Bay Windows: Illuminating Immigrant Women’s Perspectives

Bay Windows: Illuminating Immigrant Women’s Perspectives //「窗花」：移民女性視角的展現 // Ventanas en saliente: iluminando las perspectivas de mujeres migrantes

15 Lanterns Based on Papercuts by 15 Latina and Chinese Women

Date and Time:

Exhibition Dates: December 11, 2025–March 11, 2026

Scavenger Hunt: Saturday, January 24, 2025, 11AM–2PM

展覽日期：2025年12月11日至2026年3月11日

尋寶遊戲：2025年1月24日(星期六) 上午11點至下午2點

Periodo de la exhibición: 11 de diciembre de 2025 al 11 de marzo de 2026.

Actividad de Búsqueda del tesoro: sábado, 24 de enero de 2025, 11:00 AM a 2:00 PM.

Locations:

Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco’s Design Store, 41 Ross Alley

City College of San Francisco—Chinatown/North Beach Center, 808 Kearny Street 

Galería de la Raza’s Studio 24, 2779 Folsom Street 

Acción Latina, 2958 24th Street 

Brava! for Women in the Arts, 2781 24th Street

Free | 免費入場

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Bay Windows is an art project led by Christine Wong Yap, engaging 15 multigenerational, working-class, immigrant, Chinese and Latinx women. Each woman identified social or political themes, collaborated on a design, and made a paper cut, which Christine transformed into lanterns. All 15 lanterns are displayed through March 2026 in San Francisco’s Chinatown and Mission District. Their imagery conveys narratives at the intersection of lived experience and social and political issues—including immigrant’s rights, worker’s rights, the cost of living, affordable housing, public safety, and mental health—as well as what the women have done or could do to address those issues. 

The lanterns are the culmination of Bay Windows / Ventanas en saliente / 窗花, a trilingual, cross-cultural social practice project led by Yap, the daughter of Chinese immigrants. For this project, Yap received a 2025 Creative Capital Award, as well as additional support from the Zellerbach Family Foundation and others. This is Yap’s second project engaging this multigenerational cohort of women. Her first, in 2023, was the first contemporary art project in the history of the San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade, which dates back to the 1850s. 

Yap, the five partner organizations, and the 15 collaborating designers will co-host a free scavenger hunt during the day on Saturday, January 24, 2026 between 11 am and 2pm. On that day, the public will be invited to visit the 15 lanterns for the chance to win prizes.

「窗花」(Bay Windows)  是由葉黄嘉雯（Christine Wong Yap）發起的藝術項目，匯集15位來自不同年齡層、出身工薪階層、具移民背景的華裔及拉丁裔女性聯合製作。每位女性，特為本項目擬定一個社會或政治主題，透過合作設計與手工剪紙來表現其意涵，葉黄嘉雯更將這些剪紙製作成了燈籠。這15盞燈籠作為裝置藝術展示，懸掛於舊金山華埠與米慎區，展期至2026年3月。

Ventanas en saliente es un proyecto artístico dirigido por Christine Wong Yap que se enfoca en las voces de 15 mujeres latinas y chinas de distintas generaciones, provenientes de comunidades migrantes y de clase trabajadora. Cada participante identificó y exploró temas sociales o políticos clave. Trabajaron en colaboración para diseñar y crear piezas únicas de papel picado, que luego Christine transformó en linternas. El conjunto de quince linternas forma una instalación pública que puede ser disfrutada en Chinatown y el Distrito Misión de San Francisco hasta marzo de 2026. 

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About the Lead Artist:

Christine Wong Yap

Christine Wong Yap (she/her) is a visual artist and social practitioner who gathers and amplifies grassroots perspectives on belonging and mental well being. Her project, “How I Keep Looking Up / Como Sigo Mirando Arriba / 仰望,” resulted in the first contemporary art project in the history of the 150-year-old San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade.

Collaborating Designers:

AiLan Xie 謝愛蘭, Cammi XingYu Huang 黃幸瑜, ChunMei "Amay" Cao 曹春梅, DanLi Xu 許丹麗, Lidia "Lupita" Iraheta, Marcela Escamilla, Mayra Alfaro, MiaoFen Guan 關妙芬, Nadia Rodriguez, Selina Luo 羅玉蓮, Tomasa Ramirez, YongYu "Ah Yu" Lei 雷泳瑜, YongYu "Yoyo" Situ 司徒咏瑜, YuJuan "Ah Juan" Chen 陳玉娟, Yurisma Gonzalez

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About the Chinese Culture Center

For 60 years, the Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco (CCC) has uplifted Chinatown through the arts as both a vibrant neighborhood and a powerful metaphor for the immigrant experience. Founded in 1965 amid the civil rights movement, CCC emerged as a bold response to racism, displacement, and gentrification. From a hard-won cultural space, it has evolved into a dynamic hub that shifts narratives, supports innovative art, and advances social justice.

CCC amplifies marginalized voices, reclaims public space, and strengthens community through exhibitions, festivals, and educational programs. Signature initiatives include C.H.A.T. Chinatown History Art Tours, the XianRui Artist Series, and the 41 Ross Artist-in-Residence program. With locations on Kearny Street, Ross Alley, and the newly acquired 667 Grant Ave, CCC continues to champion immigrant and LGBTQIA2S+ rights. Recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts and other major foundations, CCC celebrates its 60th anniversary with Chinatown Pride, the Hungry Ghost Festival, and its Gala.

About 41 Ross

41 Ross is a vibrant experimental studio in San Francisco’s historic Ross Alley, led by the Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco (CCC). Originally founded in 2014 through a groundbreaking collaboration between CCC and the Chinatown Community Development Center (CCDC) to be a place where art, culture, and social practice intersect to empower community voices, activate place and cultivate a sense of belonging. Today, 41 Ross powerfully amplifies the voices of LGBTQ2S+, BIPOC, and other marginalized communities through creative experimentation and cultural engagement.

About CCC Design Store

CCC Design Store is a dynamic, multidisciplinary space showcasing contemporary work from artists, designers, makers, and craftspeople. As part of the Chinese Culture Center’s (CCC) arts programming, the store offers a curated collection of one-of-a-kind and limited edition pieces, many of which are exclusive to CCC Design Store. 

CCC Design Store plays a vital role in amplifying the voices of both emerging and established artists, with a strong focus on those from Asian American, immigrant, BIPOC, and LGBTQIA2S+ communities. Each purchase offers more than a unique, high-quality item—it directly supports the artists and furthers the Chinese Culture Center’s mission to uplift and empower these communities. Created for collectors, art enthusiasts, and anyone seeking meaningful, one-of-a-kind gifts, the store invites shoppers to be part of a larger movement—one that champions creativity, equity, and community strength.

Made Possible With Support From:

Creative Capital

Zellerbach Family Foundation

National Endowment for the Arts

A Blade of Grass

Asian, Inc.