 31

Location: 1915 W. 35th Street, Chicago, IL 60609

Phone: (312) 747-6082

3) Richard J. Daley Bridgeport Branch, from May 1 to May 30

Location: 3400 S. Halsted Street, Chicago, IL 60608

Phone: (312) 747-8990

In 2015, Dr. Chang C Chen received a call from Dr. Yu-Teng Chang, the director of the National Museum of History in Taipei. Impressed by her work "Struggle of Dragon and Eagle - Chinese American Legal History," especially the segment on women's legal history, he invited Dr. Chen to curate "Chinese American Women's Legal History" at the museum.

Despite lacking curatorial experience, she embraced the challenge. Collaborating with leading Taiwanese artists like Wu Ji-Chung, Zhang Rui-Pin, Liu Jing-Lun, Hsu Wen-Chih, Yuan Guang-Ming, Chen Jie-Ren, they designed a dazzling 9-meter diameter mirror palace. Sponsored by the Taiwanese glass team Lin Zhao-Sui, Yang Ming-Ho, and others, the palace featured 21 large mirrors, 49 small mirrors, and three tons of glass sand on the floor. Below the sand lay over a thousand small LED lights, each illuminating the legal stories of Chinese American women on the glass panels.

During the opening, the audience was thrilled, repeatedly strolling through the mirror palace, with children joyfully running around. In over 50 days, the exhibition shattered the museum's average daily attendance record.

Two months later, Dr. Chen inquired with the San Francisco Library Director about the possibility of exhibiting the mirror palace in the United States. The director responded, "The U.S. has a group not found in Taiwan, the homeless, who might be mesmerized by the palace and refuse to leave. If security forces them out, injuries could occur, leading to potential lawsuits against the library."

In March 2016, the San Francisco Library showcased a photo exhibition of Herstory for four months. Passersby in the library courtyard could see ten 5-foot-tall photos of Chinese American women, recognizing their legal milestones in federal and state courts.

Over nine years, Herstory has held 49 exhibitions in libraries across the United States, including the Federal Courthouse in Las Vegas and the New York Public Library, with invitations continuing.

Dr. Chen emphasized that the exhibitions aim to amplify the presence of Chinese American women, championing causes such as justice, equality, and immigration rights. These extraordinary trailblazers, who tenaciously navigated through protracted legal battles to uphold their faith in the American legal system, ultimately triumphed and etched indelible marks in legal history. Their resilience serves not only as a testament to their own strength but also as an inspiring beacon for future generations, showcasing the profound impact of determination and advocacy in shaping a more inclusive and just society.

Dr. Chen and her volunteers tirelessly call libraries nationwide. Some dismiss calls related to the Chinese, while others claim exhibition schedules are booked for the next ten years. However, this hasn't deterred Dr. Chen and the volunteers. 'For the happiness of all Chinese, the hardship is worthwhile.

Dr. Chen applauds the Chicago Library for its progressive and open-minded approach in hosting the Herstory exhibition, which delves into the legal history of Chinese American women. By embracing this insightful and inclusive display, the library not only honors the often-overlooked contributions of Chinese American women but also fosters a spirit of diversity and understanding within our community. This commitment to showcasing a broad range of perspectives is a testament to the library's dedication to intellectual freedom, cultural enrichment, and the celebration of untold stories. Kudos to the Chicago Library for championing inclusivity and providing a platform for the rich and diverse narratives that make up our shared history.

Herstory: The Legal History of Chinese American Women will be on display at the Chinatown Branch from March 1 to March 31. The exhibit will also travel to the McKinley Park Branch from April 1 to 31 and the Richard J. Daley Bridgeport Branch from May 1 to May 30.

Here is the FaceBook page of Chicago Public Library:

https://www.chipublib.org/news/exhibit-herstory-the-legal-history-of-chinese-american-women/

Thank you very much!

新聞稿（中文）

慶祝 Herstory—美國華人女性法律史巡迴展第五十次展出，於全美第五大的芝加哥圖書館開幕

展出行程March 1st to May 30th:

1) Chinatown Branch, from March 1 to March 31, 2024

Opening: March 1, 11 am in the Community Room

Location: 2100 S. Wentworth Ave, Chicago, IL 60616

Contact: Bianca Milligan Garcia

Phone: (312) 747-4302

2) McKinley Park Branch , from April 1 to 31

Location: 1915 W. 35th Street, Chicago, IL 60609

Phone: (312) 747-6082

3) Richard J. Daley Bridgeport Branch, from May 1 to May 30

Location: 3400 S. Halsted Street, Chicago, IL 60608

Phone: (312) 747-8990

2015年，邱彰博士接到台北国立歷史博物馆馆長张育騰博士的电话。对她的作品「龙与鹰的搏鬥—美國華人法律史」印象深刻，特別是其中關於華人女性參與訴訟的部分，张館長因此邀请邱彰在歷史博物馆策劃展出 “美籍华人女性法律史” 的展览。

