Current Programs at Hmong Museum

Hmong Research Fellowship

The Hmong Museum is starting an exciting new project called "Unearthing Hmong Minnesotan Stories" to help save and share the history of Hmong people in Minnesota. Two Research Fellows will hunt for stories in libraries and interview community members, like elders and artists, to find information that hasn't been studied or written about. The goal is to take all these "hidden" stories and turn them into articles that everyone can read in a new online magazine called the Peb Li Journal. By doing this work now, the museum is making sure that the important memories and traditions of Hmong families are protected and passed down to students and future generations.

2026 Hmong Research Fellows

Viva Yang is a longtime nonprofit professional with over twenty-five years of experience spanning print and broadcast journalism, international education, customer service, communications, multilingual interpretation and translation, and program management and development. By day, Yang oversees infrastructure, logistics, administration, and communications as the Director of Organizational Infrastructure & Network Systems at Rooted to Last, an organization which serves the social justice ecosystem in Minnesota, walking alongside communities to deepen roots and nurture practices that help movements flourish and endure. He is proud to serve is as the inaugural Hmong Alumni Network (HAN) chair at his alma mater, St. Olaf College, where HAN strives to build community among alumni and current students, and tell the story of Hmong students at St. Olaf College over time. The oldest son and third of four children born to Hmong immigrant and political asylee refugee parents, he is passionate about languages, communication, and culture. In addition to being a native speaker of English and Hmong (Moob Leeg), Viva has also studied Spanish, Japanese, and Mandarin Chinese. He has spent considerable time developing Hmong language learning resources towards helping others reclaim their language. Yang has lived abroad in Japan twice and is an avid international traveler.

May Lee-Yang is a writer, performer, filmmaker, and educator whose work blends humor, storytelling, and cultural critique. Her writing and community work often centers Hmong stories. She is a co-creator and co-writer for the mockumentary web series, Hmong Organization and spearheaded projects like Letters to Our Grandchildren, a theater/documentary project with Hmong elders. Her theater-based works include The Korean Drama Addict’s Guide to Losing Your Virginity and Confessions of a Lazy Hmong Woman, which was also adapted into the Hmong language. She has written, performed and directed comedic sketches and short films for her comedy group, Funny Asian Women Kollective (FAWK). Her writing has been published by Sahan Journal, American Craft, MN Artists among others. Her work has been supported by grants from the Playwright Center McKnight Fellowship in Playwriting, the Bush Leadership Fellowship, the Minnesota State Arts Board, the Jerome Travel Grant, the National Performance Network, the Midwestern Voices and Visions Residency Award, the Loft Literary Center, and the Ordway Sally Award for Arts Access. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from The University of Minnesota. 

The Research Fellowship was made possible in part by the people of Minnesota through a grant funded by an appropriation to the Minnesota Historical Society from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

Spring Art Show @ Hmong Museum

Coming soon!

Opens May 23, 2026 at Hmong Museum’s Gallery, Room B22

Hmong village Mall, 1001 Johnson Parkway, St. Paul, MN 55116

Viva Yang, 2026 Hmong Research Fellow