Past Exhibits at CHC
Imagine Kearny Street
Fall 2025
Presented by Manilatown Archive
Exhibit Opening October 14, 2025
On view October 14 - November 24
Gallery Hours Tues-Thurs 10am - 4pm
at the California History Center
Through materials drawn from the Manilatown Heritage Foundation's Archives located at the International Hotel Manilatown Center (868 Kearny Street, San Francisco), "Imagine Kearny Street", offers a window into the Filipino community that once existed on 10-blocks of Kearny Street in San Francisco - its manongs and migrants, restaurants and pool halls, barber shops and nightclubs, artists and activists. The materials featured include historical photographs and commemorative publications.
Learn more at www.manilatown.org
Belonging and Identity - Taste of History 2025
Spring - Fall 2025
This exhibit, installed for the Taste of History fundraiser and on view through the Spring 2025 quarter, explored notions of belonging and identity. Photography students created a gallery of self-portraits. Pride Center students created a "space of belonging" enveloped by a gallery of artwork.
Photography
- Contributing class: Basic Photography and Production Lab, Winter 2025
- Faculty: Lisa Teng
- Medium: Silver Gelatin Prints & Pigment Prints
Students from Lisa Teng’s photography class explore themes of identity and sense of
belonging through
self-portraits, using meaningful objects that reflect their sense of identity and
belonging. Portraits were
taken on film or digital camera, and are accompanied by written statements by students.
Working in small groups, they took turns behind and in front of the camera, encouraged
one another, and helped bring each other’s creative ideas to life. It was as much
a collaborative experience as
it was a personal exploration. Each portrait in this exhibition represents a genuine
and thoughtful reflection, shared effort, and growing technical skills. Together,
these images offer a heartfelt
glimpse into how students see themselves and the communities they belong to.
Open this PDF to read student-written captions alongside self-portrait images.
Pride Center
- Contributing class: Pride Center, Winter 2025
- Faculty: Jamie Pelusi
- Medium: Mixed Media, Masks, Installation Art
Students and faculty from the DeAnza Pride Center create a “space of belonging” in
the Trianon’s
exhibit hall. The space is encompassed by a gallery of artworks and stories about
LGBTQ+ identity.
This exhibition looks at storytelling as a way of exploring identity and belonging.
Through sharing
our personal experiences, we can build stronger connections with others who have been
through
similar things, but we can also create connections with those who have had very different
lived experiences. However, it’s not always safe for us to share the parts of our
identity that are under attack, culturally and legislatively. So, we do what we must
to survive and find community care through the chaos.
Work on display includes interviews from “The Pride Project”, one of three tracks
of Voices
of Silicon Valley, an oral history gathering project funded by the National Endowment
for the
Humanities.
Reception - Thursday April 24, 2025, 4 - 6 PM, California History Center
Accessing Traditional Archival Materials
Early 20th Century Everyday Life in Santa Clara Valley
Taste of History 2025
Spring 2025
Listen and learn from unique presentations of archival material and historical exhibits, curated by current CHC staff and interns who will be available to talk with visitors.
Bringing Historical Archives into the Present
The California History Center is a space of living history – collecting records of
the past, connecting them to our experiences in the present, and preserving them for
the future. As we continue to manage our collection and reacquaint ourselves with
its contents, we endeavor to make more of these unique and fascinating materials available
to everyone. Ongoing digitization, cataloging, and website development will steadily
bring our archives into the digital space. Get a sneak peek of our collection in this
exhibit.
Glimpses of postcards - Donated by Louis E. Stocklmeir, James C. Williams, and others
Historical Video – Video Tape 174 “The Valley of Heart’s Delight” written and narrated by Don Brice, edited and captioned for exhibit by Saroj Bangaru and Anya Nazarova.
Selection of books – curated by California History Center staff, volunteers, and friends
Expanding the Stocklmeir Regional History Library
The Louis E. Stocklmeir Regional History Library is an open resource for DeAnza students
and the community. It houses a vast collection of books and archival materials, focusing
especially on 19th and early 20th century California county histories. The library
collection is expanding to include acquisitions and donations brought in from offsite
storage. Books are being sorted, identified, and prepared for integration into the
DeAnza online library catalog. The library is open to all for on-site research and
browsing.
