Lia Chang: Norman Y. Mineta: A Boy from San Jose by E. Samantha Cheng, screens at National Portrait Gallery

Reminiscing his past at a podium next to his own portrait, former Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta spoke to an audience of over 100 people who were there to witness the entrance of the artwork into the National Portrait Gallery’s permanent collection in Washington D.C. on JUly 26, 2010. Photo courtesy of the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program

On July 26, former Transportation and Commerce Secretary Norman Y. Mineta, was recognized by the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program, with the installation of his portrait by artist Everett Raymond Kinstler, in a private ceremony at the National Portrait Gallery. The portrait is part of the museum’s permanent-collection exhibition, “New Arrivals”, and is on view at the Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture at Eighth and F streets N.W., Washington, D.C.

During the reception after the installation, “Norman Y. Mineta: A Boy from San Jose”, the mini-documentary by award winning director/producer E. Samantha Cheng, was shown.

“Norman Y. Mineta: A Boy from San Jose” is a gem, an intimate portrait of a pioneering Asian American who dedicated years of his life to public service, and who represents key roles that Asian Pacific Americans have played in U.S. culture, history and politics. Both portraits, the painting and the video, are fitting tributes to former Secretary Mineta.

In an email, Ms. Cheng shared how she began working on the mini-documentary.

How did you get involved in the making of Norman Y. Mineta: A Boy from San Jose?
Cheng: This has been project of love which began in 2006 when I recorded Norm’s oral history for the United States Capitol Historical Society (USCHS). The recording of his oral history is part of a larger program I developed with the USCHS where I filmed the oral histories for a six current and former members of Congress, Senators Akaka and Inouye along with Representatives Honda, Matsui, Wu and Secretary Mineta. These oral histories were then packaged into stand alone vignettes for the Internet and a highlights piece was created for broadcast and screenings. This program was too well received and can be viewed on the USCHS web site.

Shortly after this phase of the oral history series was completed (there are three phases with number two in development) the acquisition and funding for a portrait of Norm was in the early stages. The mini-documentary, video biography actually started after Norm shared the story that he was often mistaken for Leon Panetta. I made a comment that when the portrait was unveiled the Smithsonian should have a video explaining who and why Norm was so deserving of being the first APA to have his portrait hang in the National Portrait Gallery.

Samantha Cheng is co-owner, vice president, executive producer and CFO of the Washington, D.C.-based Television Production Services (TPS), which produces and authors DVDs. Prior to establishing TPS in 1992, Ms. Cheng, worked as an independent television producer and public relation specialist. Her involvement in broadcast and new media production spans over thirty years, in the United States and throughout the world. Her broadcast credits include: World News Tonight, ABC; Weekend News, ABC; This Week with David Brinkley, ABC; Nightline, ABC; ABC News Special Events; MLK: The Dream Today, PBS Special; The Making of a Holiday, PBS Special; Healthy Indulgences with Lynn Fischer, Maryland Public Broadcasting; World Class Cuisine, Discovery Channel; Low Cholesterol Gourmet, Discovery Channel; and Spa Getaways, Travel Channel. Ms. Cheng is an active member in the Asian American Journalist Association (AAJA); Women in Film & Video (WIFV), American Women in Radio & Television (AWRT), the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) and the DVD Association (DVDA).

Ms. Cheng has consulted with a variety of public servants, political action committees (PACs) and non-profit organizations. She served as an aide to Vernon Jordan, Transition Team Chair 1992-1993 Clinton Administration, a Public Information Officer Reservist for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) from 1993-2000; and national press secretary for Women Running PAC in 1984. She is a recipient of the 2004 AAJA Special Recognition Award 2004; 2003 Gold Aurora Award; 2002 DVDA Technical Excellence Award and DVDA Creative Excellence Award; and was a finalist for the 1987 National EMMY Award and National Capital Chesapeake Bay Chapter EMMY Award.

All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2010 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at liachang@hotmail.com.

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Lia Chang Photo by Brianne Michelle Photography

Lia Chang is an actor, performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multimedia journalist.

As a photographer and videographer, Lia collaborates with artists, organizations and companies in establishing their documentary photo archive and social media presence. She has been documenting her colleagues and contemporaries in the arts, fashion and journalism since making her stage debut as Liat in the National Tour of South Pacific, with Robert Goulet and Barbara Eden.

Selections of Lia’s archive of Asian Pacific Americans in the arts, fashion, journalism, politics and space are now in the newly created LIA CHANG THEATER PHOTOGRAPHY PORTFOLIO in the ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN PERFORMING ARTS COLLECTION housed in the Library of Congress Asian Division’s Asian American Pacific Islander Collection.

Lia’s portraits and performance photos have appeared in Vanity Fair, Gourmet, German Elle, Women’s Wear Daily, The Paris Review, TV Guide, Daily Variety, Interior Design, American Theatre, Broadwayworld.com, Life & Style, OUT, New York Magazine, InStyle, Timeout.com, Villagevoice.com, Playbill.com, Theatermania.com, thelmagazine.com, The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, USA Today, The Boston Globe, New York Times and Washington Post. A former syndicated arts and entertainment columnist for KYODO News, Lia is the New York Bureau Chief for AsianConnections.com. She writes about culture, style and Asian American issues for a variety of publications and this Backstage Pass with Lia Chang blog.

