A Day in the Life of Asian Pacific America
Official Website: smithsonianapa.org/life2014
Asian Pacific America is beyond borders.It exists in the ethnoburbs of the San Francisco Bay Area where Sriracha can be found in Mexican restaurants.
It is embodied in neighborhoods in the Deep South where a single household encompasses an entire demographic. It can even be found in the window seat of an airplane, through the eyes of a Chicago-born artist’s first trip to Laos to explore her family’s history. This May, the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center collaborates with Flickr to capture the vast and nuanced universe of experiences that embody Asian Pacific America. We invite people far and wide to capture snapshots of their experiences as Asian Pacific Americans on May 10, 2014 – wherever you are, whatever you’re doing. From immigrants to hometown legends, global citizens to refugees, fringe artists to medical practitioners – through our lenses we can illustrate the vast array of experiences throughout the world that make up today’s Asian Pacific America. #LifeAPA Here are some pieces from the portfolios of a few of the photographers we’ve tapped to be a part of this, just to get your creative juices flowing! Keep in mind that, though these are pros, we’re looking for submissions from all skill-levels – whether you’re on top-of-the-line equipment or using your camera phone, we want you to join us!
How to Join #LifeAPATake up to 5 photos or shoot up to 3 minutes of video, and upload them to Flickr or Instagram
Please capture your content sometime between 12am and 11:59pm on May 10, 2014, respective to whichever timezone you’re in that day.* To make sure we find you, please tag all your submissions with #LifeAPA *You do not have to be in the U.S. to capture your content, and your content can fit your own interpretation of Asian Pacific American. Some inspiration
How to join
#LifeAPA is an open call! Although we at SmithsonianAPA will present an exhibition made of pieces selected by our curators, all submissions will be available for viewing on our Flickr group – and we encourage others to curate their own collections from it!
May 10: Create your contentTake up to 5 photos or shoot up to 3 minutes of video (yes, Flickr does video now!).
Please capture your content sometime between 12am and 11:59pm on May 10, 2014, respective to whichever timezone you’re in that day.* *You do not have to be in the U.S. to capture your content, and your content can fit your own interpretation of Asian Pacific American. FAQWho can submit work to A Day in the Life of Asian Pacific America?
We are accepting photos and video from people of all ages and backgrounds. We ask that the work reflect aspects of Asian Pacific American life as experienced on Saturday, May 10, 2014. Although most of people submitting work will be based in the U.S., we also want APAs who are working or studying abroad to bring their perspectives to the table. What topics will be covered in the A Day in the Life of Asian Pacific America online exhibition? We’re looking for photos and video that span the entire range of APA experience including but not limited to personal and family portraits, documentation of community events and everyday life, and expressions of your thoughts and feelings about being APA on that particular day, Saturday, May 10, 2014. The exhibition may show the entire arc of the day from an APA nurse working at a hospital at 12 a.m. to a karaoke singer closing out the night at 11:50 pm. A wide range of styles from verite to staged photographs may be used. All power to the imagination! Do I need to use a digital single lens reflect camera? What’s the quality level you seek? All manner of image capture from cell phone to view cameras may be used for this project. Simple point and shoot cameras are fine. We are using Flickr to store the images and they only accept JPGs, not tiff or other file formats. Video submissions must be 3 minutes or less. When will the exhibition be available online? After you capture the images on May 10, 2014 and upload them no later than May 14, 2014, we will sort through all the submissions and curate the exhibition. We hope to go live with the exhibition by May 26, 2014. You may also view all the submissions at the Smithsonian Flickr group. What do you hope to accomplish with A Day in the Life of Asian Pacific America? As you turn the pages of your family photo album, a flood of memories rush forward triggered by images of people and places. In a sense, A Day in the Life of Asian Pacific America is just one humongous photo/video album that freezes a moment in time across continents, spanning the diversity of APA communities. The value of documenting our lives becomes evident to us over time as these accrued memories mark the commonalities that cross diverse ethnic groups. Do I need a model release to take pictures or video for A Day in the Life of Asian Pacific America? You will not need to get a signed model release from individuals whose image you capture for A Day in the Life of Asian Pacific America. This is an educational/informational project and the images will not be used to advertise a product or service. However, if you intend to sell the photograph or video for commerical purposes after this exhibition is concluded, it would be a good idea to ask the subjects to sign a model release. |
BOSTON-AREA WORKSHOP DATESTuesday, 4/29 @6:30pm
Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center with photographer Todd Lee Thursday, 5/1 @6pm Quincy Asian Resources, Inc 1509 Hancock St, Quincy, MA 02169 with photographer Xiaotong Duan Thursday, 5/8 @6:30pm Brookline Asian American Family Network & Brookline Health Department @Brookline Interactive Group 46 Tappan St. Brookline, MA with photographer Christopher Huang Official Website:
smithsonianapa.org/life2014 Photographers Todd Lee - www.toddleephotography.smugmug.com Xiaotong Duan - www.XiaotongDuan.com Christopher Huang - christopherhuang.com Learn how you can honor the 145th anniversary of the Golden Spike-Ceremonial joining of the transcontinental railroad, which exclude Chinese Railroad workers. Register with the Smithsonian Asian Pacific America Center "A Day in the Life of Asian Pacific America" to document your day in pictures or video, and be sure to to tag your submission from "Boston" to be included in the local event this Fall!
Also, attend a local Boston Workshop to learn more about the legacy of Chinese Railroad workers and exclusion laws, including issues facing current day Asian Americans. And to help prepare for May 10th, you will also hear tips on how to capture impactful images! Thursday, 5/8 @6:30pm Brookline Asian American Family Network & Brookline Health Department @Brookline Interactive Group with photographer Christopher Huang Presented By: Chinese Historical Society of New England Asian American Resource Workshop Funding Provided By: Massachusetts Cultural Council Charles River Neighborhood Foundation Deloitte The Boston Foundation |
