Located inside Wing On Wo & Co., The WOW Project is a women, non-binary, queer, trans led, community-based initiative that works to sustain ownership over Chinatown Manhattan's future by growing, protecting, and preserving Chinatown's culture through arts, culture, and activism. Our core mission is to create space for conversations that cross generational gaps to seed intergenerational understanding.
Founded by fifth-generation store owner Mei Lum in 2016, The W.O.W. Project envisions the future of Chinatown that centers young women and nonbinary youth in building intergerational bridges of understanding, collective empowerment, and solidarity across Asian American communities and beyond.
Our staple programs include an annual storefront artist residency where we invite a local artist to create a window display for our storefront at 26 Mott Street. We also run Resist Recycle Regenerate, a youth program that seeks to intersect art and activism through building women-centric leadership within the Chinatown community. We offer youth internships and host public events, workshops, and panels that center Chinatown community voices and artists.
Images by Marion Aguas