NEH Grant: Voices of Silicon Valley:
Using Heritage Discourse to Counteract Placelessness & Build Belonging
This multi-track project will increase access to the under-utilized, place-based oral
histories of the campus’s California History Center (CHC), while also creating new
oral histories, digital stories, and an educational walking tour, within a Humanities
context and curriculum.
Original Illustrations From: The Story of Mattie the Tortoise
Spring 2019
Written By Grant Somers
Illustrated By Virginia Miller-Bowen
Here is a great opportunity for students in the subject areas of History, Film/Television, and/or Environmental Studies to take on a project about one of California's endangered species.
The California History Center Foundation at De Anza College recently published "The Story of Mattie the Tortoise: A True Tale for Children of All Ages," a non-fiction book about a California desert tortoise that was picked up in the Mojave Desert in 1956 by a family from Mountain View, California. The tortoise, named Mattie, is still living, is approximately 77 years of age and resides with the same family in the same house where she has lived for over 62 years.
Mattie's story would provide a great opportunity for students to learn about this endangered species and its habitat, interview the family members about her 62-year journey with four generations of this family and research the obstacles facing the California desert tortoise in the wild.
Reception - Saturday, May 23rd, 2019 1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m., CHC
Power & Protest
(April 17 - June 25, 2018) Spring 2018
Power & Protest, highlights the evolution of civil liberties and civil rights for African Americans in San Jose by looking at past and present stories of personal struggle in the ongoing fight for social justice.Special Thanks to History San José, Euphrat Museum of Art, Clarissa Moore, Sharat G. Lin, San Jose Peace and Justice Center, San Jose State Special Collections.
Reception - Saturday, May 12th, 2018 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m., CHC
Ohlone Elders and Youth Speak: Restoring a California Legacy
(Oct 28, 2017 - Mar 15, 2018) Fall 2017 - Winter 2018
"I appreciate this chance I’ve been given: to realize I’m Ohlone, that I’m on the land where my great-great-grandparents survived, and to be who I am today. By honoring the past and continuing my education as well as always respecting my elders and learning from them, I can gain more knowledge and then be able to share that knowledge with our youth."
- Kanyon Sayers-Roods, Coyote Woman, Costanoan Ohlone Mutsun & Chumash, Indian Canyon Nation
Ohlone Elders & Youth Speak: Restoring a California Legacy, is an exhibit featuring photography of the Ohlone people by photographer Ruth Morgan and Ohlone history gathered by oral historian Janet Clinger. This exhibition celebrates multi-generational efforts of the Ohlone people to keep their cultures alive and thriving. Compelling photographic images and riveting oral histories dispel the myth that the Ohlone are extinct and illuminates the life experience of people living between two cultures that are often in opposition. The exhibit reflects the challenges of 21st Century Ohlone: protection of sacred burial sites, truth telling regarding the history of California Native Peoples, the significance of the arts and crafts resurgence and a vision for the future of the Ohlone Peoples.
Exhibit Reception
Saturday, Oct. 28, 2017 1 p.m., CHC
Panel discussion with Ohlone Youth Activists
Thursday, Nov. 2, 2017 1:30 p.m., Hinson Campus Center,
Conference Rooms A & B
A Woman's Fight
(Jan 30 - Mar 24, 2017) Winter 2017
The California History Center at De Anza College in Cupertino is excited to host, in winter quarter 2017, a Peninsula community-based exhibit highlighting the 100+-year history of The Women’s International League For Peace and Freedom (WILPF) and its Palo Alto Chapter, with a special focus on the organization’s development and work at the local level.
Featured also are WILPF’s “Raging Grannies,” familiar to many for their public demonstrations, peace songs and “fun antics” promoting peaceful resolution of conflict and social justice as prevention against war and other forms of violence.
Caught Celebrating...through the photographer's lens
(Sept 9 - Dec 19, 2016) Fall 2016
A photographic exhibit of festivals, people, and places captured by the photographers of the Los Gatos/Saratoga Camera Club
The California History Center is excited to welcome back the Los Gatos -Saratoga Camera Club with a new exhibit "Caught Celebrating".
