Pao Arts Center Joins Mayor Wu and City of Boston Office of Arts and Culture on Chinatown Public Art Tour

“This community is incredibly special to me, and to so many in our city, and represents such a beacon of inclusion and history. People finding their way in this country and in this city, to build lives that are so intertwined with the history of the City of Boston. So, to have the chance to walk in the community with our residents and community leaders and friends from all over to understand how we can see that represented in art is very special.” - Mayor Michelle Wu

Photo Credit: City of Boston
Tour group walking along “Where We Belong”, by Ponnapa Prakkamakul

March 31, 2022 – On a humid March afternoon, Mayor Wu, City of Boston Chief of Arts and Culture, Kara Elliott-Ortega, City of Boston Director of Public Art, Karin Goodfellow, and City Counselor Ed Flynn, attended a walking tour of public art in Chinatown guided by local artists and representatives from local organizations, including Pao Arts Center, Asian Community Development Corporation (ACDC), the Greenway Conservancy, Now and There, Chinatown Community Land Trust, Josiah Quincy School, and Public Art Fund.

Organized by the Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture, the tour group started in the historic Philips Square at the Tied Together By a Thousand Threads mural by Shaina Lu & Yvonne Ng, and PaintBox. As attendees assembled to begin the tour, Pao Arts Center Director, Cynthia Woo, remarked:

Photo Credit: City of Boston
Pao Art Center Director Cynthia Woo speaking

“Part of what we do is make sure we can connect people through public activity, cultural activities, and creative activities, and it’s so thrilling to see everyone out here today. We’ll have a chance to speak to artists and organizations out here today to really show how resilient Chinatown has been over the last few years and how it has has been one of the most dynamic neighborhoods in Boston, using creativity and culture to uplift the stories of our community members and helping people find a place to belong.”

Photo Credit: City of Boston
Christine Nguyen (ACDC) explaining “Tied Together By a Thousand Threads” mural by Shaina Lu & Yvonne Ng, and PaintBox

Photo Credit: City of Boston
Left to Right - Councilor Ed Flynn, Artist Ponnapa Prakkamakul, and Mayor Michelle Wu in front of “Where We Belong”, by Ponnapa Prakkamakul

Departing from Philips Square, the group headed towards their second stop at 79 Essex Street, the mural, Where We Belong, by Ponnapa Prakkamakul (a 2019 Pao Arts Center/ACDC ResLab artist).

Afterwards, the group moved down to Oxford Street, to the full-building sized Travelers in Autumn mural by Wen-Ti Tsen, who was Pao Arts Center’s first exhibiting artist.

Photo Credit: City of Boston
Artist Wen-ti Tsen discussing his mural, “Travelers in Autumn”

Gathering in front of the Chinatown Gate on May Sun’s Chinese Chess Plaza, with Daniel Heung’s Sampan Mural nearby, Pao Arts Center and the Greenway Conservancy announced the upcoming YEAR OF THE TIGER installation, by artist, Cheryl Wing-Zi, that will be unveiled in May.

Photo Credit: Pao Arts Center
Pao Arts Center Director Cynthia Woo discussing upcoming plans and collaboration with Sheila Novak and Audrey Lopez of the Greenway Conservancy

Walking down Hudson Street, the group then stopped at Place of Assembly by Ang Li at the Hudson Street Stoop.

Photo Credit: Pao Arts Center
Artist Ang Li speaking about her installation, “Place of Assembly”

Afterwards, the group walked westward towards the Josiah Quincy Elementary School to the mosaic mural, Community Fabric by Christos Hamawi, and ending at Ali Kazim’s piece from the Children of Faith series.

Photo Credit: City of Boston
Tour group photo in front of Josiah Quincy Elementary School

Throughout the tour, local artists and organizations spoke about Chinatown’s resilience through difficult times, especially in recent years, and the power of public art to bring people together and pass on knowledge of the community’s history. Here at Pao Arts Center, we are so proud to be able to work alongside an incredible network of Chinatown organizations to foster community engagement, cultural and historical preservation, and artistic innovation.

Learn more about each site on the tour below:

Tied Together By a Thousand Threads, Shaina Lu & Yvonne Ng, and PaintBox
Where We Belong, Ponnapa Prakkamakul
Travelers in Autumn, Wen-Ti Tsen
Sampan Mural, Daniel Heung
Chinese Chess Plaza, May Sun
Place of Assembly, Ang Li
South Cove Community Health Center Tobacco Control Mural Health Project, Boston Youth Clean Up Corps
Community Fabric, Christos Hamawi
Untitled (Children of Faith series), Ali Kazim