DO YOU KNOW BRUCE?

Member Newsletter Fall 2014

IN THIS ISSUE:

Behind the Scenes of Do You Know Bruce? PG. 2

Behind the Scenes of Bojagi PG. 3

Up Close with Art in Motion PG. 3

Supporter Spotlight PG. 5

DO YOU KNOW BRUCE?

THE WING / FALL 2014 21

LEAD SPONSORS

Ellen Ferguson

The Wing Board of Trustees

PRIME SPONSOR

MAJOR SPONSOR

SUPPORTING SPONSORS

SPECIAL THANKS

Shannon Lee

Linda Lee

Jerry and Charlene Lee

Mimi Gan

Matt Chan

MEDIA SPONSOR

GALLERY PARTNERS

BOARD OF TRUSTEESEllen Ferguson, Co-President

Casey Bui, Co-President

Katherine Cheng, Vice President

Mimi Gan, Secretary

Bruce Brundige, Treasurer

Gloria Lung Wakayama, Past President

Aileen Balahadia

Sai Chaleunphonh

Tom DeBoer

Nanette Fok

Jamie Ford

Misun Chung Gerrick

Bruce Hayashi

Sally Henriques

Judd Lee

Patricia Norikane Logerwell

Paul Mar

Midori Matsui

JoAnn Mills

Victor Mizumori

Jill Nishi

Savitha Pathi

Diane Sugimura

Mark Takagi

Judy Tobin

STAFFRoldy Aguero Ablao

Josie Baltan

Jennifer Buter-La Rue

Vivian Chan

David Chattin-McNichols

Jennifer Chen

Chanta Chhay

Cassie Chinn

Monica Day

John Eklof

Bob Fisher

Rahul Gupta

Maya Hayashi

Kit Herrod

John Hom

Julz Ignacio

Karen Kajiwara

Michael Kan

Polly Kang

Nam Keo

Inmi Kim

Michelle Reiko Kumata

Tiffanie Lam

Jintana Lityouvong

Jennifer Maines

Charlene Mano Shen

Luie Marcotte

Roeun Mol

Doan Nguyen

May Nguyen

Minh Nguyen

John Nonato

Cassandra O’Francia

Clarissa O’Francia

Rayann Onzuka

Feney Perez

Hanh Pham

Jeannette Roden

Margaret Su

Tanya Subcleff

Stacey Swanby

Beth Takekawa

Troy Tsuchikawa

Wren Wheeler

Donald Wong

Jordan Wong

Mikala Woodward

Gary Yamamoto

Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience719 South King StreetSeattle WA, 98104206.623.5124 | wingluke.org

Telling the story of Bruce Lee, a larger-than-life international

Asian American icon, and how he inspires fans and aficionados

in unexpected places has been a story in itself. Visiting Louisville,

Kentucky, I was brought to the Muhammad Ali Center by Bryan

Warren, Executive Director of Asia Institute Crane House, a local

Asian American organization founded by Seattle native and Wing

Luke Museum donor Helen Lang. Talking about The Wing’s

Bruce Lee exhibition, I found myself on common ground with

Muhammad Ali Center’s Executive Director Donald Lassere.

Donald immediately recognized the parallels between the Ali

family’s quest to build Muhammad’s legacy as both an extraordinary athlete and

humanitarian, with the Lee family’s own desire to establish Bruce’s full legacy. Donald

recalled growing up on Chicago’s south-side, remarking, “Don’t let anyone tell you Bruce

Lee isn’t a social justice story. There we were, a bunch of six and seven year-olds outside

together practicing our version of kung fu. Bruce was the first to tell black kids to eat right,

take care of their bodies, and be somebody.”

Recent events regarding a Seattle production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Mikado remind us that

the issue of media stereotypes of Asian Americans which Bruce Lee battled is persistent and

pervasive. Kudos to community members for bringing this to public attention and not

accepting time-worn stereotyping. Hearing theatre-goers tell renowned artist Roger

Shimomura standing on the protest line to “go back to where you came from,” was not

Seattle’s finest moment. Roger responded mildly, “Beacon Hill?” Sometimes people think

Roger is making up his experiences but he fights the fight through his powerful art, all part of

building America’s cultural voice.

