Celebrate Asian American Screen Icon Anna May Wong at the Asian Art Museum

On Sunday, Feb. 5, the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco will host its monthly “First Free Sunday,” where visitors can enjoy free admission to the museum’s galleries and its “Year of the Rabbit Family Fun Day” slate of public programs. In addition, visitors are invited to participate in a special numismatic (coin collecting) event commemorating the circulation of the newly minted Anna May Wong quarter in the United States: The first 500 visitors on that day will receive a complimentary Anna May Wong quarter with a P Mint mark, encased in a protective plastic coin holder, accompanied by a postcard featuring Wong’s life story. The museum will be open from 10 AM to 5 PM. 

Anna May Wong (1905–1961) is remembered as an international film star, fashion icon, television trailblazer, and a champion of greater representation of Asian Americans in film. Wong continues to inspire actors and filmmakers today. She is the first Chinese American featured on United States coinage. 

Fiona Ma, the Honorable Treasurer of the State of California, will be present at the museum on Feb. 5 from 10:30 to 11:30 AM to provide autographs for visitors. Also present will be Herby Lam, a former intern at the Asian Art Museum who was mentored in 1988 by the museum’s first chief curator Clarence Shangraw. Lam later became the curator of San Francisco’s famous “Old Mint Museum”; now retired, he remains active in promoting coin collecting in the community. 

To further celebrate this event, visitors will be offered a 25% discount on purchasing new memberships to the Asian Art Museum and a free collectible Anna May Wong poster.  

A Chinese/English coin album of the “America the Beautiful National Park Quarters” will also be distributed to children (12 and under) at the museum, encouraging an early start to coin collecting. (Limited quantities—first come, first served.) 

About the Asian Art Museum 

Located in the heart of San Francisco, the museum is home to one of the world’s finest collections of Asian and Asian American art, with more than 20,000 awe-inspiring works ranging from ancient jades and ceramics to contemporary video installations. Dynamic special exhibitions, cultural celebrations and public programs for all ages provide rich art experiences that unlock the past and spark questions about the future.