To make sure that the mural will reflect the diverse voices and stories of Vancouver’s Chinatown, the artist team reached out through online surveys and hosted a number of workshops, community conversations, and participatory art activities. Scroll down to discover what we learned.
The “Mail Art for Art” mail art project was launched in July 2021 in partnership with United Aunties Arts Association. Participants were invited to respond to the prompt: what have you learned from a woman elder that has connected you to your cultural heritage and/or identity? For the month of September 2021, 15 mail art projects were shared @suzhoualleymural on Instagram.
網頁翻譯中。造成不便，敬請見諒。
In July 2021, the artist team led a floral drawing workshop with Chinese women seniors in collaboration with staff at the SUCCESS Simon K.Y Lee Seniors Care Home. Participants created drawings of culturally significant floral species symbolic of health, prosperity, happiness, wisdom, purity, peace, long life, beauty, elegance, simplicity, celebration, joy, wealth, purity, innocence, rarity, unity, optimism, compassion and good fortune. Many thanks to Fiona and her staff team.
網頁翻譯中。造成不便，敬請見諒。
網頁翻譯中。造成不便，敬請見諒。
In acknowledgement and celebration of International Women’s Day on March 8, 2021, the artist team launched the Suzhou Alley Women’s Mural project website and Auspicious 8 Question Survey to invite community stories and responses from Chinese Canadian women, including LGBTQ2+ communities.
網頁翻譯中。造成不便，敬請見諒。
“I learned from my mom to not fear the future, but to embrace it with open arms. She taught me that everything that I experience is something already experienced by others, and they survived whatever obstacle it was!
“My grandmother ran the family’s restaurant and she taught me that you can be the boss, even if you’re only 5 feet tall.”
“I have a lot of respect for my parents to give me a more comfortable life. Although I wasn’t always proud of my Chinese heritage when I was younger, I am now trying to learn more about my culture by taking Chinese courses at school and engaging in Chinese entertainment.”
“Mothers know best. They are the heart and soul of the family. Matriarchy is long lasting as mother’s, grandmothers and great grandmothers have longevity.”
“Generosity: so many Chinatown grandmas have welcomed me generously with their care, food and presence. I am constantly challenged and in awe of their lavish generosity despite living in an under-resourced community where they experience marginalization by unjust systems.”
The community storyboards provided a way for the artist team to collate contributed stories, key words, archival and textual research and images from community members. They were instrumental in providing the foundation for artists to begin developing concept drawings for the final mural design.
網頁翻譯中。造成不便，敬請見諒。
