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Illustration by Rose Wong
Chinatown Arts Festival 2022
Thank you for celebrating our 5th Chinatown Arts Festival together!
The 5th annual Chinatown Arts Festival (previously Chinatown Arts Week) was bigger than ever before. For the entire month of October, Think!Chinatown hosted a series of cultural programs featuring traditional Chinese arts groups along with emerging Asian American artists. Chinatown Arts Festival celebrated the cultural richness of Manhattan’s Chinatown. Led by festival curators, Yin Kong and Amy Chin, T!C produced cultural events throughout the month. By presenting grassroots Chinatown artists and emerging Asian American artists in context and dialogue with each other, we hoped to bring multiple generations together and connect 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.
See you at the next one in October 2023!
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Photographed by Deb Fong
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Photographed by Ed Cheng
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Photographed by Tif Ng
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Photographed by Cindy Trinh
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Exhibitions
![[2021] Xin Mei Liu, Edward Kai Chiu, Adrienne Hugh, Edward Cheng](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a6368e5d0e628c550b85e73/1334abdb-d857-43f1-83e4-bc8e7caf4f96/Screenshot+2022-09-23+at+16.36.46.png)
[2021 artists] Xin Mei Liu, Edward Kai Chiu, Adrienne Hugh, Edward Cheng
MOONSquare
We all know what happens to mooncake tins after the mooncakes are eaten. They become treasure boxes of small things, memories, and preserver of wishes. In the space of a mooncake tin… lid on, lid off, using the box as a frame for an illustration, using the box as a space for sculpture, a space for ceramics… we invited artists to express the spirit of the mooncake tin. — Exhibit Details
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Our Stories, Our Landmarks
is a part of an ongoing audio exploration of memory and place, produced by T!C’s Storytelling Team Lead, Rochelle Hoi-Yiu Kwan. This year, in partnership with artist Warren King and his beautiful cardboard artwork, we memorialized and stepped into the lost arts and cultural spaces of our neighborhood, where so many of our personal histories unfurled. — Exhibition Details
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We’ll Meet Again
is an exhibition of new sculptures by Alison Kuo exploring themes of memory, family, loss, safety, and belonging, curated by Sophia Ma. Objects sourced from Chinatown shops and the artist’s own family archive serve as the medium and subject matter of her work. Community art workshops and other events accompanied this exhibit. November gallery hours: Thursdays & Fridays from 2-6PM at 1 Pike St, excluding Thanksgiving weekend. — Exhibition Details
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HEARTMIND: Exhibitions from the Bob Eng Lee and Asian American Arts Centre Collections
co-curated by Lisa Yin Zhang, Simon Wu, and Jayne Cole, highlights the history of the Asian American Arts Centre, one of the earliest Asian American community arts organizations in the country, with select works from both the Bob Eng Lee and the AAAC collections. — Soft Launch
T!C Programs
[Oct 27 7:30-9PM] 1 Pike Street Join us for a conversation between Alison Kuo and Sophia Ma, the artist and the curator behind We’ll Meet Again, along with Bob Eng Lee, of the Asian American Arts Centre. We will also be celebrating this year’s opening of “MOONSquare”, an open call group show inspired by the place of mooncake tins in our memories, and the online exhibit, “Heartmind”. More info.
[Oct 25 7-9PM] DCTV Join us at DCTV for the special moment when the T!C team shares our storytelling projects back to our community. It's the world premiere of 5 new T!C-produced short films, with the talented treya lam sharing a few songs. More info — Buy tickets here.
[Oct 23 4-7PM] Mott & Mosco Join Think!Chinatown for our last block party of the year. YiuYiu 瑶瑶 will get you grooving to your family favorite 1950’s-90’s Cantopop & Mandopop. With the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, we’ll time travel into the future with muralist Jess X. Snow, musician treya lam, and AR artist Wiena Lin through an interactive meditative poetry and music experience on Mosco Street. More info.
[Oct 23 2-5PM] 1 Pike Street Immerse yourself with Alison Kuo’s “We’ll Meet Again” exhibit with sculptures based on memory, family, loss, safety, and belonging. Alison Kuo is a second generation immigrant who pursues intersectional relationships across communities through artistic engagement. Objects are sourced from Chinatown shops and the artist’s own family archive serve as the medium and subject matter of her work. More info.