毫無策展经验的她接受了这一挑战。她繼之說服了台湾著名艺术家吴季璁、张瑞頻、劉經綸、許文智、袁廣铭、陈界仁等合作，设计了一座華丽的直径9米的镜子宫殿，並由台湾玻璃團隊林肇錐、杨明和赞助。鏡宫由21面大镜子、49面小镜子組成，地上鋪有三頓玻璃沙，沙子下面裝設了一千多个小LED灯，玻璃板上的女性法律故事閃閃動人。

開幕後，參觀的觀眾都非常激动，反复穿梭于镜宫之间，孩子们歡樂的在其中奔跑。在50多天的展览期间，參觀的人數打破了歷史博物馆的日均参觀记录。

两个月后，邱彰向舊金山图书馆馆长询问是否有可能在美国展出这座镜宫。馆长说：“美国有一个在台湾所沒有的群体，那就是無家可歸者，他们可能会被宫殿迷住而拒绝离開。如果安保人员强制驱逐他们，就可能会發生伤害，導致图書馆面臨潜在的诉讼。”

2016年3月，美國的舊金山图書傯馆展出了为期四个月的“ Herstory 美國華人女性法律史”照片展。路過圖書馆中庭的人可以仰首看到十幅5英尺高的美籍华人女性照片，讀到她们在聯邦最高法院和各州最高法院的案例，以及她們所立下的法律里程碑。

九年以來，“Herstory美國華人法律史“已在美国各地的图書馆举办了49场展览，包括拉斯维加斯的联邦法院和纽约公共圖書馆，至今邀请不斷，第50 場展出即將於3月1日在芝加哥圖書館隆重開幕。

邱彰强调，这些展览旨在提昇华人女性的能見度，並維護多元化的社會正义、自由平等和移民权利。透過这些不凡而勇敢的女性先驱者，在漫长的訴訟中坚持著自己的信念，捍衛自己對美国法律的認知，最终取得了勝利，在法律史上留下不可磨滅的痕迹。她们的韧性不僅發揮了自己的力量，也是对未来世代的鼓舞，在塑造一个更包容和公正的社会中，她們的影響深遠。

邱彰和她的志工们，孜孜不倦地致电全美各地的图书馆。一些人一聽到是华人的展覽，就掛斷電話，另一些圖書館则声称該管的展览时间已经排满未来的十年。然而，这些拒絕並没有打消邱彰和志工们的决心。“为了所有华人的幸福，無論多麼艰辛都是值得的。”

邱彰大大赞扬芝加哥图书馆以其進步和開明的态度，主辦“Herstory ”展览，深入探讨美籍华人女性的法律史。透过接纳这個富有創见和包容性的展示，芝加哥图書馆不僅認證了被忽视的华人女性的贡献，还在華人社区内鼓勵著多元化和理解的精神，在在展示了圖書馆對知识自由、文化豐富和接受不同意見的承诺。在此向芝加哥图書馆致敬，並為其倡導包容性，及和與我们共同建設多元化的歷史，提供這個平台，表示十二萬分的感谢。

謝謝大家！

這是芝加哥圖書館關於本展的臉書頁

https://www.chipublib.org/news/exhibit-herstory-the-legal-history-of-chinese-american-women/

展出時間: March 1 to March 31, 2024

開幕式: March 1, 11 am in the Community Room

地點: 芝加哥圖書館中國城分館

2100 S. Wentworth Ave, Chicago, IL 60616

館方聯絡人: Bianca Milligan Garcia

電話: (312) 747-4302

Email: bmilligangarcia@chipublib.org

台北經文處聯絡人：黃褀婷

電話: (312) 297-1313

Email: cthuang01@mofa.gov.tw

策展人 :邱彰

Herstory-the Legal History of Chinese American Women

www.herstorylaw.org

電話: (415) 990-1858

Email: changcchen@gmail.com

取材至芝加哥博物館的網站

https://www.chipublib.org/news/exhibit-herstory-the-legal-history-of-chinese-american-women/

Exhibit: Herstory: The Legal History of Chinese American Women
February 13, 2024

Upcoming exhibit Herstory: The Legal History of Chinese American Women opens at the Chinatown Branch on March 1, in celebration of Women's History Month. Curated by author and legal scholar Chang C. Chen, Herstory illustrates the struggle for Chinese women to attain citizenship, dignity and recognition under the law.

The first Chinese women began arriving in the United States in 1785 as domestic workers and merchants' brides. Over the next 200 years, Chinese American women were part of a complex, often painful legal tradition, as they worked to secure their civil rights in the United States.

Blending multimedia artwork, historical documents, and bilingual text, Herstory documents these stories and gives voice to the women whose struggles paved the way for more equal treatment today.