By Andrew Hamlin
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Dekoboko Taiko members onstage (Photo by Andrew Hamlin)
The Wing Luke Museum’s 2024 Dinner & Auction, centered around the theme of “Coming Home.” As the evening benefit for the museum—which included a silent auction, raffle, conventional auction, and a good number of guest speakers—progressed, many of the folks onstage invoked that theme in various ways.
The silent auction and raffle, held before the dinner, featured artwork, a signed Kraken jersey, at least one musical instrument, Bruce Lee memorabilia, and even a diamond pendant all donated by the Museum. Auctioneer Sasha Summer Cousineau, armed with her mic, led the countdowns to bidding on the auction and raffle, before the Sheraton Grand’s Grand Ballroom opened for dinner.
Once the guests seated themselves, to the thundering drums of Seattle taiko ensemble Dekoboko Taiko, Cousineau introduced herself from the stage, then brought out two newly appointed Trustees of Wing Luke as official emcees—restaurateur Chera Amlag, co-founder of Hood Famous Bakeshop and Hood Famous Café + Bar; and Shannon Lee of the Bruce Lee Foundation, daughter to Bruce Lee, sister to Brandon Lee.
Award-winning author and part-time Seattle resident Jamie Ford, who spent more than two years on the “New York Times” bestseller list with “Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet,” served as the evening’s welcome speaker.
“I’m one of those weird people, I actually enjoy public speaking,” commented Ford, to general laughter. He chuckled that to improve at public speaking, “You sing a lot of karaoke.”
Joel Barraquiel Tan at the silent auction (Photo by Siobhan Charles)
Wing Luke’s Executive Director Joël Barraquiel Tan drew attention with his bright outfit and colorful hat, and his opening line, “I use all pronouns.” But he turned quickly to more serious matters.
Barraquiel Tan invoked the Wing Luke’s “power of co-creation,” a coming-home place where “you make family memories.” He also invoked the hate crime attack against the museum last September, when a man used a sledgehammer to bash in windows along Canton Alley.
More than ever, he stressed Wing Luke needed to “adapt our mission’s work, to promote compassion, civility, and justice.”
A performance by the Shanghai Pearl followed, the burlesque queen dancing with a cloth Chinese dragon, swirling it around her torso to create the illusion of dragon flight, but alternately caressing and kissing the creature’s long, bright jaw.
To read out the details on each auction item, Aleksa Manila took the podium. A former Miss Gay Filipino and Miss Gay Seattle, she gave her pronouns as “`She,’ and ‘single.’”
Aleksa Manila, left, with two bidders at the silent auction (Photo by Siobhan Charles )
Auction items varied widely, from art by Lolan Lo Cheng and Cheryl Fujii Zahniser, to suites at Lumen Field for the Seattle Sounders’ upcoming Bruce Lee Match Day, to a storytelling retreat with Jamie Ford in Bordeaux, France.
Two items came from a father and son: a “Coffee Table” designed by famous artist George Tsutakawa in the 1940s; and a welded bronze sculpture, “Hitosume Kozo,” from his son Gerard Tsutakawa.
Roger Shimomura, a Seattle native, donated a lithograph, “Lovers 2.” This depicts a Japanese lady looking fondly at a man to her left, a man who looks white and may even be a G.I. The work explained nothing about itself, but its power lay in the mystery, its unanswered questions.
The “Fund a Need” portion of the program began with an inspiration video about the Museum’s works, then an invitation to contribute generally, along several different suggested amounts. This segment also served as a memorial to Paul Mar, long time local philanthropist and Wing Luke activist, who died in February at 83.
Prominent donors included Seattle rapper Macklemore, at the $10,000 level.
After bidding on the last item, diners exited, or lingered, to tunes from the Guma’ Gela’ band, original music and arrangements from a CHamoru Queer Art collective, representing Guam and the Mariana Islands.