VC ARCHIVES
ACTIVATIONS
Based in the historic Little Tokyo neighborhood of Los Angeles, the VC Archives is one of the largest photographic and moving image archives on Asian Pacific experiences in the United States. The Archives include over 500 short and feature length films, over 10,000 hours of filmed interviews and documented oral histories, a photography collection comprising over 1,000,000 film and digital still images, and a research/study library of over 5,000 titles from over fifty years of public exhibitions and events.
VC Archives Activations are a product of wanting to make the VC Archives more accessible to the public. Activations range from screenings, exhibitions, workshops, galleries, and panels & conversations.
Past Archives Activations
Presented by Visual Communications, Abe AF: The Brain Behind the Beret is a multimedia exhibit that honors the unparalleled legacy of Abraham Ferrer, a dynamic force at Visual Communications who has been at the heart of the organization since 1985 and he has been present for countless chapters and transitions in the organization’s history. Ferrer has been involved with many exhibitions and activated the still and moving images in the VC Archives, to which he has been a vital contributor.
This exhibit celebrates the breadth of his art and impact on Visual Communications and its community.
A co-production of Visual Communications and the Japanese American National Museum, At First Light: The Dawning of Asian Pacific America is a multi-media exhibition that explores and celebrates the emergence of a politically defined Asian Pacific American consciousness and identity.
Presented by Visual Communications, CENTERING THE MASSES is a series of free pop-up events and programs at 341 FSN, in the heart of Los Angeles Little Tokyo’s historic district. This nine-week series brought together artists, cultural workers, entertainment professionals, and civic personalities to celebrate and explore all the ways that motion pictures and media artworks impact our lives.
In honor of City Of LA's Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month Celebration, we present you CELEBRATING LA NEIGHBORHOODS; a photo exhibit that pulls media from the VC Archives to show the cultural life of the city. Through the stories of Little Tokyo, Koreatown, Historic Filipinotown, Chinatown, and other vibrant communities, visitors are invited to explore how heritage, tradition, and everyday experience shape places of connection, belonging, and pride.
The restoration of VC’s inaugural production, AMERICA’S CONCENTRATION CAMPS. A mobile photographic exhibit first created as a commission of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), the “Cubes Exhibit,” as the photographic display is affectionately known, represented one of the first instances that the story of Japanese American relocation and confinement during World War II was made widely known to the public.
These collections of personal stories, oral histories, documentary footage, and primary documents capture the necessity of Little Tokyo’s First Street North as a site of cultural, familial, and political importance. They detail how the diverse, multicultural communities of Little Tokyo lived their lives amidst backdrops of change and attempted redevelopment throughout distinct eras of history.
Within this backdrop of change, First Street North: Open recognizes First Street North’s presence on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded lands of the Gabrielino/Tongva People — the original stewards of the Los Angeles area — and honors both the land and generations of native peoples who cared for it throughout its history.
In partnership with Google Arts & Culture, Visual Communications worked to preserve select photographs and collections from the VC Archives to make them more accessible to the public.
In Movement: A Legacy of AANHPI Athletes draws from the Visual Communications Photographic Archive to present photographs of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) athletes across the past half century of American sports. Spanning martial arts, court sports, water sports, and cultural dances, the images spotlight communities and disciplines across several decades. What connects them is a history that mainstream sports has often overlooked.
Linda’s regenerative spirit continues to grace us since she became an ancestor 20 years ago. Her stories and works are ever-present in the VC Archives. Through photographs, audio recordings, and films, we feel her presence and hear her indelible laugh. Memories produce recollections of her past, effects of her current impact, and visions of the future.
The 2023 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival was dedicated to Linda’s legacy of generations of storytellers who empower our communities. LINDA VISIONS featured a photographic exhibition, film production workshops and other presentations.
In honor of City Of LA's Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month Celebration, we present you OUR LA STORIES; a photo exhibit that pulls photographs from the VC Archives to show the multicultural histories of Los Angeles and understand that our collective memories contribute to the city’s successes of today.
Rooted in the amplification of Pasifika narratives and the representational belonging of archival activations, Visual Communications Archives Team presents a three part series event: Pacific Cinewaves: Talanoa, A Dialogue on Samoan Stories in Carson. This series seeks to actualize an initiative to preserve the collective memories of Samoans in Carson and highlight their impact in weaving the fabric of the city. In this series, we present four short films that focus on conversations surrounding youth organizations, familial obligations, gender roles, and education.
VC CONNECT features a collection of hundreds of films and media productions created by Visual Communications. Featured films include some of our VC Classics, as well as films made in the Digital Histories production program for older adults and the Armed With a Camera Fellowship for Emerging Artists.