Photographers focused on images of people, places and festivals in California and neighboring states. The result is an array of photographic styles and subject matter that depict the ways in which we celebrate our lives and activities.Special moments of celebration are caught in a single snapshot showing differences in cultures, people, places, and much more. The exhibit features unique shots of Burning Man, ethnic festivals, athletic competitions and even a few from other countries.Come and celebrate life with us at the CHC.
The Los Gatos -Saratoga Camera Club with over 90 members has been operating for more than 50 years serving both professional and amateur photographers.
The exhibit will feature over 50 photographs, which will be on display September 9 through December 19, 2016 at the California History Center located at De Anza College. Also, the Center will be open on three Saturdays, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., October 1, 22, and December 3.
Visit http://losgatos-saratogacameraclub.org to learn more.
War Comes Home: The Legacy
(May 8 - Jun 24, 2016) Spring 2016
When veterans return home from war it is a time of happiness and major adjustments. Thirteen panels display letters from veterans and families from the Civil War era through the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. These letters offer a unique insight into the thought and emotions of veterans and their families upon their homecoming.
War Comes Home: The Legacy is a partnership between Cal Humanities, the California State Library and Exhibit Envoy. It is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the BayTree Fund, The Whitman Fund, and the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian.
#Tutu: a man at prayer, a man at work, a man at rest
(Oct 19 - Dec 3, 2015) Fall 2015
From South Africa to Cupertino: A solo photographic exhibit by Sumaya Hisham of Archbishop Desmond Tutu
CHC is fortunate to offer this fall, a unique solo, photographic exhibit documenting the day-to-day life of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa. Entitled, #TUTU – a man at prayer, a man at work, a man at rest,” this exhibition, created by South African photo-journalist, Sumaya Hisham documents the life of the Archbishop exposing some never before seen moments in the life of the famous South African. The exhibit will run from October 19th through December 3, 2015 and is being held in conjunction with the Euphrat Museum of Art which will also feature some of Sumaya’s photographs in its Fall exhibit entitled, “Endangered.”
#TUTU comes to the CHC by way of local Reverend, Wilma Jakobsen of St. Jude’s Episcopal Church in Cupertino. Reverend Jakobsen was the first woman to be ordained as a Deacon in the diocese of Cape Town, South Africa by Archbishop Tutu and served as his chaplain as well. After many years of service in her native South Africa and later in Southern California, Reverend Jakobsen become St. Jude’s Rector in 2013. Hoping to expose a new generation to an iconic figure of both the anti-Apartheid struggle and a world famous peace activist, Reverend Jakobsen, jumped at the chance to have Sumaya’s work introduced to the Cupertino area.
Archbishop Tutu was the first black Archbishop of Cape Town and received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984, the Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism in 1986, the Pacem in Terris Award in 1987,the Sydney Peace Prize in 1999, the Gandhi Peace Prize in 2007, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009. He is now retired.
Sumaya Hisham is a freelance photojournalist who originally created this photo-exhibit as a charity project. She is passionate about capturing images of people in their daily life. Sumaya covers news and cultural events for a variety of clientele that includes agencies, newspapers, magazines and corporates amongst others. Her work has been published worldwide in all forms of print and electronic media.
Water Ways: A Lens on Culture and Nature from River to Bay to Ocean - A Photographic Exhibition
(Mar 23 - Jun 19, 2015) Spring 2015
Thirty photographers and over 60 photographs comprise the exhibit, “Water Ways: A Lens on Culture and Nature from River to Bay to Ocean” is on display March 23 - June 19 at the California History Center located at De Anza College.In addition the gallery will be open on select Saturdays, April 18, April 25, May 16 and June 13, 1pm to 4 pm
The Water Ways exhibit is co-sponsored by the Los Gatos-Saratoga Camera Club and the California History Center. Photographers were asked by California History Center director Tom Izu to submit images that depict the close relationship creatures, human and otherwise, have to water in all its forms in the greater San Francisco Bay Area. The result is an array of photographic styles and subject matter that stretch from Sacramento to Big Sur.
The CHC is located in a national registered landmark known as the “Trianon building,” located on the De Anza College campus adjacent to the Flint Center.
The Los Gatos-Saratoga Camera Club with over 90 members has been operating for more than 50 years serving both professional and amateur photographers. Visit http://losgatos-saratogacameraclub.org to learn more.
