Poster House Presents 2025 Artist In Residence Program In Partnership With WELCOME TO CHINATOWN

Poster House, in partnership with Welcome to Chinatown, will present two installations designed by Amanda Phingbodihipakkiya and Christina Young, the artists in the museum's 2025 Artist in Residence program, beginning on January 20, 2025 in Chinatown.

Social Practice and Public Artist Amanda Phinbodhipakkiya, a transdisciplinary artist whose work focuses on creating liminal spaces that facilitate healing and transformation, will launch We Are Chinatown, a collection of posters consisting of four intergenerational portraits featuring beloved community figures in Chinatown. These portraits were created through intimate conversations with residents in their homes, restaurants and shops, preserving their personal histories. These portraits capture the shared experiences, aspirations and challenges that define Chinatown. From January 21, 2025 until April 20, 2025, Pearl River Mart will display a second part of the installation, which includes a dynamic tapestry that features a collage of images, memories, and poetry, symbolizing the interconnectedness of Chinatown's past, present and future.

“Through building this work, I witnessed how Chinatown pulses with transformation, yet remains anchored by an unshakeable foundation of community. Through gentrification, recessions and a pandemic, this neighborhood has not merely survived, but flourished,” Amanda Phinbodhipakkiya said, “From seafood vendors who kept their doors open for their elderly patrons during lockdown, to the community rallying together to rebuild after devastating fires, this work honors Chinatown's enduring spirit and compassion that secures its future.”

Designer and illustrator Christina Young, who is known for her stickers, pins and apparel shop, The Bao Bae, will launch Let's Make Memories in Chinatown, a poster featuring illustrations of more than thirty vibrant locations in Chinatown. The poster acts as a visual itinerary, highlighting popular local businesses and destinations including restaurants, cafes, supermarkets, arcades and parks. Her work was influenced by a survey she conducted in the community which asked about favorite places to eat, drink and shop in Chinatown. Young highlights historic places like Doyers Street, as well as new restaurants like Uncle Lou on Mulberry Street, and iconic establishments like Wing On Wo & Co. on Mott Street. Alongside her poster, Young created a series of maps and itineraries to encourage people to visit the businesses illustrated in her work. From January 20, 2025 to February 24, 2025 ten of the featured locations will be distributing exclusive collectible badges to visitors so that they may take home a piece of Chinatown.

“For my residency project, I knew I wanted to highlight the many small businesses that call Chinatown home. They're a vital part of what makes this neighborhood so unique and its community so strong,” Christina Young said. “ It's unfortunate that many places from our childhood were forced to close during the pandemic, but it's important to remember that the city is constantly evolving and that the spirit of Chinatown remains strong.”

"Poster House is a great example of how art institutions can thoughtfully engage and positively impact communities,” said Harry Trinh, Head of Creative of Welcome to Chinatown. “We have partnered with Poster House for many years and with every passing year, we have a deeper appreciation of their work, not just for us, but for all of NYC's communities and neighborhoods."

In 2019, Poster House's Artist-in-Residence program started out of the museum's ongoing work with the Chinatown community. The museum collaborated with James Beard award-winning cookbook author, Grace Young and Welcome to Chinatown on programming and outreach efforts for exhibits during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as in the years following lockdowns.  In 2024, Poster House received a National Endowment for the Arts grant to continue supporting its Artist in Residence program. The museum identified five artists to apply to the program and selected artists were invited to develop a proposal for a poster campaign to positively impact Chinatown.

About Poster House

Poster House, which opened in June 2019, is the only museum in the United States dedicated exclusively to the global history of posters. Poster House's mission is to explore the hidden histories of this art, while mapping their role in today's media landscape and encouraging the continued evolution of design. Poster House is dedicated to presenting the impact, culture, and design of posters, both as historical documents and methods of contemporary visual communication. Learn more at.posterhouse.org.

About Welcome to Chinatown

Welcome to Chinatown, founded in 2020, is a nonprofit focused on supporting the Manhattan Chinatown small business and entrepreneur. The organization has supported 80+ businesses through grants, programming, and 1:1 services. Welcome to Chinatown is a proud partner of Poster House and their efforts to use the power of design/art to engage with communities. Visit Welcome to Chinatown at: 115 Bowery, New York NY 10002.