[Oct 22 6-8PM] Forsyth Plaza The Eastern Fuzhou Opera Group performs scenes from a classic Fujianese tale, “Gan Guobao”, and “Dream of the Red Chamber”, accompanied by a full orchestra of traditional Chinese instruments. Honoring the opera, our friends and neighbors will take to the catwalk to show off Chinatown’s finest fashion. More info.
[Oct 22 1-3:30PM] 1 Pike Street Make art out of everyday Chinatown objects like kitchen utensils, good luck decorations, and cleaning implements. We will learn basic sculptural techniques for using wire, hot glue, and string to attach objects to a structure. Together we will build a communal art installation that will be displayed for all to enjoy. More info — Register here.
[Oct 20 6:30-8:30PM] 1 Pike Street T!C is proud to present a new exhibition, We’ll Meet Again, by the artist Alison Kuo. Kuo’s richly detailed sculptural work. Her work fills the eye with a great assortment of objects, including family heirlooms and meaningful personal belongings. Come witness Kuo’s work up close at opening night! More info.
[Oct 16 4:45-6PM] 21 Pell Join us as we hear from some of our Chinatown neighbors in the newest season of our Landmarks Storytelling project, an ongoing audio exploration of memory and place. We’ll share a special screening of Eric Lin’s short documentary Music Palace (2005) about a Chinatown movie palace nearing extinction. Doors open at 4:45PM and the program will start promptly at 5PM. More info — Register here.
[Oct 15 2:30-4PM] Pier 35 Get ready to dance with us! The ever graceful Ling Tang will teach a workshop of traditional Chinese dance at the scenic Pier 35 following a short performance of fan and ribbon dance. All ages and abilities are welcome to join! More info.
[Oct 14 8-11PM] Forsyth Plaza To bring attention to the need for sound attenuation under the Manhattan Bridge, T!C invites artist, Motomichi Nakamura, to the South side of Division Street. At our last Chinatown Night Market of the year, you can find Motomichi’s outdoor projection mapping a red-eyed monster creature reacting to the overpowering noise of the subway.
[Oct 14 8-11PM] Forsyth Plaza October's Night Market is a special crossover event with Chinatown Arts Festival. Puppetry artist Spica Wobbe will give a special performance in collaboration with Guzheng musician Clae Lu. Special appearance by poet Wei Rong Chu. Artisans of traditional folk art crafts like paper cutting art, sugar painting, and braided straw figures will demonstrate their art form which will be available for purchase. This is a weather permitting event, so please check our website before heading out if there is any inclement weather during the day. More info — RSVP here.
[Oct 12 7-8:30PM] DCTV Watch a selection of Think!Chinatown produced storytelling projects that speak to the experiences, histories, and lives of our Chinatown community at the brand new Firehouse Cinema (DCTV). More info — Get your tickets!
[Oct 11 7-8:30PM] DCTV Watch a selection of Think!Chinatown produced storytelling projects that speak to the experiences, histories, and lives of our Chinatown community at the brand new Firehouse Cinema (DCTV). More info — Get your tickets!
[Oct 9 5:30-7PM] Elizabeth Street Garden Delight in Cantonese opera arias by MeeMee Chin & friends as well as string performances by INTERWOVEN, an intercultural ensemble integrating traditional Asian and Western classical music. It’ll be a beautiful evening in the garden! More info.
Community Events
The following events were produced by artists and groups in and around Chinatown. For most updated information, please refer to their websites.
As part of Heritage Celebration Programming, Chatham Square Library will host Chinese Calligraphy sessions on Oct 26 from 1-2:30PM! Join us to learn together. Calligraphy writing techniques. Bring your own Calligraphy pens. Free!
加入我們一起學習。畫法寫作技巧。帶上你自己的畫法筆。免費!
As part of Heritage Celebration Programming, come & learn the techniques of Chinese Traditional Painting in the Community Room of Chatham Square on Oct 26 from 10-11AM! Please bring your own brushes, paint plate, small water container and traditional Chinese ink; we will provide paper and color ink. Free!
學習國畫繪畫技巧!請帶上畫筆,水彩板, 装水器和墨;我們將提供紙張和彩色墨水。免費!
