Photo Credit from Top to Bottom: Andrew Wang, LeeDaniel Tran, Ethiopiah Al-mahdia
Pao Arts Center 5th Anniversary Community Celebration and YEAR OF THE TIGER Opening
Five years ago, BCNC and Bunker Hill Community College came together in a visionary collaboration to open Pao Arts Center, Chinatown’s first arts, cultural, and education center.
On May 14th, gather to experience live performances celebrating 5 years of creativity and culture at Pao Arts Center. Featuring the opening of “YEAR OF THE TIGER” installation by Cheryl Wing-Zi Wong and performances by: Wah Lum Academy, Jennifer Lin and dancers, BHCC student and alumni musicians, Minhua Chen, Elgin Lee, Ba Pham, Patricia Seun, Yu Wang, Chen Chen, Chavi Bansal, IJ Chan, Flora Hyoin Kim Han, and Anju.
Partners: The Greenway Conservancy
This event is the first of the VISIONS/VOICES: YEAR OF THE TIGER performance series. Through a partnership with the Greenway Conservancy, Cheryl Wing-Zi Wong has been commissioned to create an artwork celebrating the Year of the Tiger, as part of an annual project honoring the Chinese Zodiac on The Greenway. Her upcoming artwork, YEAR OF THE TIGER, is a community pavilion and a site-specific public artwork composed of vibrantly colored seating, podiums and sprawling floor motifs. As both stage and seating, YEAR OF THE TIGER creates a new, intergenerational hub to gather outdoors, perform or engage in public programs. Pao Arts Center is proud to partner with the Greenway to bring public events to Mary Soo Hoo Park.
See the full performance schedule.
About The Artists:
Cheryl Wing-Zi Wong is a New York-based artist working at the boundary of art and architecture. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Cheryl received her B.A. in Art and Italian at UC Berkeley and her Master of Architecture from Columbia University GSAPP. Her work has been commissioned by the NY State Thruway Authority, NYC Parks Department, City of Inglewood, City of Calgary and by the Washington DC Government.
Anju is a singer, songwriter, producer, and performer from Minneapolis. Their music conjures imaginary lovers, scents of citrus, and visions of hairy brown skin under the sun. Anju was highlighted by NPR’s All Songs Considered as an outstanding Tiny Desk Contest entrant, and they were commissioned by South Asian American Digital Archive to create original music for a sound tour of immigrant history in Philadelphia. They are currently teaching piano, viola, and violin to young musicians and working on their debut full-length album.
I.J. Chan
IJ Chan (陳加恩) is a dance artist and educator from Boston, MA. She has dedicated her life to training and performing intensively in multiple dance genres and under many choreographers. In her own choreographic work, IJ is interested in intersecting and exploring the Asian-American narrative. She is committed to bringing quality performing arts instruction to low-income and minority youth populations within Boston. She also works as a freelance graphic designer, visual artist and seamstress.
Chen Chen is the author of the forthcoming poetry collection, Your Emergency Contact Has Experienced an Emergency (BOA Editions, 2022) and the forthcoming book of essays, In Cahoots with the Rabbit God (Noemi Press, 2023). His debut book of poems, When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilities (BOA Editions, 2017), was longlisted for the National Book Award and won the Thom Gunn Award, among other honors. He teaches at Brandeis University.
Minhua Chen
In Minhua Chen’s own words she is “New to real life, new to music. A yet unknown singer who is trying to be better.”
Flora Hyoin Kim Han
Flora Hyoin Kim Han (dance – Boston) is a Korean-American dancer, choreographer, and dance educator. Since earning her B.F.A. in Dance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2014, she has worked with The Click, Prometheus Dance, Jenna Pollack, Lenora Lee Dance, beheard.world, Jennifer Lin, Deborah Abel Dance Company, Lorraine Chapman, and Urbanity Dance. Flora is currently an Assistant Professor of Dance at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, a Lecturer of Dance at Brandeis University in Fall 2021, a senior faculty at Urbanity Dance and Coastline Ballet Center. Flora’s artistic vision is to bring inclusivity, empowerment, and joy to individuals and communities through the power of dance.
Jennifer Lin is a classically trained dancer, independent choreographer, and teaching artist of American and Korean descent. Raised in the Midwest, she holds degrees from Boston Conservatory and The University of Hawai`i at Manoa. Lin situates her artistic work in interstitial spaces between tradition and modernity, form and expression, and theory and practice. Currently an Artist-In-Residence at Mount Auburn, Lin is creating The Gathering Place, an outdoor site-specific dance that draws inspiration from local history, nature, and human experiences, to be presented in October 2021.
Patricia Seun
I am a proud BHCC Alumni who’s currently in the Voice Performance program at UMass Lowell. I was born in Boston and I’m excited to be able immerse myself into the Boston music scene. Some of my dreams are to be able to write and perform my music as much as I can. I also would like to some day teach voice and help others feel joy and empowered through their voices.
Ba Pham
I was born in Vietnam, inspired and facilitated by my family to learn piano. I developed a love for music from an early age. Since the age of ten, I've been on stage performing for local audiences, and it's always been an exciting feeling. This childhood experience helped shape my musical journey. Later I decided to study classical music and harmony theories. I then learned more about the classical organ and joined choirs and accompanists for churches.Currently, a sophomore majoring in music at Bunker Hill Community College. I am now playing piano and organ in the church for the choir in Everett. I am currently studying and practicing to continue on the musical path in the future.
Wah Lum Kung Fu and Tai Chi Academy
Wah Lum Kung Fu and Tai Chi Academy of Malden & Quincy, MA, is a world-class representative of the Wah Lum Kung Fu of U.S.A., a kung fu system that has roots in Greater Boston for almost 50 years. The Wah Lum Malden & Quincy Academy has been established for more than 15 years and serves as an anchor for healthy mind, body, spirit, and community development for all ages. Members of Wah Lum Malden & Quincy are not only passionate about promoting the arts of Chinese cultures in dragon dance, lion dance, kung fu, and tai chi, but also committed to meaningful and impactful community and civic leadership.
Yu Wang
My name is Yu Wang and I am a Boston native jpop artist. I am the frontman of the Boston based Japanese pop/rock band @shiori_kubrick. By blending popular online Japanese internet culture with music, I hope to share my unique take on Japanese music with the US.
About our Partner:
The Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy
The Greenway is a contemporary public park in the heart of Boston. The Greenway welcomes millions of visitors annually to gather, play, unwind, and explore. The Greenway Conservancy is the non-profit responsible for the management and care of The Greenway. The majority of the public park’s annual budget is generously provided by private sources.
The Greenway Conservancy Public Art Program brings innovative and contemporary art to Boston through free, seasonal exhibitions that engage people in meaningful experiences, interactions, and dialogue with art, each other, and the most pressing issues of our time. Past Greenway exhibitions can be viewed on the Conservancy’s website.
This project is supported by Ralph Lauren, Niantic, Inc., The Kresge Foundation, and National CAPACD.
Contact: arts@bcnc.net, 617.863.9080