More Than a Museum: Building a Cultural Home at Great Park
Explore how the Asian American Museum at Great Park is creating a vibrant cultural home that preserves stories, celebrates heritage, and fosters meaningful community connections.
The Vision for the Asian American Museum at Great Park
What does it mean to build a museum for the future?
For the Asian American Museum at Great Park (AAMGP), the answer goes beyond galleries and exhibitions.
It means creating a place where history is preserved, cultures are celebrated, communities gather, and future generations can see themselves reflected in the stories around them.
Planned for Irvine's Great Park, the Asian American Museum at Great Park represents a bold vision for Southern California - a vibrant cultural campus dedicated to sharing the diverse experiences, contributions, and stories of Asian Americans while creating opportunities for connection, learning, and dialogue across communities.
While the permanent museum is in the early stages of development, its mission is already taking shape through exhibitions, educational initiatives, community programs, and cultural experiences. Together, these efforts are laying the foundation for what will become one of the region's most significant cultural institutions.
Why This Museum Matters
Southern California is home to one of the largest and most diverse Asian American populations in the United States.
In Orange County alone, more than 750,000 Asian Americans live, work, raise families, and contribute to communities throughout the region - from entrepreneurship and innovation to education, public service, arts, culture, and civic leadership.
Yet despite these contributions, the Asian American community has never had a dedicated institution of this scale devoted to preserving, interpreting, and sharing the breadth of Asian American experiences.
The Asian American Museum at Great Park seeks to change that.
The museum will serve as a place where stories are preserved, histories are shared, and future generations can better understand the people and experiences that helped shape the communities we know today.
At a time when cultural understanding and representation matter more than ever, AAMGP is being built to foster connection, curiosity, and a deeper appreciation for the diverse voices that make the region unique.
More Than a Museum
The vision for AAMGP extends beyond traditional expectations of what a museum can be.
Rather than simply displaying artifacts behind glass, the museum is being designed as a dynamic cultural destination where visitors can engage with history, art, food, performance, education, and community in meaningful ways.
While the museum will celebrate Asian American history and culture, its purpose extends far beyond a single community.
AAMGP is being built as a place where people of all backgrounds can come together to learn, connect, and better understand the diverse stories that shape our shared future.
A Cultural Campus
Located within Great Park's Cultural Terrace, the planned museum campus represents an ambitious investment.
The vision includes:
- Approximately 220,000 square feet of total development
- More than 94,000 square feet of potential exhibition space
- A 400-seat auditorium and performance venue
- Educational and conference spaces
- Restaurant and future Asian food hall
- Outdoor gathering areas and community event spaces
- Future expansion opportunities to serve generations to come
The design embraces both innovation and accessibility, creating a campus that feels welcoming, open, and connected to the surrounding community.
Visitors will experience a series of galleries, courtyards, gardens, performance spaces, and gathering areas designed to encourage exploration and interaction.
Rather than creating barriers between the institution and the community, the museum invites visitors into a shared cultural experience from the moment they arrive.
A Museum Designed for the Future
As museums evolve in the digital age, AAMGP is being envisioned as a future-focused institution that embraces emerging technologies while remaining deeply rooted in authentic storytelling.
Interactive exhibits, multimedia experiences, and innovative learning environments will help visitors engage with history in new and meaningful ways. By combining historical preservation with emerging technology, AAMGP aims to create experiences that inspire curiosity, dialogue, and discovery for generations to come.
Preserving Stories Beyond Museum Walls
Innovation at AAMGP extends beyond the future museum campus itself. Through the Living Archive, a digital storytelling platform, visitors can explore the people, places, and experiences that shaped Asian American communities.
Using a mobile app, users can discover historically significant locations through interactive maps, photographs, oral histories, and community-contributed stories. Current experiences include sites throughout Little Saigon, with future expansion planned to document neighborhoods, businesses, cultural institutions, and community stories across the region.
Together, the museum and the Living Archive create a powerful model for cultural preservation—connecting history not only to exhibits, but to the communities where it was made.
Building Community Beyond the Galleries
One of the most striking aspects of the museum's vision is its emphasis on community. The campus has been designed to encourage gathering, reflection and cultural exchange.
Shaded walkways, landscaped courtyards, public plazas, and outdoor seating areas create opportunities for people to connect before, during, and after their museum experience.
