Mei Lum and The W.O.W. Project
Artist in Residence, 2020–22
Centering neighborhood resilience, the arts, advocacy, and activism, Mei Lum’s two-year residency at The Met engaged with the most urgent issues impacting the residents of her community, Manhattan’s Chinatown. Looking at Asian ceramics in The Met collection as a source of inspiration, Lum created innovative interventions along with her collaborators to bring joyful and reflective activations to her community fueled by Chinatown’s rich cultural traditions and culture.
Lum is the founder of the W.O.W. Project, a community initiative in Manhattan’s Chinatown. By using the arts as a point of connection, W.O.W. sustains and creates communal practices that connect the history of Chinatown with its future.
Lum is the fifth-generation owner of her family’s century-old porcelain business, the oldest operating store in Chinatown, Wing on Wo & Co (W.O.W.). In response to the rapid displacement of Asian immigrants from Chinatown, the W.O.W. Project produces woman- and non-binary-led initiatives, transforming Lum’s family-owned porcelain-wares storefront into an alternative space for community dialogue and grassroots action.
Since 2016, the W.O.W. Project has held nearly one hundred programs and engaged over one thousand community members through panel discussions about the role of art and social change, an annual artist-in-residency program, film screenings showcasing Asian American women filmmakers, and open mic storytelling nights.
Lum was recognized as a 2017 emerging voice in the Asian and Pacific American community by NBC Asian America. She received the 2019 Community Builder Award from OCA Asian Pacific American Advocates and the 2020 Rubinger Community Fellowship from the Local Initiatives Support Corporation.
Photo by June Kim
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Residency Projects
“When I think about the changes in Chinatown, there are a lot. Long time businesses are shuttering. I started the W.O.W. project out of wanting to talk about a lot of the concerns around the gentrification and displacement that was happening. It's been a lot of coming together to really think about Chinatown together as a family and the role that we play as second, third Gen Chinese-Americans that have grown up here in the heart of the neighborhood. When xenophobia is rampant, when there's anti-Asian hate crimes happening, how do we keep each other safe? And how does arts and culture also play a role in that?”
— Mei Lum, CPP Artist-in-Residence
Culminating Residency Project: Infinite Beginnings, August 27, 2022
For her culminating project, Mei Lum and the W.O.W. Project designed and produced Infinite Beginnings, hosted at Columbus Park in Manhattan’s Chinatown. Participants were invited to engage with an interactive thangka—a traditional Tibetan artwork on a fabric scroll—that immersed them in a mythical journey of self-transformation. Illustrated by Singha Hon and inspired by a mythical narrative by K-Ming Chang, Infinite Beginnings prompted attendees to place themselves in a fantastical world where possibilities are infinite. The program included a reading by Chang, a qigong movement workshop by Lingji Hon, and a rest and dreaming space curated by ceramicist Cathy Lu.
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Public Programs
- Meet Me at The Met: A Virtual Evening, August 26, 2020
- The Met Professional Learning Community, May 22, 2021
- Met Speaks: Chinatown’s Art and Activism – Then and Now, June 2021
- MetFest, October 2, 2021
Community Collaborators and Partners
The following partners, collaborators, and supporters engaged with Mei Lum’s work during her residency:
Abrons Art Center | Masayuki Akzawa | Tomie Arai | Wo Chan | K-Ming Chang | Monica Chen | Vincent Chong | Lingji Hon | Singha Hon | Heidi Lau | Sueann Leung | Cathy Lu | Claera Lu | Lorraine Lum | Joy Mao | OHYUNG | The W.O.W. Project
The Civic Practice Project is made possible by The William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust.