Winnipeg Chinatown 2024
2024 Year of the Dragon Zodiac Banner
Winnipeg Chinese Cultural Community Centre (WCCCC) and Downtown BIZ’s annual zodia banner design competition took on a new form for thhe 2024 year of the Dragon. Rather than their usual contest format, I was asked to involve members of the community in the art making process. With community facilitation support from Pauline Leung, and overall support from Jori Pincock from Downtown BIZ, this took the form of art workshops with the disability program at Victoria Albert Elementary School. The kids helped me paint some dragons that I then digitally collaged and painted on until it transformed into the current banner!
Rather than a contest, this years Zodiac Banner was a community and public art project with Victoria Albert Elementary School’s disability program to co-create this year’s Chinatown Zodiac Banner for the Year of the Dragon! It was unveiled at the Lunar New Year Banquet celebrations at Kum Koon Garden organized by the WCCCC on February 13th. I was invited to sit at the Downtown BIZ table with all the wonderful folks that helped make this project happen, as well as give a speech on the banner itself. You can read my speech below!
Two Chinese idioms translated to English, for peace and prosperity for the communities (inspired by Bay Area illustrator, Cynthia Chang’s LNY art!):A spark ignites a prairie fire;
新年快乐 / sun ngin fai lok - happy new year!
恭喜发财 / prosperity and good fortune
身体健康 / sun tai gin hong - good health!
Thanks to Pauline Leung, Jori Pincock, tamara rae birch, Nelia Husack and Kathy Tank from Victoria Albert Elementary School along with the wonderful kids and staff!, Sign Source for production, and the folks at Downtown BIZ! Additional thank yous to the stakeholders - Tina Chen, Amy Zhang, Kwok Ngan, Shawna Dempsey, and Alan Wong.
Rather than a contest, this years Zodiac Banner was a community and public art project with Victoria Albert Elementary School’s disability program to co-create this year’s Chinatown Zodiac Banner for the Year of the Dragon! It was unveiled at the Lunar New Year Banquet celebrations at Kum Koon Garden organized by the WCCCC on February 13th. I was invited to sit at the Downtown BIZ table with all the wonderful folks that helped make this project happen, as well as give a speech on the banner itself. You can read my speech below!
Two Chinese idioms translated to English, for peace and prosperity for the communities (inspired by Bay Area illustrator, Cynthia Chang’s LNY art!):
A spark ignites a prairie fire;
A drop of water penetrates stone.
新年快乐 / sun ngin fai lok - happy new year!
恭喜发财 / prosperity and good fortune
身体健康 / sun tai gin hong - good health!
Thanks to Pauline Leung, Jori Pincock, tamara rae birch, Nelia Husack and Kathy Tank from Victoria Albert Elementary School along with the wonderful kids and staff!, Sign Source for production, and the folks at Downtown BIZ! Additional thank yous to the stakeholders - Tina Chen, Amy Zhang, Kwok Ngan, Shawna Dempsey, and Alan Wong.
