In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Immigration and Nationality Act, which overthrew the national origins quota system and prioritized skilled workers and those who are family to U.S. residents. Before its signing, the Act’s proponents promised the public that it would not make a difference to America as they knew it. Contrary to their predictions, the Act’s passage catalyzed a significant influx of immigrants from Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, resulting in an indelible shift in the U.S.’s demographic and cultural make-up.
In March 2015, 50 years since the Immigration Act of 1965, the Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience will open an exhibit about this historic change in immigration policy and how it continues to impact us today.
“When we talk about immigration, statistics, data, and policies often overshadow the stories of how immigration impacts individuals, families, and communities,” The Wing said in a statement. “Your personal stories are vital to this exhibition. We invite submissions of words, poetry, photographs, paintings, graphics, animation, and other forms that are suitable for online display.”
The Wing said submissions may range widely within the topic of immigration, such as the notion of belonging, transnational identity, green card marriages, histories of imperialism, incarceration, the model minority myth, queerness, the diaspora, technology, outsourcing, military service and mixed-status families, and more.
Participants do not need to be of Asian Pacific American heritage to submit. Collaborative submissions are welcome, but The Wing can only accept one submission per person.
All submissions will be reviewed by the Immigration Exhibit’s Community Advisory Committee. Accepted submissions will be displayed in a digital exhibition as part of The Wing’s Immigration Exhibit. This digital exhibition will debut on March 5, 2015, and will be fully accessible online until January 2016.
All materials must be submitted by Friday, February 15, 2015.
Please include:
• Artist’s name. Website and social media handles optional.
• For visual submissions: downloadable 300DPI .jpg preferred. Please email or attach a download link when submitting.
• For text submissions: .doc or .docx, in 500 words or less.
• For music and video: .mp3 or .mov files, along with a Vimeo or Youtube link.
Send submissions to Minh Nguyen at [email protected], or to:
Wing Luke Museum
Attention: Minh Nguyen
719 South King St
Seattle, WA 98104
For further information, contact Minh Nguyen at (206) 623-5124 x 102, or [email protected]