Arts & Culture

‘It feels surreal’: Dallas Asian American Historical Society finds a home in the Cedars

KERA | By Elizabeth Myong | Arts Access

Published February 10, 2025 at 6:00 AM CST

People look at artwork by Christina Hahn and historical artifacts from asian restaurants in Dallas during a Lunar New Year grand opening celebration at the Dallas Asian American Historical Society, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025, in Dallas.

The Dallas Asian American Historical Society celebrated the grand opening of its new brick-and-mortar space Sunday at the South Side on Lamar building in the Cedars.

Dozens of visitors munched dumplings and drank boba while touring the new venue. The space includes a gallery, community table, library and lounge area where people watched a video montage of the organization’s work over the years.

In 2022, Stephanie Drenka and Denise Johnson co-founded The Dallas Asian American Historical Society to preserve the history of Asian Americans in Dallas. But it was after the Allen Mall Shooting in 2023, when a gunman killed eight people – four of whom were of Asian descent – that the founders realized the need for a space where Asian Americans could gather, remember and heal.

“We're trying to build a community archive to put Asian Americans in Dallas back in the narrative,” said Drenka, the executive director of the historical society. “To do that, we need physical archives. We need a space to preserve artifacts, photos, videos, documents and we want to collect oral histories from community members.”

Johnson, the historical society’s program director, said the organization wants to fill a gap in North Texas.

“I think in this area specifically, the history [of Asian Americans] is so deep and so old, but when you compare it to places like San Francisco, Seattle, Boston, there's just not as much preservation that has happened here,” she said.

In 2023, the group hosted an exhibition on the legacy of Chinese restaurateurs in Dallas. This fall, the historical society plans to host an exhibition about the history of South Asian communities in Dallas.

See photos from the event:

Co-founder and executive director Stephanie Drenka speaks alongside co-founder and program director Denise Johnson (second from right) and director of community engagement Amy Tran-Calhoun during a Lunar New Year grand opening celebration at the Dallas Asian American Historical Society, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025, in Dallas.

People listen as co-founder and executive director Stephanie Drenka speaks during a Lunar New Year grand opening celebration at the Dallas Asian American Historical Society, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025, in Dallas.

People look at artwork and historical artifacts from Dallas Asian restaurants during a Lunar New Year grand opening celebration at the Dallas Asian American Historical Society, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025, in Dallas.

Dumplings are seen during a Lunar New Year grand opening celebration at the Dallas Asian American Historical Society, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025, in Dallas.

People serve themselves dumplings from Hello Dumpling during a Lunar New Year grand opening celebration at the Dallas Asian American Historical Society, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025, in Dallas.

From left, Ada Chai, Lizzy Chai and Mary Batlla eat dumplings during a Lunar New Year grand opening celebration at the Dallas Asian American Historical Society, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025, in Dallas.

People wait in line to serve themselves dumplings during a Lunar New Year grand opening celebration at the Dallas Asian American Historical Society, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025, in Dallas.

People wait in line for boba at The Boba Plug during a Lunar New Year grand opening celebration at the Dallas Asian American Historical Society, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025, in Dallas.

Lunar New Year envelopes are seen on a table during a Lunar New Year grand opening celebration at the Dallas Asian American Historical Society, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025, in Dallas.

Sticky notes with ideas for event ideas they would like to see from the Dallas Asian American Historical Society, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025, in Dallas.

A card with information about the Dallas Asian American Historical Society pictured, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025, in Dallas.

People gather at the Dallas Asian American Historical Society during a Lunar New Year grand opening celebration, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025, in Dallas.

Artist in residence at Dallas Asian American Historical Society Leili Arai Tavallaei speaks about her work and background during a Lunar New Year grand opening celebration at the Dallas Asian American Historical Society, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025, in Dallas.

Stephanie Ceniza (left), Tiffany Foster (center) and Nicole Ujita pose for a picture at a photo booth during a Lunar New Year grand opening celebration at the Dallas Asian American Historical Society, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025, in Dallas.

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