photo by Benjamen Chinn
We’re proud to be part of the group exhibit “Power of Community: Chinatown Then and Now” at San Francisco State University’s Fine Art Gallery up through 10/20.
Gallery open Tuesdays-Fridays 12-4pm. Reserve your free tickets HERE.
To join us at our Closing Reception on Saturday, October 16th from 1pm to 3pm, RSVP HERE.
Location: Fine Arts Gallery - Fine Arts Building, 1600 Holloway Avenue, San Francisco, California 94132, US
——————
More about the show and artists:
San Francisco State University’s Fine Arts Gallery presents Power Of Community: Chinatown Then and Now, an exhibition welcoming back students and the greater community to the University’s main campus. The Fine Arts Gallery’s exhibition focuses on the people of Chinatowns across North America, with a special spotlight on San Francisco. It features historic work from Benjamen Chinn, and contemporary works by Lenore Chinn, Chinatown Pretty (Andria Lo and Valerie Luu), Chinatown Alleyway Tours, and MACRO WAVES.
In solidarity with Stop AAPI Hate and other groups countering the current violence against AAPI people in our Bay Area and across the country, Power of Community: Chinatown Then and Now celebrates the joy and longevity of these incredible neighborhoods through multigenerational works spanning from the 1940s to the present.
After serving as a photographer for the US Army Air Corps during WWII Benjamen Chinn (1921–2009) enrolled in the new fine art photography program at San Francisco at the California School of Fine Arts, now the San Francisco Art Institute, with teachers that included Ansel Adams, Minor White, and Edward Weston. During this time Chinn, a lifelong resident of San Francisco’s Chinatown, began documenting his neighborhood. This presentation features street scenes from Chinatown during the late 1940s and early 1950s.
Contemporary artist Lenore Chinn has been documenting the art and culture of San Francisco’s Chinatown for decades through her dynamic street photography. An artist working in diverse media, and a community activist and archivist, Lenore Chinn is also the niece of Benjamen Chinn.
The collaborative team of photographer Andria Lo and writer Valerie Luu are behind Chinatown Pretty, a project documenting the street style of the elders who live and grocery shop in Chinatowns across North America. Portraits are accompanied by stories told to the two artists, about personal histories and life in Chinatown. https://www.chinatownpretty.com/