Art Walk in Seattle's Chinatown International District
By Kristen Eng | She/Her/Hers
Photography
Whenever I am in Seattle’s Chinatown International District (CID), I have a nostalgic feeling. From festivals to family dinners, some of my favorite memories have been created there. Sundays after church, my mom and I would always drive into CID on our way home (sometimes if I was lucky, we would stop to grab lunch). When I think of CID, I think of busy, there are always people and things going on.
When the Stay-At-Home order was issued, CID became a ghost town as did a lot of other places. Throughout the whole pandemic Asian-Americans are facing xenophobia, racism, and an increase in hate crimes throughout the country. In CID, there have been multiple hate crimes that have taken place that have created fear among the community. It’s a scary time for a lot of people, there are so many unknowns out there.
A few weeks ago, my family was in CID running some errands and what we saw amazed us. A lot of business had been boarded up because of fears of riots and potential hate crimes. I had never in my 19 years of life seen it like this before, empty. But I did see some artists had painted amazing murals onto some of the boarded-up business.
A week after we had driven through CID, my dad came up with the idea to walk around and look at all the art. When we got there, there had been even more art than before. Every block there were at least three murals. Some businesses even had paintings that said they were open. I think the most amazing part was how there were so many murals that supported the Black Lives Matter movement.
If you live in the Seattle area, I would highly recommend visiting CID and expiring all of the amazing artwork. Get your masks, and walk around, there are blocks and blocks worth of artwork to see. And while you are at it, don’t forget to support your local business.
Artist: @sharapaints & @dozfy
Location: Outside of Tai Tung Restaurant
Artist: Protective Art Collective
Artist: @vk.signs
Artist: Vivian Mak
Artist: Unknown
Location: Kau Kau Restaurant
Artist: Protective Art Collective
Artist: Protective Art Collective
Artist: @carrie_dinah_rivah
www.carriedinahrivah.com
Artist: Unknown
Location: Kau Kau Restaurant
Artist: Andy Panda
