Portals into Chinatown North

Portals into Chinatown North created during the summer of 2014 under the guidance of artist Bonnie Kaye Whitfield. Teen students of The Mural Arts Program at The Asian Arts Initiative as well as middle school students of The Asian Arts Initiative collaborated together to learn more about the Chinatown North / Callowhill neighborhood of Philadelphia and helped to design patterns that reflected both the past and present of the transitioning neighborhood.

Five designs were created, which represented the themes of arts + industry of the neighborhood, immigrant culture, the importance of feasting and local food, neighborhood transit, and the architecture and nature of the neighborhood. These themes were designed into patterns, as a way to reflect the rich history of textile manufacturing in the neighborhood. The panels were installed onto the doors and boarded up windows along Pearl Street, between 12th and 13th, to suggest peering into the inner-workings of the neighborhood. The project was created as a part of the larger Pearl Street Project, a project run by The Asian Arts Initiative to revitalize Pearl Street as a vibrant arts corridor.