Artwork by John Lee
Join us for a thought-provoking conversation about the urban planning exhibition Making or Faking Chinatown? and cultural representation in Chinatown's built environment between architectural historian Kerri Culhane and urbanist Yin Kong, moderated by Daniel McPhee of Urban Design Forum.
Kerri Culhane is an independent public historian and board member of Think!Chinatown. Over the past 15 years, Kerri’s work has focused on the past, present, and future of the immigrant neighborhoods of New York City’s Lower East Side, Chinatown, Little Italy and the Bowery. She holds a Ph.D. in Architectural & Urban History and Theory from the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London, an MA in architectural history with a focus on historic preservation & planning from Virginia Commonwealth University, and an MS in ecological planning & design from the Conway School.
Yin Kong 邝海音 lives and works in Manhattan’s Chinatown. She is the co-founder and Executive Director of Think!Chinatown. She holds a Masters of Architecture, Urban Design from the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London and a Bachelors of Arts, Urban Studies from Columbia University. Think!Chinatown is the culmination of her work in urban design, museum, culinary & cultural instruction, and community engagement.
Daniel McPhee is Executive Director of the Urban Design Forum, an independent membership organization confronting the defining issues facing New York City’s built environment. He produces programs and publications that showcase creative approaches to creating housing, transportation, open space, and climate resiliency.
ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
On view through November 6, 2024, Making or Faking Chinatown? Representing People, Place and Culture explores the unresolved debate around cultural representation in Chinatown’s built environment through extensive research, photographs from Chinatowns across North America, and artwork by artist John Lee. The exhibition is co-curated by T!C Director Yin Kong and architectural historian Kerri Culhane, and designed with fwd | A+U, Farzana Gandhi Design Studio, and Pentagram as part of Van Alen Institute’s program Design Sprints.