Lantern Stories
In collaboration with Chinatown Main Street
Auntie Kay and Uncle Frank Chin Park on The Greenway
2020, 2022
Lanterns represent light and guide the way forward, illuminating surrounding darkness. From the humble beginnings as a candle flame surrounded by bamboo, silk or paper, the lantern has become an integral part of celebrations that foster hope and pave the way to a brighter future.
Lantern Stories celebrates Boston Chinatown’s vibrant community. Thirty lanterns were created for this public art installation to illuminate the district’s history of immigration, its culture and resiliency. The images on the lanterns relate the long and fraught history of Chinese immigration in the United States. From early arrivals during the California Goldrush in the 1850’s to this current unprecedented moment, new immigrants and native born Asian Americans have confronted inequities on multiple levels. Other lantern images celebrate culture – art, calligraphy, music and performance, as well as the community’s strong commitment to education, entrepreneurship, and social justice. The colors used throughout are central in Asian culture: red, which symbolizes happiness and good fortune, and gold, symbolizing prosperity.
Yu-Wen Wu was selected through an open Request For Qualifications issued by the Greenway Conservancy, and chosen by a community jury of Chinatown residents and leaders that include the Josiah Quincy Elementary School, Pao Arts Center / Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Coalition, AVOYCE / Asian Community Development Corporation, Chinatown Main Street, City of Boston Arts Commission, and the Greenway Public Art Advisory Group. Throughout 2020, Yu-Wen Wu and the Greenway Conservancy collaborated with Jaywalk Studio to design, build, and install Lantern Stories.
photo credit: Mel Taing
ARTIST Yu-Wen Wu
An interdisciplinary artist, Yu-Wen Wu’s work lies at the intersection of art, science and politics, encompassing many social and cultural issues. Her artworks include site-specific video installations, large scale drawings, sculpture and public art, frequently engaging the community.
Wu has worked with Boston’s Chinatown community on two previous public art projects: With/Out Water (2018) and Leavings/Belongings (2018-20). Born in Taiwan, Wu lives and works in Boston.
Wu has worked with Boston’s Chinatown community on two previous public art projects: With/Out Water (2018) and Leavings/Belongings (2018-20). Born in Taiwan, Wu lives and works in Boston.
Press
- “Chinatown Gate lanterns light up for equality” by Angie Ye, Boston University News Service, September 27, 2022
- “Lantern Stories: Using public art to share a story of migration in Boston's Chinatown,” City Line: WCVB Channel 5 Boston, September 22, 2022
- “The Lights Glow For Artist Yu-Wen Wu’s 'Lantern Stories,” Jacquinn Sinclair, The Artery, November 11, 2020.
- ”Beyond Neighborhoods and Generations: ‘Lantern Stories’ Continues illuminating Chinatown’s Past, Present, and Future,” Christina Mui, Sampan, November 6, 2020
- ”Artist Lights up Chinatown with “a Wonderful Canopy’ of Lanterns, Diti Kohli, Boston Globe, September 22, 2020
- “‘Lantern Stories’ brings Chinatown History to light,” Celina Colby, Bay State Banner, September 23, 2020
- “Lantern Stories’ Public Art Will Soon Illuminate Chinatown’s Chin Park,” Shira Laucharoen”, Sampan, August 21, 2020