Visiting Smithsonian Curator and Scholar Dr. Theo Gonzalves Shares How Objects Tell Stories and Why Filipino American Stories Matter

By Kevin McGarry, Associate Director for Public Engagement  

Theodore S. Gonzalves, Ph.D., is a scholar of comparative cultural studies and a curator at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. A former interim director of the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, Dr. Gonzalves has a uniquely impressive resume. He has taught in the U.S., Spain, and the Philippines. He is an accomplished musician. He served as president of the Association for Asian American Studies and currently serves on the board of the American Council of Learned Societies.   

On Sunday, March 9, 2025, at 2:00pm on a very warm and sunny Sunday afternoon, Dr. Gonzalves provided a fascinating lecture to our SBTHP community that he appropriately titled, “Threading Histories: Curating Asian Pacific American Experiences at the Smithsonian and Why Filipino American Stories Matter.”  With a small, but very attentive audience, Dr. Gonzalves provided insight into the life of the Smithsonian Institution curator. In SBTHP’s historic Alhecama Theatre in El Presidio de Santa Bárbara State Historic Park,  Dr. Gonzalves provided attendees with concrete examples that helped to explain why the curatorial work of collecting and preserving objects helps the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History tell a more inclusive and complete story about the American experience. Dr. Gonzalves’ examples were just a handful of those featured in the recent Smithsonian Books publication he edited, titled: Smithsonian Asian Pacific American History, Art, and Culture in 101 Objects.   

One of these Smithsonian objects Dr. Gonzalves shared about was a 20-by-4-foot red vinyl banner with the words, “Fight the Virus, NOT the People” donated by the San Francisco Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association (CCBA). Added to the Smithsonian’s collection on May 10, 2022, the banner is one of many additions related to the effects, experiences and enormity of the COVID-19 pandemic. The banner was carried at the front of a 1,000-person procession with representatives from family associations, businesses, community agencies, pastors, local politicians and youth groups. It was signed and dated by then CCBA president Dan Ding Bong Lee. 

During his talk, Dr. Gonzalves examined the deep and multifaceted histories of Filipino Americans through these selected artifacts and explained why he feels that the objects embody the lived experiences of Filipino Americans. From the labor camps of the early 20th century to the cultural movements of the present, these objects serve as historical touchstones, revealing how Filipino Americans have shaped and been shaped by the American narrative.  

SBTHP’s “Manongs on the Central Coast: Forming Communities Across Generations” exhibit currently on display at Casa de la Guerra examines the history and lived experiences of our Filipino communities in and around Santa Barbara, as told through multigenerational family stories, photographs, oral histories and documents.  Dr. Gozsalves’ “Threading Histories” presentation helped place these local stories and experiences into a national dialogue in which the power of material culture is essential to preserving memory, challenging erasure, and reimagining belonging for America’s marginalized communities and minority groups.  

After his talk, there was a long Q&A with the lecture audience and SBTHP invited guests for a reception outside the theatre, in the Alhecama courtyard. Dr. Gonzalves and lecture attendees then joined “Manongs on the Central Coast” curator and UCSB graduate student, Shannon Toribio, for a special tour of the exhibit at Casa de la Guerra.  

For more information about SBTHP’s lectures, visit: sbthp.org/lectures