This past Thursday I took advantage of Target’s generosity and paid a (free) visit to MOCA, the Museum of Chinese in America on Centre Street. I did not realize before my visit that the museum’s address is fairly new, and that it is now housed in an exquisitely-realized space by (Chinese-American) architect Maya Lin.

Out of respect for the museum, I did not take photos of the actual exhibits, all of which wove some of the brightest ideas in modern museum design - interactivity and technology - into classic “artifacts under glass” displays. In one part of the museum, guests can walk into a fully-recreated general store from Chinatown’s earliest days (a de facto community center for recent immigrants). In another, touchscreen computers play reels of “personal success stories” of recent immigrants and second and third generation citizens. Throughout the museum, exhibits were enhanced with slideshow projections paired with personal oral narratives.

The exhibit design was undeniably fantastic, but it was the space that really took my breath away. Lin left a void - a full-height empty space of raw brick and steel - in the center of the building. From the floor one can glimpse into the exhibit space - and see the slideshow projections from an entirely new perspective.

The bathrooms, an oft-forgotten space, were particularly stunning. Raw brick is contrasted with orange glass tile and smooth raw concrete, and anchored with a huge, frameless, backlit flat glass mirror that mimics a giant reflecting pool. I probably spent more time in the bathroom than most people do, but great design deserves great respect.

If you are in the city, I cannot recommend this museum highly enough. As I mentioned, admission is free on Thursdays, but if you can’t make it during the week, the fee is a very fair $7.00.