Copresented by the Asian/Pacific/American Institute at New York University, the Tamiment Library & Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, and the Gay Asian Pacific Islander Men of New York (GAPIMNY)
Curated by Paul Tran (A/P/A Graduate Archives Scholar), Jason Tseng (GAPIMNY), and Dennis Chin (GAPIMNY)
Tamiment Library & Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives*
Bobst Library, 10th Floor
70 Washington Square South
On view: Thursday, October 8, 2015–Friday, December 11, 2015. Please see the library’s website for hours.
Opening reception: Thursday, October 8, 2015, 7-9PM
Repealed Asian exclusion acts, anti-colonial freedom movements, and imperatives for radical queer spaces completely reimagined the order of New York City during the twentieth century. Founded in 1990, the Gay Asian Pacific Islander Men of New York (GAPIMNY) derived from networks dedicated to dismantling institutional structures and values that “deny us our fullness,” as well as desires to create safe spaces for gay Asian and Pacific Islander (API) men to socialize and organize. For the past twenty-five years, GAPIMNY has collaborated with local and transnational organizations to empower queer and transgender API people through social, educational, peer-support, cultural, and political activities.
Curated with materials from the GAPIMNY Records, which were donated to NYU’s Tamiment Library & Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, Nothing Lost in Translation: Twenty-five Years of the Gay Asian Pacific Islander Men of New York (GAPIMNY) features video footage, printed materials, and intimate artifacts documenting the organization’s changing vision and contributions from 1990-2015. The exhibition incorporates multimedia and intergenerational dialogues reflecting on the intersectional programs pioneered by GAPIMNY’s entirely volunteer membership. It offers a layered investigation into issues of race, gender, sexuality, public health, immigration, and citizenship facing GAPIMNY and its constituents today. Open to the public, the GAPIMNY Records and exhibition invite us to consider and create the infinite futures for queer and trans API people in NYC and throughout our world.
*The Tamiment Library, where the exhibition is on display, is open to the public. Researchers who are unaffiliated with New York University must present a valid photo ID at the Library Privileges window just inside the front door of Bobst Library to receive a day pass to visit Tamiment on the 10th floor of the building.