"Power of Community: Chinatown Then and Now"
"For over a year and a half now, everyone in the world has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic with their work patterns, future plans and everyday lives being changed in the process. Within the States, the Asian American community has been disproportionately affected during these trying times, with anti-Asian hate crimes increasing by nearly 150% in 2020 alone. San Francisco State University has been at the forefront of speaking out against this violence with Professor Russell Jeung spearheading the Stop AAPI Hate coalition which works to track and respond to incidences of “hate, violence, harassment, discrimination, shunning and child bullying in the United States”. At the SFSU Fine Arts Gallery, professors Sharon Bliss and Kevin Chen also worked to do their own part in fighting against AAPI hate by creating the exhibit Power of Community: Chinatown Then and Now."
"Power of Community is the first exhibit to be open to the public at the Fine Arts Gallery since COVID-19 restrictions began. As gallery director Sharon Bliss explains, “Kevin Chen and I decided that we would create our exhibition as a celebration of Chinatown and its diverse multigenerational community. We thought this would be an important way to welcome all students back to the SFSU campus for the return of in-person instruction after the COVID shutdown.” Open from September 21 – Oct 20, Power of Community “celebrates the joy and longevity of these incredible neighborhoods through multigenerational works spanning from the 1940s to the present.” The exhibit contains work from five different contributors: the late Benjamen Chinn, his niece Lenore Chinn, Chinatown Pretty, MACRO WAVES and Chinatown Alleyway Tours."