Dallas Asian American Historical Society Announces Rebrand of Space as “Museum of Asian Texans”
DALLAS, TX (July 28, 2025) — The Dallas Asian American Historical Society (DAAHS) is proud to announce the official rebrand of its community archive, resource center, and gallery space as the Museum of Asian Texans (MAT)—a first-of-its-kind cultural institution in the city of Dallas dedicated to preserving and uplifting the stories of Asians in Texas.
Located in the historic South Side on Lamar building, the MAT will continue to operate under the stewardship of DAAHS, which opened the space in February 2025 to meet the growing need for a physical hub to document and uplift Asian American stories in North Texas. The rebrand reflects an expanded mission: to serve not only as a local archive and storytelling lab, but as a statewide cultural anchor for education, solidarity, and public engagement.
“The rebrand of our space is both a reflection of our community’s growth and response to the urgency of this moment,” said Stephanie Drenka, co-founder and executive director of DAAHS. “Across Texas, Asian Americans face heightened discrimination, underrepresentation, and erasure. Expanding the MAT’s reach allows us to safeguard and amplify stories that might otherwise remain untold.”
“The MAT” also pays homage to the earliest Chinese immigrants in Dallas, many of whom operated laundries in the late 1800s and early 1900s. In a time when Asian immigrants were excluded from most industries and denied legal rights, laundries became one of the only viable sources of income and a cornerstone of Asian American perseverance.
“Historically, laundries often functioned as informal community hubs where immigrants gathered, built networks, and found a sense of belonging,” said Denise Johnson, co-founder and program director of DAAHS. “The space’s name honors this overlooked legacy and the early immigrants who made our presence here possible.”
The MAT offers rotating exhibitions, an oral history studio, digitization and scanning services, a library, and flexible event space. It also houses DAAHS’ Artist and Archivist-in-Residence program, nurturing creative and historical projects that fuse cultural memory with contemporary expression.
As a collaborative home for local partners like the Dallas Asian American Art Collective, Did You Read Yet Book Club, and the Dallas South Asian Film Club, the space invites community members to co-create programming, exhibitions, and dialogue that reflect the full spectrum of Asian American experiences in Texas.
DAAHS will host its next large-scale exhibition in the MAT this Fall, focusing on the history of South Asians in Texas. For more information or to get involved, visit dallasasianhistory.org or follow @dallasasianhistory on social media.
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About the Dallas Asian American Historical Society
The Dallas Asian American Historical Society (DAAHS) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to researching, preserving, and amplifying the legacy of Asian Americans in the Dallas area. Founded in 2022 by Stephanie Drenka and Denise Johnson, DAAHS opened a community archive and gallery in February 2025, which serves as a hub for storytelling, cultural education, and public engagement.