National Park Service honors AAPI Heritage Month

Washington, D.C. (May 2, 2014) — This month, the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) and the National Park Service will feature the art of high school students inspired by the stories of the Southeast Asian community with an art exhibit at the Department of the Interior and at a ceremony celebrating AAPI Heritage Month.

The exhibit, entitled “Stories of Home,” features art created by students at McLane High School’s ArtVenture Academy in Fresno, Calif. The pieces were inspired by the students’ interviews with more than 300 Southeast Asian staff, community leaders, family members and friends regarding experiences in Laos, refugee camps and the U.S.

The exhibit will be open to the public from May 6-20, 2014, at the Department of the Interior Museum, located at 1849 C St NW, Washington, DC 20240. Additional information about visiting exhibits at the museum is available at www.doi.gov/interiormuseum/Plan-a-Visit.cfm.

The student artists participated in a program hosted by the White House Initiative on AAPIs and the Department of the Interior on May 6 at the Stewart Lee Udall Department of the Interior Building’s Sidney Yates Auditorium.

“The National Park Service tells America’s story from diverse perspectives, and we are proud to showcase the art created by these talented young people, honoring the stories of people whose voices may otherwise go unheard,” said National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis.

As part of the effort to tell America’s stories, especially those of minorities and women who have made significant contributions to our nation’s history and culture, the National Park Service established the Asian American Pacific Islander Initiative <http://www.nps.gov/aapi> , an ongoing series of projects exploring how the legacy of Asian American Pacific Islanders can be recognized, preserved, and interpreted for future generations.  The initiative includes the ongoing Asian American and Pacific Islander Theme Study, which started in February 2013, is expected to be completed in early 2016. The theme study essays will guide future nominations of National Historic Landmarks and National Register of Historic Places properties, in an effort to increase the diversity of sites included in those programs.