Wherever There's A Fight: A History of Civil Liberties in California
(Oct 1, 2014 - Mar 13, 2015) Fall 2014 - Winter 2015
An exhibition based on the book
Wherever There's a Fight - How Runaway Slaves, Suffragists, Immigrants, Strikers, and Poets Shaped Civil Liberties in California by Elaine Elinson and Stan Yogi (Heyday Books, 2009)
The California History Center is proud to bring back this exhibit and to have it as part of our permanent collection in both English and Spanish. In relation with The Audrey Edina Butcher Civil Liberties Education Initiative this exhibit will run through to March as part of our Day of Remembrance celebration. With the combined efforts of both the exhibit and initiative the CHC hopes to immerse De Anza College's students in the study of civil liberties to nurture a stronger awareness of these liberties and the ability to advocate for their protection.
Fourteen interpretive panels of photographs and texts tell the stories of ordinary people capable of extraordinary acts, who fought violations of their civil liberties in California, reflecting the prejudices and political winds of the times.
These include Paul Robeson, who told the House Un-American Activities Committee, “You are the Un-Americans and you ought to be ashamed of yourselves.” Anton Refregier’s colorful murals, targeted for destruction by a 1953 Congressional inquisition but ultimately declared historically protected, depict the true stories of Indians at the missions, anti-Chinese riots, and labor strikes. And in 1939, the Kern County Board of Supervisors banned John Steinbeck’s instant best-seller Grapes of Wrath, though 600 readers had already put it on reserve.
Lens On Silicon Valley: A Photographic Exhibition
(Mar 12 - Jun 21, 2013) Spring 2013
Is it possible to capture the essence of a place in a way that can be recognized and understood by others?
How about a place whose exact, geographic boundaries are sometimes hotly debated, and at other times claimed not to exist — only accepted as a "state of mind"? We are referring to our own region known as "Silicon Valley."
Through the work of the Los Gatos - Saratoga Camera Club, the California History Center will host "Lens on Silicon Valley: A Photographic Exhibition" and explore this challenge: Members of the Camera Club have been asked to answer the question, "What does Silicon Valley mean to you?" and will have free rein to capture what they feel is the meaning of "Silicon Valley."
Approximately 48 photographic works will be selected and displayed. We are excited to see what they come up with and look forward to how their work might inspire our own students to come up with future documentation projects.
For more than 50 years, the Los Gatos - Saratoga Camera Club has provided opportunities for local photographers to share their work, participate in workshops, and organize exhibits for the general public. For more information about the club, visit lgscc.photoclubservices.com.
Reception - Saturday, March 23 2 - 5 p.m., CHC
The Art of Protest
(Jan 15 - Feb 28, 2013) Winter 2013
Twenty-six original silkscreened posters from campus social movements during the 1960s and 1970s -- an exhibit from the San Jose Peace and Justice Center.
In follow-up to our Spring (2012) quarter student-curated exhibit on the 1968 presidential elections, CHC is hosting the San Jose Peace and Justice Center's collection of protest posters created at UC Berkeley and UC Santa Cruz during the 1960s and 1970s.
Featuring guest speakers:
- Lincoln Cushing, Archivist
- Gil Villagran, Lecturer, School of Social Work, San Jose State University
- Sharat Lin, President, San Jose Peace and Justice Center
Exhibit Reception - Thursday, Jan. 17, 2013, 4:00 p.m., CHC
Wherever There's A Fight: A History of Civil Liberties in California
(Oct 10 - Dec 2, 2011) Fall 2011
An exhibition based on the book
Wherever There's a Fight - How Runaway Slaves, Suffragists, Immigrants, Strikers, and Poets Shaped Civil Liberties in California by Elaine Elinson and Stan Yogi (Heyday Books, 2009)
Featuring both curators and authors of the book — Elaine Elinson and Stan Yogi. Copies of their book will be available for purchase at the reception. There is no charge for the reception and the general public is welcome.
About The Exhibit
Fourteen interpretive panels of photographs and texts tell the stories of ordinary people capable of extraordinary acts, who fought violations of their civil liberties in California, reflecting the prejudices and political winds of the times.
