More than their Labor: Sites of Manong Leisure in the Pajaro Valley expands scholarship on the manong generation of Filipino migrants. In particular, this exhibition visualizes moments of rest and leisure to build an understanding of how manongs found a sense of belonging and home despite exclusionary policies and in-humane working conditions. By focusing on their everyday experiences, More than their Labor shows how manongs did not just work, but also created families, nourished friendships, practiced hobbies, and found joy. This exhibition asks: What did they do on their off time? Where did they go for pleasure? Who were their chosen families? Where did they hang out? By asking these questions, the exhibition offers a more nuanced and comprehensive picture of the manong experience.

This exhibition features photographs and objects from the Watsonville is the Heart research initiatve. More than their Labor features the objects of five families who participated in the WIITH project: the Alminianas, Irao-de los Reyes and Ibaos, Recios, DeOcampos, and Sulays. This exhibition was created as a part of the Center for Archival Research and Training fellowship and was made by UCSC PhD student, Christina Ayson Plank.

To see the exhibition visit this link.

Suits and traditional Filipino dresses are the iconic looks of the mid-twentieth century in Filipino American history in Watsonville. Beyond their aesthetics, these costumes represent the wearers’ stories of migration and adaptation to their new lives in the United States. Dapper at Maganda: Dressing to Belong analyzes mid-twentieth-century Filipino American fashion as it intersects with notions of belonging, cultural knowledge, and gendered roles. 

Included in this exhibit are representations of women and men’s fashion displayed through both professional studio and amateur photographs. This exhibit features pieces from the Irao-de Los Reyes and Ibao, Alminiana, Bosque, Millares, and Sulay collections.

Reconsidering Rosita Tabasa: Watsonville’s Revered Matriarch provides an in-depth look at the life and work of Rosita Dionisio Tabasa-Estrada, a beloved member of the Filipino community of Watsonville. I present Rosita as a cultural, civic, and business leader in Watsonville. She had a strong desire to fill gaps she identified in the community’s life and supported the most underserved. She utilized her position as a well-respected woman in the community, her familial and political connections, and her business-savvy to enhance the lives of others. She identified gender inequalities in the community and also wrestled against gendered expectations for herself. This exhibition analyzes the balance Rosita attempted to maintain between her roles as a mother and a community leader. As I show, she struggled to hold positions of leadership while battling patriarchal gender norms. This exhibit displays Rosita's hard work, resiliency, and unstoppable drive to support others. It also reckons with the sacrifices she made to achieve her goals.

Please view the exhibiton here: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/fa463a6a8e3c4e90b2850932c85fa039

I'm Just Nosy highlights the Pajaro Valley Filipino American community's genealogical research and archiving expertise. As told by Maia Mislang, with generous help from Meleia Simon-Reynolds and Sam Regal, it spotlights Juanita Sulay Wilson, community matriarch and self-taught historian/archivist, whose work has been foundational to the Tobera Project and Watsonville is in the Heart. The zine is a resource for folks who wish to explore their own family and community histories. 

Please access the zine here. 

This project is a special collaboration between UCSC Special Collections and Archives and Watsonville is in the Heart with support provided by California Rare Book School's Radical Librarianship Institute.