For The Wing, the new Bruce Lee exhibition also provides the

opportunity to finally renovate a historic storefront, unfinished for

the past six years. As the economy crashed, we held out for a use

of this space that would be of greatest benefit to the neighborhood

and museum. This storefront is the former home of Pacific Garden

restaurant, and over 100 years ago was the site of the Sew Ying

Chong Co., owned by neighborhood activist Ron King’s

grandfather Chin Gee Gow. We marvel to see this historic storefront

find a new future as the site of the Bruce Lee exhibition. It is taking

the proverbial village to make the magic happen, with thanks for

their leadership support to the Lee family, the Ford Foundation,

and 4Culture, to community instigators Jerry Lee, Perry Lee, Betti Fujikado, Matt Chan, and

Virginia Anderson, to trustees Mimi Gan and Ellen Ferguson, to MulvannyG2 Architects

and Marpac Construction, and to early lead sponsors Delta Air Lines and Comcast.

We are just at the beginning of an important three-year initiative that culminates in The

Wing’s 50th Anniversary in 2017. Come by to see the story grow!

Beth Takekawa, Executive Director

A Message fromthe Executive Director

The number one question we have heard

while preparing for our upcoming exhibit is:

Why is Bruce Lee buried in Seattle? This

became a key question for us in our

research – finding photos of Bruce in

Seattle, reading letters from him to friends

here, looking at his poetry and writings,

and ultimately interviewing his wife Linda

to find out why Seattle held such special

meaning for them.

Here are some highlights from his

Seattle Years:

September 1959

Arrives in Seattle, lives above and works at

Ruby Chow’s Restaurant

May 1961

After finishing high school at Edison

Technical School, enters University of

Washington (Spring Quarter) and majors

in Philosophy

August 1963

After a brief time in Hong Kong, returns

to Seattle and opens his first martial arts

school in the Chinatown-International

District; eventually moves his school to

the University District

October 25, 1963

Has first date with Linda Emery, one of

his martial arts students, at the Space

Needle restaurant

May 1964

Leaves the University of Washington to

establish martial arts school in Oakland

August 17, 1964

Marries Linda at Seattle Congregational

Church

For more information, please visit:

http://DoYouKnowBruce.com

BEHIND THE SCENES OF AN UPCOMING EXHIBITION

DO YOU KNOW BRUCE?The New Bruce Lee Exhibit Opening October 4, 2014

On the cover (and images on page): ® & © Bruce Lee Enterprises, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Thank you & WelcomePlease welcome new staff members who recently joined the museum: Jennifer Buter-La Rue,

John Eklof, Maya Hayashi, Julz Ignacio, Polly Kang, Tiffanie Lam, Jintana Lityouvong,

Clarissa O’Francia, and Wren Wheeler.

Thank you to staff members who recently concluded their service to the museum:

Leigh-Anne Chung, Annika Firn, and Mari Kim.

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE BRUCE LEE FOUNDATION

THE WING / FALL 2014 43

PRESENTING SEASON SPONSORS

The Wing Donors

EXHIBITION SUPPORT 

4Culture

KeyBank Foundation

US Bancorp

ADDITIONAL SEASON SUPPORT

FROM THE COLLECTIONS

WHAT IS THIS?

Do you know what this item is and how it’s used?

HINT: It’s Korean in origin and made from a certain animal.

Email your guess to pr@wingluke.org, along with your name and contact information. Correct

responses will receive a museum pass. Look for the correct answer in the Winter 2015 newsletter.

Answer from the last issue:

A Hmong story cloth, which uses figures to represent stories from Hmong history and folklore in

a narrative form. Congratulations to Eileen C. Leung, Robin Rowedder, and Nancy Ward for

submitting the correct answer!

BECAUSE OF YOU

WE RAISED $408,000!! THANK YOU!This was the most successful gala for The Wing yet! A HUGE thank you

to our sponsors, table captains, attendees, donors, and volunteers for

supporting the 2014 Dinner and Auction, Celebrate Year of the Horse.

