“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 is the founder of the W.O.W. Project, a community initiative in Manhattan's Chinatown that amplifies local voices and stories through art, culture, and activism. 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 Chinese Americans 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 Rubinger Community Fellowship from the Local Initiatives Support Corporation.
The Met’s Civic Practice Partnership (CPP), launched in 2017, catalyzes and implements creative projects that advance healthy communities by bringing the skills and interests of neighborhood stakeholders together with those of The Met and artists who are socially minded in their practice. Invited CPP artists work in their own neighborhoods across New York City and at The Met to develop and implement ambitious projects and forge meaningful collaborations.
Learn more about Mei Lum’s CPP Residency here.
