100 Children

 Posted by on November 26, 2011
Nov 262011
 
Chinatown
740 Washington Street
100 Children by Leland Wong
This mural is part of the Art in Storefronts project sponsored by the San Francisco Arts Commission.  Leland Wongs  Bai Zi Tu, or 100 children is a traditional Chinese painting, that brings blessing of a complete and healthy family that goes on for generations.
Leland, a native of Chinatown, began with what he called “Chinatown” orange, and then photographed 100 children from two schools in the Chinatown neighborhood.
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The arts commission gives each artist $500, Leland knew this was going to cost considerably more, so he left his comfort zone and went fundraising.  This panel lists all the generous donors, but what struck me as so fun and fanciful is the small block at the bottom, it reads …and the many unnamed people who threw donations into the white plastic bag being passed around by Don Huey at the WGUISFCT dinner.
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The building was the Nam Yuen restaurant, the building was owned by the restaurateurs,  and when they left the business they let the building (last seen in this Dirty Harry clip) sit empty for twenty years.  While there is considerable litter, and some tagging,  the present situation is a great improvement to what was there for so many years.
The building has since been bought by Self Help For the Elderly. 
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  7 Responses to “100 Children”

  1. RedPat says:
    November 26, 2011 at 6:53 pm

    Those kids must be thrilled when they walk past there! A good way to clean the area up a bit.

  2. bfarr says:
    November 26, 2011 at 10:10 pm

    What a fun mural idea. I am glad the building will now be used for a good purpose.

  3. Cathy H. says:
    November 27, 2011 at 12:11 am

    What a unique and colorful way to brighten up an abandoned building!!

  4. AVCr8teur says:
    November 27, 2011 at 4:10 pm

    This mural makes you want to stop and look at all the children’s faces.

  5. Paul Heim says:
    August 11, 2012 at 1:40 pm

    What is the current status of this building? Supposedly it is scheduled to be demolished for a senior citizen center.

  6. leland wong says:
    April 30, 2013 at 11:16 pm

    thanks…this mural continued to get tagged over and over. I just got tired of maintaining it. The building was sold recently to a China investor.

  7. leland wong says:
    April 30, 2013 at 11:18 pm

    Self Help for the Elderly wanted to demolish the building. Because Chinatown is a historical district, the city wants to retain the original buildings and architecture. Self Help was not able to obtain a permit to demolish. It was recently sold to a China investor.

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