These include Paul Robeson, who told the House Un-American Activities Committee, “You are the Un-Americans and you ought to be ashamed of yourselves.” Anton Refregier’s colorful murals, targeted for destruction by a 1953 Congressional inquisition but ultimately declared historically protected, depict the true stories of Indians at the missions, anti-Chinese riots, and labor strikes. And in 1939, the Kern County Board of Supervisors banned John Steinbeck’s instant best-seller Grapes of Wrath, though 600 readers had already put it on reserve.
“Banning books is so utterly hopeless and futile,” says Kern County’s librarian Gretchen Knief. “Ideas don’t die because a book is forbidden reading.”
Exhibition Support
Support for this exhibit is provided by the California Council for the Humanities (CCH), which has launched a thematic program initiative designed to animate a public conversation on the meaning of democracy today through a series of local, regional, and statewide humanities-inspired activities. www.calhum.org
Funding is also provided by Exhibit Envoy (formerly California Exhibition Resources Alliance), which provides traveling exhibitions and professional services to museums throughout California. Its mission is to build new perspectives among Californians, create innovative exhibitions and solutions, and advance institutions in service to their communities. www.exhibitenvoy.org
Reception - Thursday, Oct. 6, 2011 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. CHC
Detained at Liberty’s Door - The Story of Liberty Lost on Angel Island, and a Legacy Regained
(Jan 28 - Jun 24, 2011) Winter 2011
Presented by the California History Center, in conjunction with the Chinese Historical Society of America.
This exhibit traces the formation of the Angel Island Immigration Station and highlights the inspiring story of Mrs. Lee Yoke Suey, the wife of an American-born citizen, who was detained for over 15 months on Angel Island. Only an association with one of California’s most powerful and iconic families secured her freedom.
The South Bay premier of this traveling exhibit will also feature a look at one of San José’s Chinatowns. Known as Heinlenville, this planned Chinese American community was established in 1887 near today’s Japantown. Using maps and photos, and through the interpretation of artifacts gathered from archeological excavations, this exhibit provides a glimpse into the daily life of those immigrants who gained their freedom and settled in the South Bay area.
Reception - Friday, January 28 2011 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
View the exhibit, enjoy refreshments and hear a brief presentation.
Roots & Wings: Saratoga Community Garden 1972 - 1987
October 2009 - June 2010
The Saratoga Community Garden flourished as an educational demonstration garden for children and the community, providing an opporutnity for all to connect with the ways of the garden and sustainable farming, and to glean insights from nature. The 10-acre living classroom - with nature as instructor - inspired thousands of children and adults over its fifteen-year life.
Our exhibit features an oral history interview of Betty Peck and Jackie Welch and many photos of the garden. Please come to see this exhibit, enjoy refreshments and hear about the efforts currently underway to establish a new teaching garden in Saratoga by Betty Peck and ofhter members of the community.
Exhibit Reception: Saturday, November 21, 2:00 - 4:00pm
Where Do You Find Wisdom? Landscapes, Knowledge, and Northern Native Californians
(Mar 1 - Mar 29, 2007) Spring 2007
An exhibit featuring the work of Frank LaPena and Darryl Babe Wilson
Reception, panel discussions, and demonstrations at CHC
Winter 2007
Artist Frank LaPena and author Darryl Babe Wilson on landscapes and knowledge
March 7, 2007, 10:30 a.m.
Ruth Orta and Ramona Garibay on Ohlone heritage and culture
March 8, 2007, 10:30 a.m.
Winter 2025 Panel discussions and demonstrations
(Mar 7-8) Winter 2007
- Artist Frank LaPena and author Darryl Babe Wilson on landscapes and knowledge
March 7, 2007, 10:30 a.m. - Ruth Orta and Ramona Garibay on Ohlone heritage and culture
March 8, 2007, 10:30 a.m.
Where Do You Find Wisdom?
Landscapes, Knowledge, and Northern Native Californians
(Mar 1 - Mar 29, 2007) Winter 2007
An exhibit featuring the work of Frank LaPena and Darryl Babe Wilson
Yaaba Soore: The Path of the Ancestors
(Jan 23 - Feb 22, 2007) Winter 2007
An exhibit highlighting Nettye Goddard's 55 years of civic engagement in Santa Clara County as an educator and activist.
The Nettye George Goddard African American Culture Center and Botanical Garden
A Scrapbook is a Telescope Through Time
(Sept 15 - Dec 10, 2003) Fall 2003
