Special 250th Edition Features Film Screenings, Book Fairs and a Dance Party
This May, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art will present its fourth annual IlluminAsia Arts and Culture Festival, a celebration of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month during the 250th of America.
IlluminAsia highlights the power of Asian American storytelling across generations, centering on literature and film, from early 20th century silent cinema to contemporary books and performances. The free festival culminates with the IlluminAsia BookCon, a two-day event featuring authors, panels, children’s programming and a “literary disco,” as well as a special Bruce Lee film screening with a live DJ set.
“Celebrating America’s 250th, this fourth year of IlluminAsia highlights the breadth of Asian American storytelling and artistic expression—from the earliest films to contemporary literature,” said Chase F. Robinson, the director of the museum. “Whether it’s discovering a new book or dancing in the museum’s courtyard, we invite visitors to interact and connect with the voices behind these art forms.”
Festival Highlights
The festival kicks off with screenings of Asian American cinema:
- Saturday, May 2: Third Act, a documentary honoring Robert A. Nakamura, “the godfather of Asian American film,” told from the perspective of Nakamura’s son, Tadashi.
- Sunday, May 3: Two rare silent films directed by or starring Asian Americans in the early 20th century will be paired with live music accompaniment by composer, singer and saxophonist Stephanie Chou and her band.
IlluminAsia BookCon Weekend:
- Friday, May 22: The museum kicks off the IlluminAsia BookCon in the evening with author talks, book sales and signings centered around Asian American icon Bruce Lee. Author Jeff Chang will discuss his new book, Water Mirror Echo: Bruce Lee and the Making of Asian America, with Theo Gonzalves, curator at the National Museum of American History. The evening ends with a special screening of Bruce Lee film, The Big Boss, accompanied by a live DJ set.
- Saturday, May 23: The BookCon continues with a literary marketplace and a children’s book fair with hands-on arts and crafts workshops. The museum will also host reflective discussions on Asian American literature with a focus on true crime and other popular genres, as well as a panel conversation on what it means to be American for Americans of Asian heritage. The festival concludes with an outdoor disco dance party.
The IlluminAsia BookCon is presented in partnership with the Asian American Book Club. All IlluminAsia programs are free and open to the public, though some events may require advance registration. A full schedule and RSVP information are available on the IlluminAsia 2026 webpage.
Since its launch, IlluminAsia has grown into one of the museum’s most popular annual celebrations, drawing nearly 4,000 attendees in 2025.
“We hope that IlluminAsia provides a space for Asian Americans to see themselves reflected in stories and voices throughout history, and for everyone to discover and connect with these voices,” said Nicole Kim Dowd, the museum’s head of public programs and lead organizer for IlluminAsia. “Most importantly, we want visitors to have fun and find joy.”
Follow @NatAsianArt for the full roster of IlluminAsia events.
IlluminAsia is part of the Smithsonian-wide initiative, “Our Shared Future: 250,” a celebration of the nation’s anniversary through a variety of Smithsonian programs and exhibitions.
Credit
Bank of America is the founding sponsor of the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art’s “IlluminAsia” Arts and Culture Festival.
About the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art opened in 1923 as America’s first national art museum and the first Asian art museum in the United States. It now stewards one of the world’s most important collections of Asian art, with works dating from antiquity to the present. The museum also hosts an unparalleled collection of 19th- and early 20th-century American art.
Through an ambitious program of collecting, conservation, exhibitions, programming and research, both onsite and online, the museum serves as a global and national resource for understanding the arts and cultures of Asia and their interaction with America, past and present. By presenting the arts and cultures of Asia in their extraordinary richness, the museum furthers cross-cultural understanding and aims to exemplify foundational ideals of curiosity, creativity and respect.
Located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the museum is free and open 364 days a year (closed Dec. 25). The Smithsonian is the world’s largest museum, education and research complex and welcomes millions of visitors yearly. For more information about the National Museum of Asian Art, visit asia.si.edu.