The UC Santa Cruz Art Division’s department of History of Art and Visual Culture (HVAC) is excited to welcome writer and scholar Theodore S. Gonzalves for a talk on campus. The event will take place Friday October 24 at Porter College. The event is free and open to the public.
Gonzalves currently works as a curator of Asian Pacific American history at the Smithsonian in Washington. He has over 30 years of experience in teaching and has worked in countries all over the world including Spain and the Philippines.
The talk will cover his most recent book Smithsonian Asian Pacific American History, Art, and Culture in 101 Objects (2023). The book uses objects such as the debut Ms. Marvel comic and a fortune cookie mold to explore the lives, histories, and experiences of Pacific Islanders. Gonzalves uses these objects to discuss issues including labor, community and the immigrant experience.
Along with its writing, Smithsonian Asian Pacific American History, Art, and Culture in 101 Objects features images that create a multimedia experience while reading. These images include a sewing kit of internment camp survivor, a Hello Kitty bento box, and the Name tag for Challenger astronaut Ellison Onizuka.
The talk will cover representation in the media and how history gets documented. It is part of the Visual & Media Cultures Colloquium Series, presented by graduate students in HVAC. For more information, check out our events page.