USA Fencing and the Museum of Chinese in America Team Up to Put a Blade in Every Visitor’s Hand

Collaboration pairs fencing programming at MOCA's Manhattan home with an invitation for every museum visitor to try the sport at a club near them.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. and NEW YORK — USA Fencing and the Museum of Chinese in America are joining forces on a collaboration that brings fencers into one of Manhattan's cultural landmarks and sends museum visitors home with an invitation to pick up a blade themselves.

The collaboration grew out of a MOCA x Fencing event in May, when USA Fencing athletes Maia Chamberlain OLY and Alexander Massialas OLY, together with University of Pennsylvania head fencing coach Andy Ma, took over the museum's Centre Street home for a night of demonstrations and conversation. That evening worked well enough that both organizations wanted to keep going.

Under the collaboration, USA Fencing will stage periodic events at MOCA, bringing athletes into the museum's galleries and programming. The federation will promote MOCA to its New York City members and supporters, and will support the museum's annual gala. The two organizations will also collaborate on social media content.

In return, every MOCA visitor will get a chance to try fencing at a club in their own community through TryFencing.org, USA Fencing's program connecting newcomers of any age to beginner classes at more than 750 clubs nationwide, in collaboration with USA Fencing’s network of Fencing clubs.

The fit is a natural one. Forty-six percent of USA Fencing's members identify as Asian American or Pacific Islander, the highest share of any sport in the United States, and fencing is the fastest growing sport in the AAPI community. New York City is the federation's single largest market, with Manhattan its densest pocket of growth.

"Walk into a fencing club in New York on a weeknight and you will hear four or five languages coming off the strip," says Phil Andrews, CEO of USA Fencing. "Our sport has been shaped by immigrant families for generations, and MOCA has spent nearly 50 years making sure those stories get told and kept. Partnering with them felt less like a business decision and more like an overdue introduction. What I love most is the simplest part of this: someone can spend an afternoon with MOCA's collection, walk out with a card in their pocket, and be holding a foil at a club near their apartment by the weekend. That is how this sport grows."

“MOCA has always been about more than what hangs on our walls. Our visitors come looking for connection, and fencing offers a real one, a sport where the Chinese American community has produced champions and where anyone can start as a beginner,” says Michael Lee, MOCA President. “We are glad to send our visitors out the door with somewhere to go."

USA Fencing is the national governing body for the Olympic and Paralympic sport of fencing in the United States, dedicated to inspiring a lifetime enriched by fencing. Headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA Fencing is recognized by the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, the International Fencing Federation (FIE) and World Abilitysport and serves more than 50,000 members and 750 clubs nationwide. For more information, visit usafencing.org.

The Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) is dedicated to preserving, illuminating, and celebrating the rich history and contributions of Chinese in America. By fostering understanding and greater recognition of our experiences, we endeavor to inspire and connect all Americans. Located in New York City between Chinatown and Soho, MOCA is the largest national institution dedicated to the stories of Chinese Americans reaching over 50,000 annual visitors and 10,000 students through exhibitions, educational programs, public events, artist collaborations, and research access.