It was an amazing evening in celebration of our youth programs and

our next generation of leaders. We couldn’t have done it without you

– with your generous support, we raised $408,000!

The evening was emceed by KCTS 9’s Enrique Cerna and attendees

enjoyed a fabulous dinner with lively bidding on artwork from artists

such as Mira Nakashima, Etsuko Ichikawa, and Benjamin Moore, as

well as business class tickets to anywhere in the world from Delta

and a robust wine auction!

From the Wing Luke Museum Collection

Bojagi, a traditional Korean wrapping cloth,

is used to carry everything from precious

objects to everyday goods and foodstuff.

The CAC (Community Advisory Committee)

that helped create the exhibit is much like

the patchwork bojagi – pieced together

from scraps of fabric, using various shapes,

and juxtaposing vibrant colors. Korean

Americans of different generations, ages,

and backgrounds worked together on this

project, creating a common bond.

Maria Kang, who grew up in Japan before

moving to Los Angeles, described herself

as very alienated from the Korean

community before participating in the CAC.

BEHIND THE SCENES OF AN UPCOMING EXHIBITION

BOJAGI: UNWRAPPING KOREAN AMERICAN IDENTITIESOn display November 14, 2014 through June 21, 2015

“I never learned to speak Korean as a child.

After moving to the U.S. when I was 6 years

old, I was very confused about who I was.

The CAC placed me in a room full of

Koreans but it was a very new concept for

me. I met some great people. I cried. A lot.

And the most important thing I learned was

that I was not alone. Our experiences may

have been different and we didn’t always

agree. But the CAC was a safe place where

we could honestly discuss what it means to

be Korean in America. It was, and continues

to be, a life changing experience.”

“The most important thing that I want to

pass on to my children and grandchildren is

Left: Maria’s father and mother, Kang Dal Soo(l) and Kang Su Yul(r), who passed away in 1985 and 1986, respectively, when Maria was a teen. Right: Maria Kang

UP CLOSE WITHART IN MOTION: THE EVOLUTION OF BOARD CULTUREOn display through April 19, 2015

Clockwise from top: 1. YouthCAN participants, 2. The Wing Luke sisters, Marge Young(l) and Ruby Luke(r), 3. Auction attendees from left to right: Jennifer Gulrajani, Charlene Lee, Andrea Nakata, Janie Lee, The Wing board member, Mimi Gan, and Julie Tokashiki, 4. Auction attendees, Thom Harrington(l) and Stewart Wong(r), 5. The Wing Board Member, Bruce Brundige(l) and wife, Grace Tazuma(r)

“It’s through skateboarding, that idea of doing

things yourself, that’s instilled a certain sense

of an entrepreneurial spirit. Things that you

see are missing, you want to do.” – Nin Truong

This exhibit features contemporary APA

artists, who have roots in the surfing,

skateboarding, and snowboarding

communities and continue to be influenced

by board culture as they explore their own

identities. Nin Truong, multi-disciplinary artist

and entrepreneur, built a quarter pipe in The

Wing as part of the exhibition.

“The piece that I am creating is a skeleton of

a quarter pipe that will be installed within the

space, but I’m going to treat it more as a

sculpture. It’s going to show the raw skeleton

and framing so you walk around and interact

with it and see the multiple facets of it. There

won’t be any plywood to it. It’s looking at it

from a sculpture standpoint.”

He also attributes his entrepreneurial spirit to

his younger days skateboarding. Back then,

when he and his friends did not have what

they needed to skate, such as a ramp, they

figured out how to build it for themselves.

“To me, I don’t want to wait or hope for

someone else to do [things]. Instead, if I

think it’s a great idea or if I think it’s

something that I think is creatively missing,

then I myself will go and explore it or see if

it’s something that I can make.”

PRESENTING SEASON SPONSORS

The Wing Donors

ADDITIONAL SEASON SUPPORT

the resilience of the Korean people. If they

can understand that, then they will know

integrity, dignity, pride, and all that there is

to know about survival and lasting

endurance. My hopes for the KA community

in the future, is to bridge language and

generation gaps, and to be more diligent

about trying to understand one another. I

am extremely optimistic.”