These spaces recognize that some of the most meaningful learning happens through conversation and shared experiences, reflecting the museum's belief that culture is something we experience together.
Food as a Cultural Bridge
Food has always been one of the most powerful ways stories are passed from one generation to the next.
The museum's planned culinary programs reflect the understanding that food is more than nourishment—it is history, identity, migration, resilience, and community.
Visitors will have opportunities to explore the diversity of Asian culinary traditions while learning about the stories and experiences that shaped them.
This vision aligns closely with AAMGP's Rooted in Flavor initiative, which uses food as a lens to explore Asian American history, culture, and identity. By bringing people together around the table, the museum creates opportunities for learning, conversation, and cultural exchange in ways that feel both personal and universal.
A Place for Celebration
The museum is envisioned as a year-round destination for cultural experiences and community engagement.
Outdoor plazas, performance spaces, and flexible event venues will support festivals, performances, lectures, film screenings, artist showcases, cultural celebrations, and educational programming throughout the year.
These spaces will create opportunities for visitors to experience culture not only through exhibitions but also through live performances, community gatherings, and shared celebrations.
The result is a museum that feels active, vibrant, and connected to the communities it serves.
Building the Museum Before the Building Exists
While the permanent museum is still in development, AAMGP is already bringing its mission to life.
Through pop-up exhibitions, educational initiatives, artist collaborations, cultural programming, and community partnerships, the organization is actively building the foundation for the future museum today.
This work is organized around four key pillars.
Arts & Culture
Exhibitions, performances, artist collaborations, and creative programming showcase the breadth and diversity of artistic expression across Asian American communities.
Recent initiatives, including the juried photography exhibition Color, Culture, Continuum: An Asian American Mosaic, demonstrate the museum's commitment to elevating artists and celebrating contemporary cultural expression.
History
Archival research, oral history projects, and storytelling initiatives help preserve and share the experiences of Asian American communities.
By documenting personal stories and community histories, AAMGP ensures that important narratives are preserved for future generations.
Education
Student-centered learning experiences, school partnerships, docent programs, and educational resources help create meaningful opportunities for cultural understanding and lifelong learning.
Education remains central to the museum's mission of empowering future generations through knowledge and engagement.
Culinary Explorations
Food serves as a powerful entry point into conversations about identity, migration, heritage, and belonging.
Through the Rooted in Flavor series, guests gather around the table to explore Asian American history and culture through culinary traditions, storytelling, and community dialogue.
Programs like these demonstrate how the museum is already creating meaningful cultural experiences long before its permanent doors open.
Guided by Purpose
The Asian American Museum at Great Park is grounded in a clear sense of purpose.
Purpose: To preserve the integrity of our cultural past while honoring the voices of those who shaped it.
Mission: To provide a vibrant cultural home that celebrates Asian American heritage and empowers future generations.
Vision: To be a premier cultural landmark that fosters inclusivity, understanding, and shared pride.
Looking Ahead
Museums preserve history. They protect stories that might otherwise be forgotten.
But the Asian American Museum at Great Park is about more than preserving the past.
It is about creating a future where every generation can see themselves reflected in the stories around them. A future where cultural understanding strengthens communities. A future where the diverse experiences of Asian Americans are recognized as an essential part of the American story.
Through exhibitions, educational programs, cultural experiences, and community partnerships, AAMGP is already building the foundation for what will become a lasting cultural institution.
Together, we are not just creating a museum.
We are building a cultural home for generations to come.
Join the Journey
The Asian American Museum at Great Park is more than a future building—it is a growing movement to preserve stories, celebrate culture, and create meaningful connections across generations and communities.
Whether you're attending a program, sharing your story, exploring the Living Archive, or following our progress, there are many ways to be part of this journey.
Stay connected as we continue building a vibrant cultural home for all to explore, learn, and connect.
Subscribe to our newsletter, follow us on social media, and explore upcoming programs and events via our website.
Media Inquiries
The Asian American Museum at Great Park welcomes opportunities to share updates about the museum's development, community initiatives, exhibitions, educational programming, and cultural events.
For media inquiries, interview requests, speaking opportunities, or additional information, please contact: Linda Nguyen at linda@aamuseumgp.org.
Media assets, renderings, project information, and organizational background materials are available upon request.