Wey, Nancy

Nancy Wey was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1931 and developed an interest in her mixed ancestry, most significantly, her Chinese heritage. She taught Oriental art history, concentrating on Chinese and Japanese art, Asian and Asian American Studies, at several California State Universities; served as Director of Fiddletown Museum, Amador County, Calif., from 1977 to 1980; worked on several research projects, including the Chinese American Survey, Chinese American Biographical Dictionary, Chinese American Historical Museum feasibility study, relating to Chinese American history, historical sites nationally, and specifically throughout California, and oral histories. She was a writer for East West newspaper from 1978 to 1979 and was active in many community and professional organizations.

Biography

Nancy Wey was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1931. She developed a deep interest in her mixed ancestry, particularly her Chinese heritage through her grandfather, who arrived in California in 1885. She earned a Ph.D. in Oriental Art History, focusing on Chinese and Japanese art, language and culture, from the University of Chicago. Wey was fluent in both Japanese and Mandarin Chinese and received a Fulbright scholarship to study in Japan.

Her teaching experience included classes in art history, specifically Asian art, calligraphy, Asian American Studies, while at San Jose State University, California State University at Long Beach, and San Francisco State University (1972-1982). At San Jose, she formed an organization called Eastern Streams that consisted of artists who presented exhibitions with Asian art and culture themes.

As Director of the Fiddletown Museum from 1977 to 1980, she researched the art and artifacts in the local Chinese buildings from the 1850s and, between 1979 to 1981, she documented the artifacts in the Chew Kee Store in Fiddletown, Calif., the Bok Kai Temple in Marysville, Calif., the Taoist Temple in Hanford, Calif., and the Lovelock, Nevada site.

She worked on several research projects spanning the years from 1979 to 1982 relating to Chinese American history in the United States and California, specifically the Chinese American Historical Museum feasibility study, sponsored by the California State Parks Foundation for the purpose of locating a site for a museum in California, with a focus on the China Camp Park; the Chinese American Historical Biographical Dictionary Project, funded by the Ethnic Heritages Studies Program, Office of Education in Washington, D.C., to compile a reference book of biographical data on 19th and early 20th century Chinese Americans nationwide; and the Ethnic Minority Cultural Resources Project/Chinese American Survey, funded by the State of California, Office of Historic Preservation, in which Wey participated on the Chinese American focus to identify approximately 50 Chinese historical sites from among 58 counties and create a survey with supporting narrative history, photographs and oral histories of long- time Chinese American residents.

From 1978 to 1979 Wey was a writer for East West, a bilingual Chinese American newspaper featuring articles on Chinese American history, culture, politics, and Asian American issues.

Due to Wey's interests in the fields of art, art history, preservation, Chinese American history and experience, and Asian American Studies, she participated in many professional and community conferences and organizations, including Asian Americans for Community Involvement, Chinese Culture Foundation of San Francisco, Chinese Historical Society of America, and Women's Caucus for Art.