PRIME SPONSOR

MAJOR SPONSOR

SUPPORTING SPONSORS

THE WING / SPRING 2014 65

Roger: It’s important for young people to

know their history and the roles of Asian

Americans because each generation is

different and faces unique challenges.

We may have differing cultural

backgrounds, but we are all exposed to

the same challenges of being “Asian-

American.” I became politically active

when I went to Claremont Men’s College

in California where I helped form the

Asian American Students Alliance in the

late 60s. Ever since, I’ve supported the

campaigns and causes I believe in. It’s

critical that we work together to improve

our opportunities.

My first visit to The Wing was in the old

location on 7th Ave. There was an

exhibit on the local garment industry

which hit close to home because my

mom had been a seamstress for Pacific

Trail for years. The Museum also had a

mockup of the barracks at Minidoka

where my mom and dad met and

married. My mom was pregnant with me

when they were released. My parents

rarely spoke of the incarceration which

is not unusual of the Nikkei of that era.

Marlene: Although I’ve lived in Seattle

most of my life, I’m a latecomer to The

Wing. Roger encouraged me to begin to

discover more about this unique

institution with him. Like many non-

Asians, I was always entranced by the

beauty of Asian art and artifacts, and I

read compelling fiction by Asian

American authors. But I had never

learned firsthand about the history and

everyday lives of the vibrant Asian

community in the Seattle area.

Although my own working-class family in

West Seattle was removed from the

world of museums, they fostered an

appreciation of the rich natural world

around me. I feel involvement in The

Wing is a continuing and important part

of that education.

Roger and Marlene were both guests

at a recent luncheon held for Shannon

Lee, daughter of Bruce Lee and

president of the Bruce Lee Foundation,

who was in Seattle to support our

upcoming exhibit on her father opening

October 4th. We asked Roger and

Marlene, “Do You Know Bruce?”

SUPPORTER SPOTLIGHT: IN OUR COMMUNITY

ROGER MIZUMORI & MARLENE BLESSING

LEADERSHIP CIRCLE

LEADERSHIP CIRCLE FUTUREBUILDER$25,000+Ellen L. Ferguson*Atsuhiko and Ina Goodwin

Tateuchi Foundation

LEADERSHIP CIRCLE HISTORYMAKER$10,000–24,999Sally and Dick HenriquesNancy Skinner Nordhoff

LEADERSHIP CIRCLE VISIONARY$5,000–9,999Jon and Bobbe Bridge*Bruce Brundige and

Grace Tazuma*Tom A. DeBoer and

Durga DoraisamyJamie and Leesha FordJill Nishi and

Howard NakasePatterson Charitable

Foundation

LEADERSHIP CIRCLE INNOVATOR $2,500–4,999Nanette Fok and

Brad Tong*Perry and Vickie LeeKyle and Kimberly MaedaJon and Mary Shirley

Foundation*

LEADERSHIP CIRCLE$1,000–2,499Paul Brown and

Margaret WatsonDavid Chan and

Jane NakagawaShirley Hune and

Kenyon S. Chan*LaVerne and Jack ChenJohn Chun and

Elizabeth BaldwinSteve Davis and

Bob EvansJackie Der and

Alan Painter*Bob Ferguson and

Sherwin FergusonBetti FujikadoBruce Goto*Jennifer Gulrajani and

Roger GulrajaniMalcolm and Karen

Harris

Dr. Julie Y. Hungar*Audrey Hwang and

Joel IngAlice IkedaPhil Knell and Mary KnellMasao Koba*Bo LeeSandy Lew-Hailer and

Harvey Hailer*Mike Lock and Cindy LeeGladys Ly-Au YoungRoger Mizumori and

Marlene P. BlessingLisa NakamuraSteve and Ann NormanDoug and Noriko PalmerKaren RessmeyerDavid Richardson and

