Public Art Proposal Display

Art Proposals for Chinatown Public Health Center - Exterior (English)

Public Comment Period:

December 01, 2025 to December 22, 2025

Proposal Viewing Location

Chinese Culture Center
667 Grant Ave
San Francisco, CA 94108
Hours: Thursday–Monday, 11:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.

Chinatown Public Health Center
1490 Mason St
San Francisco, CA 94133
Location: 1st Floor Patient Waiting Area
Access: Open to CPHC staff and clients only; not open to the general public

Public Comment

View the Proposals

The San Francisco Arts Commission is conducting a review process to select an artist to design an artwork for the exterior wall of the renovated Chinatown Public Health Center (CPHC). The artwork will be installed on the street-level façade at the corner of Mason and Broadway Streets, adjacent to the clinic entrance. The artwork will measure approximately 360 square feet and be composed of digitally printed ceramic tile.

The goal of the project is to create a welcoming artwork for CPHC patients and staff that reflects the culture, identity, and values of San Francisco’s Chinatown and its communities.

Three artists/artist teams have been selected as finalists by the Chinatown Public Health Center Artist Review Panel to develop conceptual design proposals for this opportunity: Sorell Raino-Tsui, Twin Walls Mural Company, and Dave Young Kim.

華埠公共衛生中心：室外牆面藝術提案

Art Proposals for Chinatown Public Health Center - Interior

Sorell Raino-Tsui (Tsui Xiao Rui)

Sorell Raino-Tsui Proposal Board.jpg My art practice brings together traditional Chinese culture and contemporary abstraction to create works that connect the past and present. I use the tools and techniques of Chinese calligraphy — brush, ink, and gesture — not just as writing, but as a form of painting and movement. Each stroke carries the rhythm of language and emotion, expressing meaning through feeling rather than words. My goal is to help viewers experience the spirit of tradition in a new, universal way.

The proposed work, combines abstract calligraphy, poetry, and symbolism to honor the immigrant experience and celebrate cultural connection. The central element is a poem by San Francisco Poet Laureate Genny Lim, who was born and raised in San Francisco to parents from the Toisan region of China. Her poem, titled The Journey, reflects on love, hope, and the challenges faced by those who leave their homeland to build new lives. It speaks to the courage and resilience that define the immigrant story — a theme that continues to shape San Francisco’s identity.

In the artwork, Lim’s poem will appear in Chinese calligraphy, written in collaboration with master calligrapher Karen Tseng. While I often explore calligraphy abstractly in my work, Genny’s poem deserves a faithful rendering by a skilled specialist. Karen’s mastery will ensure that the poem’s written form carries the grace, rhythm, and respect of traditional Chinese script. Both Genny and Karen have reviewed and approved their involvement in this project and are excited to see it realized.

The visual composition centers on a large Pan Chang knot, a traditional Chinese symbol of longevity, continuity, and good fortune. It represents the interconnected cycles of life — the ties that link generations and experiences. Behind the knot, soft circular forms and layers of color symbolize nature, movement, and the infinite flow of time. Together, they create a sense of harmony and renewal. The color palette is designed to complement the building’s architecture, adding vibrancy and warmth to the space while welcoming visitors.

For production, I will partner with Windsor Fire Form, who specialize in high-quality full-color ceramic tile printing. The artwork will be composed of 6 x 6-inch tiles, durable enough to withstand weather, cleaning, and public interaction. This technique ensures long-term preservation of color and detail while maintaining an elegant, permanent finish suitable for outdoor installation.

Ultimately, my goal is to create a work that is beautiful, inclusive, and meaningful. I want viewers to be drawn in by its color and form, to read the poem, and to feel its emotional depth. The Journey is both personal and universal — a story of movement, belonging, and renewal. Through it, I hope to honor the traditions that shaped me and to offer a vibrant symbol of hope and connection for everyone who encounters it.

View a larger image.

Twin Walls Mural Company: Elaine Chu and Marina Perez-Wong

HAPPINESS, HARMONY, COMMUNITY

TWMC CPHC Proposal Board-png.png In celebration of this unique place in San Francisco and the remodel of such an important part of the neighborhood, our design will focus on reflecting SF Chinatown's community, its visitors and the health and vibrancy that emanate from the clinic. We aim to showcase what health represents to us as individuals and what we hope for the future of Chinatown. After several discussions, we both concluded that subjects that are most important to depict in this piece are community, family, culture, tradition and active lifestyles for a diverse neighborhood.

When we dream of what Chinatown could look like in the future, we envision a community that is rooted in ancestral wisdom but continues to grow in knowledge, diversity and life force. Our mural will feature members of the community and clinic employees. If our design is selected we will collaborate with the CPHC Hospital staff or representatives as well as various Chinatown community groups to identify and influence who will be represented in the final design. Our process may involve design workshops and neighborhood surveys.

We will include symbols that will manifest the harmony, vitality, balance and overall well-being that are so vital—whether within the clinic, the neighborhood, city, or our wider environment and the world.

Our preliminary sketch displays overlapping circular shapes that move the viewer throughout the composition. These shapes symbolize moon phases (eight are featured in this design) and ultimately create an abstract Ying and Yang. The five Chinese elements that symbolize Balance and Harmony — (Water, Fire, Earth, Wood and Metal) are depicted in the four corners and the upper central portion of the mural, where both sides of the walls meet. In numerology five is a lucky number which represents five blessings — Wealth, Happiness, Longevity, Health and Natural Death. In each of the moon phase shapes we will be creating unique patterns of medicinal flowers, plants and herbs that are used to promote healing. Examples include Ginseng, Reishi, and Chrysanthemum.

