Tag: Chinatown
-
Take Root
Chinatown Public Library 1135 Powell Street Take Root is a set of bi-lingual panels referencing traditional Chinese salutary plaques in contemporary materials of rear-illuminated, die-cut anodized aluminum. The Chinese text is based on calligraphy written for Take Root by well-known artist and calligrapher C. C. Wang. It features a Chinese-American saying about setting roots in…
-
Goddess of Democracy
Portsmouth Square Chinatown During China’s 1989 Tianamen Square protests, when hope for sought-after reforms seemed to be fading, artist activists unveiled a 33-ft. tall paper mache and foam sculpture of the “Goddess of Democracy.” The statue, in the tradition of other giant torch-brandishing women, became an icon for the Democratic Movement, though it was…
-
Arnold Genthe’s Photography at CCSF Chinatown Campus
Washington and Kearny Chinatown Diligence is the path Up the mountain of knowledge Hard work is the boat Across the endless sea of learning This is the Washington street side of the new Chinatown campus of San Francisco City College. This particular window is the library. The archival photograph is by San Franciscan Arnold Genthe.…
-
I Can Cheezburger’s Invisible Bike
Chinatown End of Quincy Street Josh Zubkoff’s Invisible Bike This was taken right after the piece was finished in 2008 This is the image the mural originated from. It is from Ben Hu’s blog I can Cheezburger Josh graduated in 2003 from UC Santa Barbara, with a B.A. in Studio Art. He is presently a system…
-
Chinatown’s Gateway Arch
* * * Arguably one of the most photographed sites in San Francisco is the Gateway Arch (Dragon Gate) on Grant Avenue at Bush Street marking the entry to Chinatown, dedicated on October 18th 1970. This gate is the only authentic Chinatown Gate in North America. Unlike similar structures which usually stand on wooden pillars,…
-
Chinatown Mural
Chinatown Grant and Sacramento This mural is by Twick of ICP Crew who had a mural in SOMA that has since been painted over and another one around a Banksy in Chinatown. According to his Facebook page: “Twick” is a SF Hip Hop urban legend with many ranks like a general. He is one of the most…
-
Broadway Tunnel Art
Chinatown Broadway Tunnel This is the Chinatown side of the Broadway Tunnel. It is dedicated to Robert C. Levy and has a plaque that reads: Robert C. Levy 1921-1985 City and Engineer and superintendent of Building Inspection City and County of San Francisco He devoted his life to high standards of professionalism in engineering and…
-
Robert Louis Stevenson in Chinatown
Chinatown Portsmouth Square San Francisco remembers Robert Louis Stevenson with the first monument to Stevenson in the United States. It sits in Portsmouth Square in Chinatown. In 1876 Stevenson was at an art colony in France and fell in love Fanny Vandegrift Osbourne, who was not only married with several children, but was 11 years…
-
100 Children
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…
-
Portmouth Square Tot Park
Chinatown Portsmouth Square Tot Park Untitled by Mary Fuller McChesney and Robert McChesney In researching the artists I found this 2002 article in the San Francisco Chronicle by M. V. Wood. I loved it so much I thought I would just reproduce it here for all to enjoy. They were hip. They were young and beautiful. And…
-
Sun Yat Sen
Chinatown St Mary’s Square Quincy, Pine, California and Kearny Streets Sculpted by Beniaminio Bufano This 12 foot statue is inscribed (in Chinese): Dr. Sun Yat Sen 1866-1925 Father of the Chinese Republic and First President Founder of the Kuo Min Tang Champion of Democracy Lover of mankind: Proponent of friendship and peace among the nations,…
-
Chinatown’s Fire Station #2
Chinatown, San Francisco 1340 Powell Street Fire Station #2 When you are in the building trades you realize that building parts can be art too. For most people, however, they are just that, parts. In the case of this fire station, Al Wong has added art that is whimsical, appropriate, and yet truly probably missed…
-
Banksy in San Francisco
Banksy in San Francisco SOMA 8th Street between Folsom and Harrison Quoting from wikipedia “Banksy is a pseudonymous England based graffiti artist, political activist, film director and painter. His satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine irreverent dark humour with graffiti done in a distinctive stencilling technique. Such artistic works of political and social commentary…
-
Chinatown Architecture
15 Waverly Place Chinatown – San Francisco The Marble plaque on this wall reads: Chinese Baptist Church Property of the American Baptist Home Mission Society of NY Built 1888 Destroyed 1906 Rebuilt 1908 When Chinese students were not permitted to attend the city’s public schools, the Church offered day school for children, and night school…
-
Art Nouveau in Chinatown
720 Kearny Street Chinatown, San Francisco The first overseas office of the Sing Tao Daily was opened in San Francisco in 1975. The parent company of the Sing Tao Daily, the Sing Tao Newspaper Group Limited, was founded in 1938 and is based in Hong Kong. It has one of the longest publishing histories among…
-
Oriental Home and School of San Francisco’s Chinatown
Chinatown 940 Washington Street, San Francisco I love the architecture that you find in Chinatown. I actually think, more because of the history than the actual styles. This brick building with its’ beautiful tile arched entry is one of my favorites. It is the Gum Moon Womens Residence. It has a nice piece of marble…
-
Chinatown’s Dragon Mural and More
Chinatown – San Francisco * Chinatown is chock a block with murals, and this is one of my favorites. It is titled Dragons Gate and is by Wes Wong and Lost One. According to their website Fresh Paint they are “a San Francisco based mural painting company offering a fresh take on aerosol wall painting.” They are…
-
Phone Company Building
743 Washington Street Chinatown San Francisco’s Chinatown is the oldest Chinatown in North America and the largest Chinese community outside Asia. Established in the 1840s, It plays an extremely important part in the history of San Francisco and the history of the Chinese diaspora. Chinatown is the most densely populated neighborhood in the city and one…
-
Chinatown Murals
Chinatown – San Francisco Stockton and Pacific This mural is also on the Ping Yuen Housing Project. This is the Stockton Street Side of the building. Painted by Darryl Mar in 1999. Mar is a graduate of UC Irvine. He went on to get a masters in Asian American Studies from UCLA. Mr. Mar was…
-
Chinatown – 8 Immortals
Chinatown – San Francisco 711 Pacific Bok Sen – Eight Immortals I was stopped short by this set of murals. The style is so obviously asian and yet you just don’t see that style outside of the asian world when it comes to murals. This is the front of the Ping Yuen Public Housing Project…