Suzanne WalshHolly SidfordTom Skerritt and

Julie TokashikiSue Taoka and

Richard Mar*Gerard TsutakawaLarry T. Yok and

Eric Olson*Laurena Yok, in honor of

Frank T. YokJudy Yu and Clay HallTony Yuen and

Jana Nishi YuenAnonymous

DONORS

GALLERY SUPPORTER $500–999Cassie E. Chinn and

Paul Kelly*Paul and Mary Hosoda*Manami KanoDolores Sibonga*Trang TuRoger Woo

MEMBERS

BENEFACTOR $250Maria L. Batayola*Phil HutchinsonEllen KahanGreg KimuraTamiko MiyanoJack R. Thompson*

PATRON $125

Anne AloAndrea BeckettJames BoorndMichele BroderickJuliann M. Buron

BiHoa and Mark Caldwell*

Carmen T. Chan*, In memory of Dorothy Tsuboi and in honor of Frank Tsuboi’s 90th birthday

Lisa ConleyDeb CrevelingDexter Eng*Deanne EstigoyMaura FallonKimberly FulkersonApril C. HaleLorraine A. HamadaSelma HemiupRenee HoizengaMitsuhiro Kodama*Antje Kretschmer*Valerie J. LauDavid LeeJane Lee and

Benjamin LeeBetty LockLarisa L. LumbaDao Mai*Brent H. MartinGary MatsudairaGeorgene S. McCartyEric Moen*George NgoPamela Okano and

Dick Birnbaum*Zenaida E. Olivas Mike RameyMartha N. Roe*Lois M. SmithKerry TaniguchiLinda S. Tipps*, In

memory of Tash & Kei Sugimoto

Quanetta WestAllen WheelerYee Xiong Craig YamamotoSusan H. YamamuraDavid Yotsuuye*Zac S. Young

FAMILY $75

Frank AbeMary T. AboMonica AlcabinMelanie AudetteRobert BrownEddie CantuJane and Charles

Caughlan*Soph R. DavenberryCristin Dowd and

Ken D. WuBenoit P. De GouvillePaul DominguianoRegina C. EuryAmy L. Fitzgerald

John GainesDoralee GronlundPeter GuttorpCathy HawleyErica JohnstonShirley KatzNeal KingsleyKory KumasakaEleanor C. Laxdall*Amy LiuMilton K. Lum Tom Lux*Erin J. Maguire-QuirkKelly MannAlisa Oba and

Jeffrey MitreMargaret PakBeverly L. Pierce*Dawn RobinsonPheuy SathMs. Gail ScottRobert B. SeddonJoseph and Daryle

SongcoRobby SternVivian TamVinh V. TatNancy C. and James

TillinghastJames TweedieLisa J.B. WahbeMiriam WilsonCalvin YeeKam YeeAnonymous

FRIENDS $65Marilyn AkutsuJacqueline L. AshwellAlice ChenRichard W. ChoiFrances ChunEduardo DiazCheryl L. DyerRobert B. Edgers*Julianne EndresMargarette GallaherMonoj K. GuptaAnn B. Irish*Mark D. KarasonPeter E. KeyesRiya KuoJames Langseth*Shuhyun LiuBrian Lock*Ray LouJennifer MagofñaClaire P. MathewsCarol and Kenzo

MoriguchiJoyce A. MorinakaCynthia MoultonMonica NixonAnthony LongoriaEdward J. Lowe

Annette L. PuenteLindsey RembertAnn G. RobinsonSally SchultzCathy L. ScottElsie Leilani Taniguchi*Wilfred and Ming Ying

TanijoJustin K. Tse Ellen WallachKayko WatanabeVictoria Wong

Irene Wu

INDIVIDUAL $45

Cheryll Joy B. AlipioLanss B. AndersonNancy BurrillGrace Y. ChapmanKatherine ChesickDavace ChinAngela ChristensenPeter L. ChunGunnel T. ClarkSarah CohenKelly DangWilliam D. EllisHeidi M. GlebJulia HibargerDana S. HinesBeverly HowlandRobert HutchisonKathryn Huus

Barbara JirsaSusan Crawford KingVivian O. LeeJennifer M. MaglalangJudith MayerLisa MoriguchiWashin MurakamiAnthony SarmientoSusan SherbinaAlice (Lily) G. SinghTerri SuessGabriela TurcuErin E. WarkKirsten A. Yuhas

* Indicates Charter Member

A SPECIAL WELCOME TO

THE WING’S NEWEST MEMBERS & MEMBER UPGRADESJoined/upgraded between January 1 and August 26, 2014. All Members and Donors will be acknowledged in the Winter 2015 Newsletter.