Celebrate the launch event for Emeline Lee’s debut picture book, “Bonnie’s Rocket”, at Yu & Me Books. “Bonnie's Rocket”, illustrated by Alina Chau and published by Lee & Low, is a STEM-friendly story set during Apollo 11. Inspired by the experiences of the author's grandfather, who helped design the space suits and life-support systems on the Apollo 11 lunar module, Bonnie's Rocket celebrates the diverse team that contributed to one of the United States's greatest achievements. It's also a heartwarming father-daughter story and a terrific gift for budding engineers and space fans of all ages. No registration required. More info.
Open Tai Chi class for all levels in Elizabeth Street Garden, taught by Sherry Zhang from Tai Chi Solution. This event is free to the public.
Celebrate the launch event for Frankie Gaw’s debut cookbook at Yu & Me Books! In First Generation, Frankie Gaw of Little Fat Boy presents a tribute to Taiwanese home cooking. With dishes passed down from generations of family, Frankie introduces a deeply personal and essential collection of recipes inspired by his multicultural experience, melding the flavors of suburban America with the ingredients and techniques his parents grew up with. No registration required. More info.
Pearl River's current artist-in-residence, Sammy Yuen, will be available to sign prints and answer questions about his exhibition, DRAWN TOGETHER: STORIES OF RESILIENCE AND RENEWAL IN NYC CHINATOWN.
Join Yu & Me Books and the BIPOC Literary Translators Caucus for a reading to promote the importance of literary translation! Featured Readers include Stine An, Jenna Tang, Jeremy Tiang, Jennifer Shyue, Soje, and Nadia Bongo. Each reader will read for about five to seven minutes each, and the reading will be followed by mingling over refreshments. This event is free to the public. RSVP here.
The Halloween NO/PEN Mic welcomes all performers to share their spoken word, poetry, prose, singing, standup, and beyond. An all ages event, the space is open to anyone who wants to share for 5-minute time slots. Sign-ups begin at 7:30PM, the event starts at 8PM.
On Oct 19th at 9PM, the Asian American Writers’ Workshop will virtually convene a bilingual virtual celebration of Zhang Yueran‘s novel Cocoon, translated by Jeremy Tiang. We’ll be joined by both the author and translator, as well as artist and author Jade Song, for readings from the book in Chinese and English, and a conversation with one of the most exciting writers working in China today. RSVP HERE! / 在这里预约注册
As part of Heritage Celebration Programming, Chatham Square Library will host Chinese Calligraphy sessions on Oct 19 from 1-2:30PM! Join us to learn together. Calligraphy writing techniques. Bring your own Calligraphy pens. Free!
加入我們一起學習。畫法寫作技巧。帶上你自己的畫法筆。免費!
As part of Heritage Celebration Programming, come & learn the techniques of Chinese Traditional Painting in the Community Room of Chatham Square on Oct 19 from 10-11AM! Please bring your own brushes, paint plate, small water container and traditional Chinese ink; we will provide paper and color ink. Free!
學習國畫繪畫技巧!請帶上畫筆,水彩板, 装水器和墨;我們將提供紙張和彩色墨水。免費!
Haruka Aoki and John Olson, the authors of “Fitting In”, will be giving a reading and signing books at Yu & Me Books! A heart-warming, inclusive, and whimsical picture book about a square trying to fit into a world of circles. This book celebrates what makes everyone unique and special. In a world of circles, Square feels different! In public, Square wears extra shapes to try to fit in, but pretending to be a circle all the time is hard work. More info.
Open Tai Chi class for all levels in Elizabeth Street Garden, taught by Sherry Zhang from Tai Chi Solution. This event is free to the public.
Join Resonator at their final Closing Celebration of our Chinatown Fundraiser! Resonator will be packing out their favorite Soho Clothing Store, FRIED RICE, with live music, buskers, and more! This event is free to the public and register here.
With practices spanning video, drawing, painting, and installation, the annual Visual Artist AIRspace Residency exhibition features work by the 2021–22 cohort: artists Amina Ross, Jordan Strafer, Dhaynne Torres, and Red Canary Song. This exhibition explores the tension between labor and rest as tied to understandings of self, community and our built environment. More info — Make an appointment or walk-in.
The Red String is an augmented reality (AR) art installation designed for multiple public parks in Asian American neighborhoods. The installation consists of both physical and digital components reflecting on immigrant experiences, East Asian cultural heritage, and Asian American identity. The artwork includes a series of large banners with distinct designs inspired by patterns of Asian red strings, also called Asian knots, a type of folk art symbolizing unity & love. The banners will be installed along the fences at both parks, in close proximity to the tables and benches where community members and visitors gather on a daily basis. On view in Columbus Park from October 15 to December 18, 2022.
