Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience
Joël Tan
Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience
After a nationwide search, we are pleased to announce that Joël Tan has been named Executive Director of the Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience.
The success of this search is due in large part to the support of a local, regional, and national network of community contacts, particularly among AAPI leaders, and outstanding candidates who believe deeply in the Wing Luke’s mission. We truly appreciate your support throughout this process!
Joël Barraquiel Tan (siya/he/him) was born in Manila and later immigrated with his family to the United States to escape martial law. His dynamic career has reflected his lifelong commitment to social justice and creative expression, evident in his three plus decades’ of experience in cultural advocacy and leadership in the arts, public health, civic engagement, community development, and sustainable tourism.
Since 2015, Joël has lived in Hawai’i and served as Executive Leader for the East Hawaii Contemporary Arts Center, Kalanihonua Retreat Center, and Touching the Earth. In 2018, he helped establish Vibrant Hawai'i, a collective impact network of leadership across diverse sectors working at the systemic level to eliminate Hawai'i Island's 55% poverty rate. He also developed arts-based social support and economic development projects for North Kohala including an electronic marketplace for local makers, a monthly music and makers' night market, and social messaging promoting drug and alcohol recovery services for rural communities.
From 2004 to 2015, Joel served as the Director of Community Engagement at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA), San Francisco’s premier contemporary arts venue. Joel created YBCA’s award-winning civic engagement DEI initiatives inspired by the community arts curatorial model developed by the Wing Luke Museum under Ron Chew.
Joel’s contributions to public health and arts leadership are documented in Kenneth Foster's book Arts Leadership: Creating Sustainable Arts Organizations (Routledge) that details his work to bring DEI and innovation to a majority white arts organization and Eric Wat's Love Your Asian Body (UW Press) that details the founding years of Los Angeles’s Asian Pacific AIDS Intervention Team Health Center and the arts-based strategies they championed to shape HIV/AIDS services. Additionally, Joël was Hawai’i Island’s 2018 Pride Grand Marshall, and, in 2008, was featured in Out magazine’s top 100 most influential LGBTQIA+ individuals. He is the award-winning author of “Type O Negative” (Red Hen) and his various works on identity, AIDS, and queer politics appear in academic and commercial venues. In addition to his rich and diverse community involvement, Joel provides executive and wellness coaching for BIPOC changemakers.
Joel holds a Bachelor of Arts in Ethnic Studies from the University of California at Berkeley and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and Literature from Antioch University. He is currently working on a Master of Family Therapy degree at Northcentral University.
Joel is thrilled to be joining the Wing Luke Museum family and bringing his rich experience across arts & culture, AAPI initiatives, social and human services, and community grounded change.