Lia Chang: Portrait of Secretary Norman Y. Mineta to Be Presented at the National Portrait Gallery

Portrait of Secretary Norman Y. Mineta by Everett Raymond Kinstler to Be Presented at the National Portrait Gallery

Congratulations to Former Transportation and Commerce Secretary Norman Y. Mineta, who will be recognized by the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program with the installation of his portrait in a private ceremony at the Portrait Gallery. The portrait, by artist Everett Raymond Kinstler, will become part of the museum’s permanent-collection exhibition, “New Arrivals” on July 27, located at the Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture at Eighth and F streets N.W., Washington, D.C. “New Arrivals,” is a rotating exhibition of subjects and objects that have been recently added to the museum’s permanent collection.

“I am delighted that this generous gift to the Portrait Gallery will be in our permanent collection,” said Martin Sullivan, director of the museum. “Secretary Mineta’s service to this country and his leadership efforts are central to the story about Asian Americans in the U.S.”

Born in 1931 to immigrant Japanese parents in San Jose, Calif., Mineta and his family were detained along with 120,000 Americans of Japanese descent at an internment camp during World War II. Mineta’s career in politics began with an appointment to a vacant seat on the San Jose City Council in 1967; two years later he won the seat in his own right. In 1971, he was elected mayor of San Jose, becoming the first Asian American mayor of a major U.S. city. As a member of Congress from 1975 through 1995, Mineta co-founded the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and engineered the passage of H.R. 442, the Civil Liberties Act of 1988—an official government apology for the internment of those of Japanese ancestry during World War II.

Secretary Norman Mineta, Lia Chang and Bill Lann Lee, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Justice, at the OCA Convention in Atlanta on July 29, 2000. Photo by Tami Chang

In 2000, President Bill Clinton appointed Mineta secretary of commerce, making him the first Asian Pacific American to hold a Cabinet post. In 2001, President George W. Bush appointed him secretary of transportation, making him the only Democrat in Bush’s Cabinet and one of the few citizens ever to serve in the Cabinet of both a Democratic and Republican President. During the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001, Mineta issued the historic order to ground all civilian aircraft, the first time this had been done in U.S. history.

Mineta retired from his Cabinet post in 2006 and in that same year was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award.

“It is with great pride that we see Secretary Mineta’s remarkable story of leadership and service honored in the Portrait Gallery,” said Konrad Ng, director of the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program. “He represents the key roles that Asian Pacific Americans have played in U.S. culture, history and politics.”

Mineta also served on the Smithsonian’s Board of Regents from 1979 through 1995 and supported the establishment of the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American program in 1997. Currently, he is vice chairman of Hill & Knowlton, a leading global communications consultancy.

This commission was made possible through the support of benefactors George and Sakaye Aratani, Hill & Knowlton and Verizon Communications with additional support from many others. The portrait of Mineta is a part of the National Portrait Gallery’s ongoing efforts to commission portraits of living sitters for its permanent collection.

The Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program
The Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program provides vision, leadership and support for Asian Pacific American activities at the Smithsonian while also serving as the Smithsonian’s liaison to Asian Pacific American communities. Asian Pacific American Program: (202) 633-2690; Asian Pacific American Program Website.

The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery
The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery tells the history of America through the individuals who have shaped its culture. Through the visual arts, performing arts and new media, the Portrait Gallery portrays poets and presidents, visionaries and villains, actors and activists whose lives tell the American story. National Portrait Gallery Website.

Click here for the full press release.

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Photo by Lia Chang

Lia Chang is an actor, performance and fine art botanical photographer and an award-winning multimedia journalist.

As a photographer and videographer, Lia is frequently tapped to collaborate with artists, organizations and companies in establishing their documentary photo archive. She has been documenting her colleagues and contemporaries in the arts, fashion and journalism since making her stage debut as Liat in the National Tour of South Pacific, with Robert Goulet and Barbara Eden.

Lia’s portraits and performance photos have appeared in Vanity Fair, Gourmet, German Elle, Women’s Wear Daily, The Paris Review, VIBE, TV Guide, Daily Variety, Interior Design, American Theatre, Life & Style, OUT, New York Magazine, InStyle, Timeout.com, Villagevoice.com, Playbill.com, Theatermania.com, The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, USA Today, The Boston Globe, New York Times and Washington Post. A former syndicated arts and entertainment columnist for KYODO News, Lia is the New York Bureau Chief for AsianConnections.com. She writes about culture, style and Asian American issues for a variety of publications and this Backstage Pass with Lia Chang blog. In July, selections of Lia’s archive of Asian Pacific Americans in the arts, fashion, journalism, politics and space will become part of THE LIA CHANG THEATER PORTFOLIO in the ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN PERFORMING ARTS COLLECTION housed in the Library of Congress Asian Division’s Asian American Pacific Islander Collection.

All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2010 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at liachang@hotmail.com.