Asia Society Texas announces $10.7 million educational exhibition
Houstonians will soon be able to ride a train through Asia, perform in a drum group and gather at an Asian lunch counter — all without having to leave the comfort of their hometown.
At least that’s what Asia Society Texas hopes to accomplish when the organization next year installs “Explore Asia,” a new $10.7 million exhibition that aims to improve education about Asian and Asian American history and culture.
“The goal is to spark the curiosity of guests, build crosscultural empathy among our guests and the content and culture they’re interacting with, and build global competency, which is really focused on people understanding our role in Houston and beyond, and how we’re all global citizens,” said Jennifer Kapral, Asia Society Texas’ director of education and outreach.
The seven stations of the permanent exhibition will be positioned throughout the museum, remaking the visitor experience at the award-winning campus in the Museum District. Visitors will start their journey in an art gallery, board a train simulator that will take them on “a guided journey through time” and learn about the performing arts by playing drums in the auditorium to the rhythm of virtual dancers.
They can learn about Asian cuisine at the Gathering Table in the museum’s cafe and visit “mini museums” focused on different elements of Asian cultures throughout the building, before ending their experience at the Reflection Garden, where visitors can contemplate what they’ve learned and have their words reflected on the wall in front of them.
The project, which is geared toward children and teenagers, also includes an online learning platform meant to help teachers guide students through lessons about Asia. That platform includes 14 graphic novels written by Asian artists on an array of historical subjects and an educator portal with lesson plans, quizzes and other tools that teachers can integrate into their curriculum.
Asia Society Texas leaders envision educators teaching the online portion in class and then bringing students to the exhibition for field trips.
According to the U.S Census Bureau, 550,463 people who live in Houston’s metropolitan statistical area reported “Asian alone” as their race, accounting for 7.89 percent of the area’s population.
“I think it’s quite unfortunate that there’s not an offering like this of its kind currently,” said Bonna Kol, president of Asia Society Texas.
“We identified this gap early on and wanted to commit to the research and work with scholars and community groups to make sure the experience we’re bringing forward is really authentic,” Kol said.
The project began with an advisory council made up of Houston Independent School District leaders, educators, museum directors and business leaders, which worked with steering groups of students and teachers to design the exhibition and online components.
Local community groups and university professors were consulted throughout the project to make sure the material accurately reflects the countries being represented, focusing on China, India, Japan, South Korea and Vietnam.
Houston’s vibrant Asian populations won’t be left out either, with interactive elements at several stations in the exhibit that bring the material back to Houston. For example, visitors at the Gathering Table can scan QR codes to learn which local restaurants serve the delicacies on display, and an area upstairs will feature the stories of local Asian Americans alongside prominent Asians from all over the world.
The exhibition is scheduled to open in spring 2023.
“Growing up, there was nothing in regards to seeing things that represented my culture or the people I connected with from my home country,” said Kol, who was born in Cambodia and moved to Columbia, Mo., when she was 7.
“To have an exhibition dedicated to Asia and Asian Americans, I and other Asian American parents can take our children and really have an exchange with one another and the community about the important things that are part of our identities,” Kol said.