Museum of Chinese in America appoints new leader

The Museum of Chinese in America in Manhattan’s Chinatown neighborhood has faced protests and resignations, a fire and legal troubles. Now the board has chosen a new leader who wants to move the institution forward and reconnect with the local community.

Michael Lee, a nonprofit director, will become the next director, the board announced Tuesday. In an interview, he said, “Ultimately, I want people to know that the museum is here for four things: to preserve history, promote culture, tell our stories and celebrate our achievements.”

In 2020, shortly before the pandemic shutdown, a fire raged in a building housing part of the museum’s permanent collection. Employees were sorting through the ashes — about 5 percent of the collection was destroyed — while administrators raised money to buy the main building at 215 Center Street, at the same time the landlord planned to sell it to developers.

In 2019, the city awarded the museum $35 million through a community projects program as part of a deal for a local prison – money with which the museum could do that buy the main building. Museum officials said they oppose construction of the prison. But some residents have remained skeptical of the museum’s position, claiming that by taking the money, officials betrayed the neighborhood. Artists withdrew their work from a major exhibitionleading to its cancellation, and to demonstrationby a new wave of activists.

Frequent protests by various groups have continued. Nearly a dozen pickers emerged in February Youth against displacementchanting, “Chinatown is not for sale” and “Boycott MOCA,” appeared outside the museum’s Lunar New Year celebration.

Because of the unrest, Eric Lee, museum chairman, said the new director needed to be someone who could restore trust in the community. So he recruited Michael Lee, a friend from the nonprofit world who is currently director of business development at the New York Institute of Finance. Michael Lee then went through a recruitment process handled by an external search firm; he will start in April.

“We wanted an open mind,” Eric Lee said. He added that if the museum wants to be recognized on a national scale, it must first succeed at home.

And a major construction project is on the horizon: the renovation of the museum, a project designed by the artist Maya Lin that is estimated to cost approximately $118 million and increasing the facility’s size nearly fivefold, to approximately 68,000 square feet. The plans call for play areas, new classrooms and a demonstration kitchen.

But the project has been postponed because a capital campaign still needs to be organized after the leadership change. Currently, the museum said, its annual budget is $5 million. It had one A deficit of $1.8 million in 2022, according to the most recent tax returns.

The previous director, Nancy Yao, left last year after the Smithsonian Institution named her founding director of the American Women’s History Museum.

Yao resigned from her job before she started, following an investigation into how she handled sexual harassment claims while heading the Museum of Chinese in America. (The museum settled three wrongful terminations lawsuits from employees claiming they were fired in retaliation for reporting sexual misconduct.) When she left the Smithsonian, Yao cited family issues that required her attention.

“She was a director during a very difficult time,” Michael Lee said, referring to her time at the Museum of Chinese in America.

He added that he hoped to meet activists and listen to them.

Some locals are skeptical that the museum and the activists who support it will reach an agreement. Jan Lee, founder of Neighbors united under canal, who has protested a prison expansion, said it would be important for officials to recognize the work of the groups in the museum archives. He also said he wanted to see more structural changes at the government level.

“If you have the same board, you have the same problems,” Jan Lee said. “And they will have to face uncomfortable things.”

At a time when some institutions are laying off employees and closing their facilities, Eric Lee said it is important to protect organizations like the Museum of Chinese in America.

“I joined the board because I personally cannot see this museum going away,” he said, highlighting the role the museum has played in making Chinese-American history more visible to students since its founding in 1980. “Museums are the best way to create accessible resources about history for the widest possible audience.”

Michael Lee agreed, saying it was time for the museum to return to its core mission. “As you get further away from the generation that immigrated here, you lose a lot of things,” he said. “You need a safe place where you can go and learn about your background.”