The Showgirl Magic Museum is a history and culture museum in the Chinatown neighborhood of San Francisco, California in the United States. The museum showcases on the 20th-century nightclub scene in Chinatown.
  Location of the Showgirl Magic Museum in downtown San Francisco  Showgirl Magic Museum (California)  Showgirl Magic Museum (the United States) | |
| Established | March 2020 |
|---|---|
| Location | Clarion Performing Arts Center |
| Coordinates | 37°47′36.34″N 122°24′23.76″W / 37.7934278°N 122.4066000°W |
| Type | History museum |
| Founder | Cynthia Yee |
| Executive director | Cynthia Yee |
| Website | theclarionsf |
History
editThe Showgirl Magic Museum was founded in 2020 by former nightclub dancer and model, Cynthia Yee. Yee created the concept for the museum in March 2020, when California went under a statewide stay-at-home order due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The basement of the Clarion Performing Arts Center, where Yee serves as vice-president, was serving as a music education space prior to the pandemic. When the space was required to close due to the stay-at-home order, Yee decided the space could be better used as a museum to showcase the once vibrant nightclub and showgirl scene in Chinatown in the 19th century.[1]
The museum was going to open on Halloween 2020, however, more stay-at-home orders required the museum opening to be delayed until May 1, 2021.[1][2]
Collection and exhibitions
editThe museum is open by appointment only, with exceptions being special events or performances at the Clarion Performing Arts Center. Guests to the museum are guided through the exhibitions by members of the Grant Avenue Follies, a performance group founded by Yee. Yee also gives tours. Many of the women who guide the tours were performers in Chinatown clubs. They share their personal stories around the objects on display. Portions of the museums are dedicated to specific performers, including Yee, Toy & Wing, and Ivy Tam.[1]
Exhibition showcase historic photographs, clothing, stage craft, jewelry, and other fashion accessories from the 1930s through 1970s, as well as contemporary items showcasing the performances of the Grant Avenue Follies.[1] The collection includes photographs of Frank Sinatra with Chinatown showgirls.[1][3] The exhibits also examine the stereotypes of East Asians that were often core components to the performances.[1]
Clarion Performing Arts Center
editClarion Performing Arts Center,[4] on Waverly Place, was a music store, opened in 1982;[4] Clara Hsu replaced it with a nonprofit in 2019.[5][6][7][8]
Grant Avenue Follies began in 2004, a traditional floor show, at Clarion Performing Arts Center and on the road for festivals and groups.[9][10]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f Bote, Joshua (1 August 2021). "Inside San Francisco's most intriguing hidden museum". SFGATE. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
- ^ Facundo, Aaron (9 August 2021). "New Showgirl Magic Museum Preserves Chinatown Nightclub History". AsAmNews. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
- ^ Veltman, Chloe (12 October 2021). "Former Chorus Girls Recall Chinatown's Storied Nightlife Scene". KQED. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
- ^ a b "Clarion Performing Arts Center". San Francisco Legacy Business. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
- ^ "Clarion Performing Arts Center: The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge". Mission Local. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
- ^ "Clarion Music Performance Arts Center". San Francisco Classical Voice. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
Director: Clara Hsu ... 12 Waverly Place
- ^ Chin, Sharon (12 May 2021). "Playwright Brings Theater, Art, Music To Kids In San Francisco Chinatown". Jefferson Awards for Public Service. CBS San Francisco. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
- ^ "SAN FRANCISCO—HOLLYWOOD CHINESE at Chinatown Community Film Festival—CANCELLED". California Humanities. March 20, 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
- ^ Whiting, Sam (August 24, 2020). "Coby Yee, iconic exotic dancer and owner of Forbidden City, dies at 93". Datebook | San Francisco Chronicle. Hearst Communications, Inc. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
- ^ Sviatoslavsky, Lydia (11 November 2021). "How Cynthia 'Empress' Yee is preserving SF Chinatown's glamorous showgirl history". Local News Matters. Bay City News Foundation. Retrieved 2 April 2022.