[KQED] SF Youth Explore Themes of Home, Identity at Generation Chinatown Exhibition
Generation Chinatown artist Jennifer (left) and Chinese Culture Center youth arts program coordinator Maya Faith Chan (right) speak at the opening reception for 'RISE' on June 9, 2023. (Kristie Song/KQED)
On a Friday evening, laughter and conversation fill the air as crowds wait in a narrow alleyway outside community art space 41 Ross. Fresh tamales are passed out as people eagerly line up to see the new exhibition inside — one that centers the passions, anxieties and explorations of seven San Francisco high school students.
RISE: A Youth Art Exhibition opened June 9 to an outpouring of support from community members. The event was the culminating showcase of the Chinese Culture Center’s inaugural youth residency, Generation Chinatown, a three-month program that provides its high school-age residents workshops, artist visits and tours across local arts organizations and spaces. The goal: to empower young artists to develop artmaking skills centered in community and social change, and to explore their art styles, backgrounds and identities.