March 7, 2025 to Spring 2027.
Curated by award-winning public radio podcast host and former civic poet Shin Yu Pai, Ten Thousand Things is an exploration of the objects that shape our identities, histories, and cultural narratives. Inspired by her experience cataloging artifacts at the Wing Luke Museum as a Museology graduate student, Pai has long been fascinated by the way objects function as vessels of memory, meaning, and storytelling.
This exhibition expands upon her acclaimed public radio podcast Ten Thousand Things. Through three seasons of storytelling, Pai has explored the intimate connections people have with everyday and extraordinary items—objects that hold deep personal significance, evoke generational ties, or serve as cultural touchstones.
Visitors will encounter a curated selection of objects featured in the podcast, alongside newly collected artifacts and stories from local communities. From hand-crafted kapa cloth to a cherished abacus, from a well-worn walis tingting broom to vitrified orbs, each item on display carries its own narrative of belonging, resilience, and transformation.
Visitors are invited to reflect on their own treasured belongings and the hidden stories they carry. Through this immersive experience, Ten Thousand Things seeks to illuminate the infinite ways in which objects connect us—to our pasts, to one another, and to the ever-evolving fabric of Asian American experiences.