LEGACY SOCIETYThe Wing is grateful to the Legacy Society

members for investing in the Museum’s

future through a planned gift.

Bruce Brundige and Grace Tazuma

Gordon Davidson

Ellen L. Ferguson

Ajay and Julie Jindal

Helen Lew Lang and Calvin Lang*

Paul Mar

JoAnn Mills

Victor and Stacy Mizumori

Elizabeth B. Patterson*

Ken and Nancy Prichard

Christina Tai and Theo Baird

Beth Takekawa and Tony To

Gloria Lung Wakayama and Dean Wakayama

*Deceased

LEADERSHIP CIRCLE

LEADERSHIP CIRCLE FUTUREBUILDER$25,000+Ellen L. Ferguson*Jim Lintott and May Liang*Paul Mar*Atsuhiko and Ina Goodwin Tateuchi Foundation

LEADERSHIP CIRCLE HISTORYMAKER$10,000–24,999Abraham M.S. Goo and Shin Quon Goo*Sally and Dick HenriquesDebbie Killinger*Dr. Paul Liao and Mrs. Mei-Yea LiaoNancy Skinner NordhoffSteve and Paula Reynolds*Beth Takekawa and Tony To*Rick Wong and Leanne Nishi-Wong

LEADERSHIP CIRCLE VISIONARY$5,000–9,999Adamucci Family*Nancy D. Alvord*Paul Bock and Family*Jon and Bobbe Bridge*Bruce Brundige and Grace Tazuma*Tom A. DeBoer and Durga DoraisamyJamie and Leesha FordJoey IngJill Nishi and Howard NakaseJudith M. Tobin and Michael Baker*Dean, Gloria, Lindsay and Brady Wakayama*Milt Wu*Patterson Charitable Foundation

IN APPRECIATION OF

OUR LEAD DONORS

Roger: I got to know Bruce Lee’s wife, Linda

Emery, at Garfield High School. My senior year,

a year after she graduated, she and Bruce

held a martial arts demonstration for students

in the library.

Bruce Lee broke the stereotype of the weak

Asian American male. At the time, there was

a strong caricature of Asian American

masculinity that was effeminate and weak.

He gave something that was much more

substantial. I only met him briefly but even in

person, he was much as he was in his movies.

His message was a matter of philosophy not

just movements. He carried himself with

confidence, but he was not aggressive.

Marlene: Am I excited about the forthcoming

Bruce Lee exhibit? You bet! I’m especially looking

forward to discovering more about the man and

about his socio-political views. I know he was so

much more than just a martial arts icon.

Roger and Marlene’s relationship with The Wing has grown and changed throughout

the years. They have supported the Museum, first as visitors, then as members, and

now also as donors. Here, Roger and Marlene share their thoughts on why they

support The Wing.

Our Mission is to connect everyone to the rich history, dynamic cultures and art of Asian Pacific Americans through vivid storytelling

and inspiring experiences. The Wing is a proud Smithsonian Affiliate, a partnership with the Smithsonian Institution.

NON-PROFITORG.

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719 South King Street

Seattle, WA 98104

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206.623.5124

Tuesday–Sunday, 10am–5pm

First Thursday of the month, 10am–8pm

Closed Monday

SAVE THE DATE

THE WING’S2015 DINNER

& AUCTIONSaturday, April 4, 2015

The Westin Seattle Hotel

Interested in getting involved? Sponsor – Donate – Volunteer

Contact auction@wingluke.org or 206.623.5124 for more information

Arundhati Gupta and Anjulie Ganti