Drawn Together: Stories of Resilience and Renewal in NYC Chinatown (Sept. 10–Dec. 28, 2022)
Presented in partnership with Mott Street Girls and Asian American Arts Alliance, "Drawn Together: Stories of Resilience and Renewal in NYC Chinatown" by graphic designer and illustrator Sammy Yuen featured exquisitely detailed line drawings of historic New York City Chinatown businesses, landmarks, and community organizations.
These neighborhood fixtures, from the oldest (Transfiguration Church, first established in 1801) to the newest (Yu & Me Books, opened in 2021), run parallel to the history of Manhattan's Chinatown — from its establishment in the 1870s as Chinese immigrants, facing discrimination elsewhere, clustered on a handful of streets, to rising in a world redefined by a pandemic and renewed economic hardship, xenophobia, racism, and violence.
To Sammy, the name “Drawn Together” has great significance. “Although these are my pieces, I couldn’t have done the show without the Mott Street Girls, Asian American Arts Alliance, and Pearl River Mart,” he says. “It’s really about all of us working together to heal and make a brighter future.”
A portion of the proceeds from this exhibition goes back to these Chinatown businesses and to the Chinatown Mural Project, a not-for-profit dedicated to bringing culturally appropriate large-scale murals to the NYC Chinatown area and beyond.
About the artist
Sammy Yuen is an artist, illustrator, designer, writer, and self-defense instructor, who has recently merged his personal and professional lives to empower the AAPI community. With over 20 years of experience in the publishing industry, he creates book covers (including over 35 New York Times bestsellers), marketing and advertising material, animated videos, and social media assets. He is currently developing a bilingual board book series. A lifelong martial artist, he teaches self-defense classes all over New York City, from Flushing Queens to Washington Heights in Manhattan.
About Mott Street Girls
Anna Huang and Chloe Chan founded Mott Street Girls to make Chinese American history and culture more accessible to the public. They do so by hosting Chinatown walking tours, creating educational social medial content, and partnering with community organizations.
About Asian American Arts Alliance
The Asian American Arts Alliance is a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring greater representation, equity, and opportunities for Asian American artists and cultural organizations through resource sharing, promotion, and community building.
Their What Can We Do? (WCWD?) micro-grant program (of which Mr. Yuen is a proud recipient) offers stipends to artists who use their creative skills to offer community care to Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) New Yorkers. The WCWD? program was created in response to the sharp increase in anti-Asian hate and violence during the pandemic that has caused many people to experience grief, anxiety, and fear. WCWD? not only empowers artists who may feel helpless against the swelling tide of anti-Asian sentiment against the AAPI community but also gives them a chance to find their place in the ecosystem of care through their talents and community connections while creating a circle of resilience.