Yu & Me Books has a combination event for you! A reading, signing, zine swap, and 3-point contest with Chinatown Basketball Club across the street after! Bring your zines, bring your best game, and most importantly, bring yourself. Hua Hsu, a New Yorker staff writer, will give a reading from his memoir “Stay True”, a gripping memoir on friendship, grief, the search for self, and the solace that can be found through art. A coming-of-age story that details both the ordinary and extraordinary, “Stay True” is a bracing memoir about growing up, and about moving through the world in search of meaning and belonging. No registration required. More info.
In this year, the 25th Anniversary year of the “Hong Kong Handover” from Great Britain back to China, NYC Chinese American artists will gather to explore Hong Kong’s relationship with and impact on NYC’s Chinese American community through images, words and music. The goal is to create a space to share and process personal experience as well as the historic precedents that planted the seeds of anti-Asian American laws and biases that have been festering in this country since Asians first arrived.
Gallery 456 is pleased to present “Crossing the Dry Sea”, a solo exhibition of Furong Zhang's recent works. On October 14, the exhibit will open with a reception at 5PM and an artist talk and exhibition walk through at 6PM.
Gallery 456 is pleased to present “Crossing the Dry Sea”, a solo exhibition of Furong Zhang's recent works, on view October 14 - 28, 2022. "Crossing the Dry Sea" is a solo presentation of recent oil paintings by Furong Zhang addressing emotions and ideas revolving around being a first-generation Chinese American immigrant. Zhang’s paintings explore concepts of alienation and displacement, self-contradiction, power structures, industrialization, and historical erasure through allegorical figurative scenes juxtaposing mythologized memories and experiences of living in China and immigrating to America. The figures in the paintings are in the process of transformative journeys, and act as metaphors of how an immigrant’s utopian dreams collide and coexist in uneasy harmony with the reality of contemporary American society and notions of belonging. An aura of an aftermath permeates through the paintings, as the surroundings that the scenes take place in fluctuate between interior and exterior as if they are psychological landscapes. More info.
As part of Chatham Square Library’s “Talking Books: Asian American Authors in Conversation” series, please join Alvin Eng and staff for a discussion on Eng’s memoir, “Our Laundry, Our Town: My Chinese American Life from Flushing to the Downtown Stage and Beyond”. Find more information and online registration here.
Yu & Me Books present Melissa Fu in conversation with Jack Wang. “Peach Blossom Spring” by Melissa Fu is a "beautifully rendered" novel about war, migration, and the power of telling our stories, following three generations of a Chinese family on their search for a place to call home. “We Two Alone” by Jack Wang dramatizes the Chinese diaspora across the globe over the past hundred years. Set on five continents and spanning decades, “We Two Alone” traces the arc and evolution of the Chinese immigrant experience. No registration required. More info.
Celebrate the book launch of “Somewhere Sisters” by Erika Hayasaki at Yu & Me Books. Identical twins Isabella and Hà were born in Vietnam and raised on opposite sides of the world, each knowing little about the other’s existence, until they were reunited as teenagers, against all odds. Award-winning journalist Erika Hayasaki spent years and hundreds of hours interviewing each of the birth and adoptive family members and tells the girls’ incredible story from their perspectives, challenging conceptions about adoption and what it means to give a child a good life. Hayasaki contextualizes the sisters’ experiences with the fascinating and often sinister history of twin studies, the nature versus nurture debate, and intercountry and transracial adoption, as well as the latest scholarship and conversation surrounding adoption today, especially among adoptees. No registration required. More info.
The artist Xiaoyin Xie 谢箫吟 invites community members to a write letters to loved ones in the beautiful Elizabeth Street Garden. “Letters Home” is supported by the What Can We Do? micro-grant from A4 and hosted by Elizabeth Street Garden. The event is free and open to the public.
Chinatown Arts Festival was held on the unceded land of the Lenape peoples. This festival was supported by public funds from the New York City Dept of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. Think!Chinatown programs were 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 was provided by New York City Dept of Small Business Services, Con Edison and many individual friends. Promotional support was provided in part by the NYC & Company Foundation.
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