That’s a wrap on Chinatown Arts Festival 2023!
Thank you for joining us in our sixth annual Chinatown Arts Festival! Through the month of October, Think!Chinatown hosted a series of cultural programs featuring traditional Chinese arts groups along with emerging Asian American artists. With dances, film screenings, exhibitions, musical performances, tea experiences, a block party and more… Chinatown Arts Festival celebrated the cultural richness of Manhattan’s Chinatown. Led by festival curator Yin Kong, ChAFest featured programs produced by Think!Chinatown while highlighting cultural events hosted by other Chinatown organizations. By presenting grassroots Chinatown artists and emerging Asian American artists in context and dialogue with each other, we brought multiple generations together and connected with a wider arts audience. The festival also highlighted cultural happenings presented by our neighbors to increase awareness of Chinatown’s cultural assets. Check out videos from previous years.
Still on view…
T!C-Produced Events
Support the arts in Chinatown and buy a ticket to our Oct 15 Chinatown Arts Festival Benefit Party!
Community Events
Exhibitions in Chinatown
Spirit Dreams: Where Ancestors Come to Speak
Spirit Dreams explores the interweaving of ancestry and diaspora, the past and the present, traditions and contemporary life. In the way that the mudang acts as a bridge between the spiritual and mundane, Korean American artist Julia Cho’s work connects generations across space and time.
On view at Pearl River Gallery from 9/21 through 1/21. Find more info here!
Transcendental Visions of Ko Si-Chi's Art Works
Embark on a journey into the captivating world of Ko Si-Chi, one of Taiwan’s most celebrated contemporary photographers. In the realm where photography meets artistry, Ko Si-Chi’s unique talent shines as an artist whose work transcends borders, captivates audiences worldwide, and achieves international acclaim as a testament to his exceptional skill.
On view at Gallery 456 from 9/22 through 10/13. Find more info here!
Geografía(s) del Jiquilite al Añil
Geografia(s) del Jiquilite al Añil is the first U.S. solo exhibition featuring new work by La Residencia artist Leila Mattina. Through practice and process-based works, Mattina Gregory shares her research on the cultivation and processing of the añil (indigo) in Puerto Rico, and its connections to the Caribbean and Latin America.
On view at Cuchifritos Gallery & Project Space from 9/22 through 11/18. Find more info here!
Lives of Three Canners: New York's Immigrant Elderly
Featuring Siyan Wong's paintings of three canners who live and collect cans in the Lower East Side and Chinatown, this exhibition celebrates the immigrant spirit for a better life and questions blatant inequality and our collective responsibility for our aging population.
On view at Gallery 456 from 10/28 through 11/17. Find more info here!
Think!Chinatown is a place-based intergenerational non-profit in Manhattan’s Chinatown, working at the intersection of storytelling, arts, neighborhood engagement, and creative placekeeping. We believe the process of listening, reflecting and celebrating develops the community cohesion and trust necessary to work on larger neighborhood issues. By building strength from within our neighborhood, we can shape better policies and programs that define our public spaces, celebrate our cultural heritage and innovate how our collective memories are represented. T!C is the team powering the Chinatown Night Market, Chinatown Block Parties, Chinatown Arts Festival, and more.
Chinatown Arts Festival is held on the unceded land of the Lenape peoples. This festival is supported by public funds from the New York City Dept of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. Think!Chinatown programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. Additional funding is provided by New York City Dept of Small Business Services, Con Edison and many individual friends.
[10/22, 4-8PM] Mott & Mosco Join us in celebrating the newly co-named Corky Lee Way 李揚國路 at the historic Mosco Street newsstand! The Corky Lee Way Committee, Think!Chinatown and 21Pell come together with YiuYiu 瑶瑶 (Chinatown Records 華埠錄音), Les The DJ, and Judo Club to honor our dearly missed friend Corky Lee and throw a neighborhood block party with music, dance, art and film that he would have loved to photograph! Let us know you’re coming ~ more info!