Beyond the Archives: Art, Identity, and the Chinese Diaspora
2026-04-19 14:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | 1882 Foundation Office, 508 I Street NW, Washington, DC, 20001, United States
This event has in-person locations in both Washington DC and Sacramento. Please be sure to check the location when registering for this event.
Join us for a conversation with Chinese diasporic artists Bz Zhang, Evelyn Hang Yin, Connie Zheng, and SK Tsang as they share their current and past work and reflect on how identity shapes the stories we tell. Each artist will discuss how they’ve navigated (or worked outside of) historical institutions and art spaces to create work that challenges inherited narratives and imagines new futures for Chinese diasporic communities in the United States. This discussion will be followed by an in-person art activity.
This event is held in collaboration with the GIVE FACE 给面子 (Gěimiànzi) exhibition and the Yolo County Historic Collection.
GIVE FACE 给面子 (Gěimiànzi) is an interdisciplinary exhibition unearthing and regrounding past, present, and future narratives of Chinese diaspora in the Sacramento Valley in the sweeping and ever-expanding story of what we currently call California. Historical objects trace the impact of Chinese Americans on Yolo County through the things they left behind, while contemporary artworks woven throughout the exhibit call our attention to their lived experiences, intimacies, and complexities. Using both documentation and speculation, artist Bz Zhang’s work creates dialog between Western ideas and a Chinese-diasporic cultural inheritance and offers ways to “give face” to (that is, to honor or show due respect for) Chinese ancestors in the US West. The stories of Chinese diaspora in Yolo County and the US West span oceans and continents, and their contributions transcend our infrastructures (from railways to agriculture) into the social and cultural fabric of our nation.
The Yolo County Historical Collection is comprised of 11,000 objects which date from the 1830s to the 1930s. The collection includes textiles, agricultural equipment, paintings, archival materials, ephemera, photographs, archaeological items, tools, ceramics, household items, furniture, and personal items. This collection illustrates what life was like for early Yolo County residents. The Yolo County Historical Collection is displayed at the Gibson House and at Yolo County Library Branches.
Can’t make it in person? Join via Zoom! Register here: https://yolocounty.zoom.us/j/89760976441
If you are registering for Washington DC, please use this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1987132798693?aff=oddtdtcreator
If you are registering for Sacramento, please use this link: https://events.yolocountylibrary.org/event/16699013

Searching for Billie
2026-05-23 13:00 - 15:00 | Chinese American Museum DC, 1218 16th St, NW Washington DC, 20036
Join us with journalist, Ian Gill, as he talks about his journey understanding his mother’s story!
Ian Gill identifies as a Eurasian journalist, who’s main ambition is to “sleep eight hours uninterrupted,” per his South China Morning Post freelancer bio. Eurasian is not a term that is frequently used in America, but many abroad identify with the word and their experiences are similar to the stories of many Chinese Americans.
Gill has written for a wide range of publications, including the Asian Wall Street Journal, Asiaweek, Insight, Fiji Sun, and the Evening Post (Wellington). He lived in the West for the first 30 years of his life, and then visited Hong Kong in 1975 and has lived there ever since. This visit was the impetuous for his book, Searching for Billie, where he uncovers his mother’s story and his family history.
At this event, Ian Gill will discuss his writing process, his mother’s story, and be available for book signings!
RSVP with the following link.

2026 Return to Gold Mountain Heritage Tour
2026-06-20 - 2026-06-21 | Holiday Inn Parking Lot, 300 J St., Sacramento
On June 20-21, 2026, we will return to Gold Mountain to walk in the footsteps of the Chinese railroad workers. Educators interested in bringing this history to the classroom — as well as families with children — are encouraged to attend.
The tour includes stops to Summit Tunnel, Rocklin, Auburn, and more!
Tickets are $450. The fee includes the guided tour, transportation by bus, hotel accommodations, entrance fees, lunch and dinner on Day 1, and breakfast and lunch on Day 2. If you have any other questions, feel free to email us at info@1882foundation.org.
Please RSVP using the following link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSek8QGRDJXYjADkxegjJr61lJ7rx17EvjOJtWMMgtuCUEOTOQ/viewform
