Cultural Museum Trip Report : Museum of Chinese in America

 It's not my first time visiting MOCA; I came here for a photoshoot the first time I came here. I carefully explored the space for the photoshoot, and I was impressed;  the internal design has a very cohesive style with the building, and the lighting also makes the space very decent and vivid. It's not a large Musume, only two floors but most of the exhibition parts are placed on the first floor. 

As a museum, MOCA did a very good job on education. Pictures and words are printed on a large scale which can easily be read, I think it is very friendly to the audience. But there are several parts of the exhibition that are only presented by photos and words, which I believe are monotonous; I can't even have the patience to read the whole thing. 



The experience of visiting MOCA is like reading a textbook. I did learn some history from visiting it and seeing some traditional Chinese objects, and also some rebuilt old scenes show that the museum has put a lot of thought into it. Still, it was nothing exciting and impressive; it was a very average and standard museum visiting experience. 

My favorite part of the museum is the old Chinese pharmacy they rebuild. It is a small space, but the details are very well restored. Also, the space is an artificial scene and built to place some related collections. We also did the photoshoot last time here, and the photo turned out really well. The scene gives a very authentic traditional Chinese style. 


MOCA is not a large space, the bathroom is located on the lower level, and it is big, clean, and easy to find. Not many workers here, but they are friendly; they can even become your guide. 

The day I visited is Friday, there are not many visitors there, most of the visitors are coming along some are with small groups. Most visitors are Asian and mainly young people; some seniors have young people. I think it is a friendly design for all ages, and also because most of the audiences are Chinese, everything is both in Chinese and English. There is not much socializing there; it is a nice museum for a single visitor. The only place that is kind of interaction is drawing and leaving some ideas. Also, a button
is supposed to make some sound was broken. But they have an app that you can have voice-guided during the visit.


The exhibition flows the timeline, which I think is very good for such content. Audiences can go through the history with the museum, also with some of the collection and documents, I learned the history very well through this visiting. Also, MOCA is very keeping up with current events. For example, the newest exhibition is Responses: Asian American Voices Resisting The Tides Of Racism. It is a document of the recent event also have an interview video with many activists. I think MOCA is more than a museum. They are also an organization that promotes Chinese and Asian culture to more people and helps the Chinese community. Everyone will receive a Chinatown map with a beautiful design and information on small businesses in Chinatown also some Chinese culture introduction.




The website is designed very cohesively with the branding of the museum. The web design is in a young vibe. Also, all the information is clear. The only weird thing is that the Chinese and English web have some unmatched information, even the open hour. 




The museum did a great job at telling historical stories, yet it lacks interactive ways to engage and interest the audiences. It would be better if the museum could provide more visual materials for the viewer to better understand media works that are discussed in the description. Additionally, it would also be a good idea if interactive methods could be provided at the old Chinese pharmacy stage, such as acting, videos, projections, etc. 





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