Through use of the circle pattern in a spiral motion we mean to create movement and design that transcends any specific time and space. This is a representation of Chinatown which is always changing and evolving, while maintaining its historical fabric and authenticity.

An important part of our process and outcome is to create a piece that reflects the location we paint in, and for community members to see themselves depicted in a public piece which helps to give ownership to them. Although the aforementioned is an important aspect of the work, we recognize the visitors, both local, national and international who will also experience the mural. For these visitors the artwork will serve as a vehicle of inspiration to learn more about its meaning, the neighborhood, culture, and people. We are confident that this mural will provide a bridge to educate and create more dialogue while celebrating the rich and unique history of San Francisco’s celebrated Chinatown.

View a larger image.

Dave Young Kim

United in Heart and Journey (同心同行)

Dave Young Kim - Proposal Board-smaller.png United in Heart and Journey (同心同行) celebrates the intergenerational bonds that define Chinatown’s vibrant community. The mural honors the shared journey of generations, where well-being is rooted in connection, care and mutual support.

The design responds to its location along the Powell-Mason cable car line, offering visitors a welcoming reflection of the intergenerational community care that has nurtured Chinatown’s longstanding strength and resilience as an immigrant hub. The vibrant colors contrast with the red metal panels of the Chinatown Public Health Center’s renovated façade, creating a dynamic visual focal point. The color palette moves from sepia tones of historical memory in the background through soft pastels of the sky that evoke dawn and peace, finally blooming into full color where the people stand - alive and present.

The mural depicts community members of all ages walking together at sunset, a time of reflection. The people represent different generations of Chinatown, beginning with the earliest generations on the left and ending with present-day members on the right. Their arms are linked as a symbol of their unity and deep interconnectedness. If awarded this project, interviews with community members and organizations, such as the Chinese Historical Society, would be conducted to ensure the mural is historically accurate and meaningful to the community.

The Chinese characters 同心 (Cantonese: tung4sam1, Mandarin: tóngxīn) in blue boldly tell of the community members’ “united heart” for their mutual protection and prosperity. The 同 character is a deeply resonant word in Chinese, evoking a sense of warmth, harmony, welcoming, and connectedness, while 心 expresses emotion, empathy, sincerity, and intention. Together 同心 embody a community care that bridges generations. These characters would be painted by a master calligrapher from Chinatown.

In the background appear landmark buildings from Chinatown’s history, each holding deep significance and paying homage to the hard work and perseverance it took to build community incrementally from the ground up, block by block through challenges and struggle. The buildings include the 1884 Occidental Mission Home (site of anti-trafficking activism in the 1880’s-1930’s; later the Cameron House, a hub for Asian American activism in the 1960’s-70’s), the iconic 1907 Sing Chong building (marking Chinatown’s rebirth after the 1906 earthquake), the 1908 Headquarters of Chinese Six Companies (protected the community through legal cases, such as Wong Kim Ark’s 1898 birthright citizenship Supreme Court case), the Gum Moon Residence (serves and empowers women), and the Gordon J. Lau Elementary School (first segregated school, now a California Distinguished School and CA Gold Ribbon recipient).

Above, a multigenerational flock of red-crowned cranes flies through the sky, symbolizing movement, migration, and continuity. In Chinese culture, the crane is an auspicious symbol of longevity and vitality due to its long lifespan. Paintings of cranes are often gifted to elders as a blessing of longevity and happiness. Likewise, this mural would be blessing Chinatown to continue without end.

View a larger image.

Opportunity For Public Comment

Please take a few minutes to review these artwork proposals and provide feedback. The proposals are available online at www.sfartscommission.org/calendar/proposal-displays, or accessed by the QR Code below, where you can leave feedback in the public comment form. Comments may also be submitted via email to sfacpublicartcomment@sfgov.org by Monday, December 22 at 5:00 p.m. PST.

Public comments will be considered by the Review Panel as part of the Final Review Panel meeting where the Panel will recommend one proposal for implementation. Please note that public comments do not constitute a vote.

The Final Review Panel meeting will take place remotely the week of January 12, 2026. All Artist Review Panel meetings are open to the public. An agenda for the meeting will be posted 72 hours in advance of the meeting on SFAC’s website under the Public Meeting section: www.sfartscommission.org

For more information, please contact: sfacpublicartcomment@sfgov.org, or (415) 252-2100. Materiales traducidos están disponibles para usted de manera gratuita. Para asistencia, notifique a sfacpublicartcomment@sfgov.org, or (415) 252-2100. 我們將為閣下提供免費的書面翻譯資料。如需協助，sfacpublicartcomment@sfgov.org, or (415) 252-2100. Ang mga materyales na nakasalin sa ibang wika at ang mga serbisyong tagapagsalin sa wika ay walang bayad. Para sa tulong, maaring i-contact si sfacpublicartcomment@sfgov.org, or (415) 252-2100.

Art Proposals for Chinatown Public Health Center - Exterior (English)

Public Comment Period:

Proposal Viewing Location

Sorell Raino-Tsui (Tsui Xiao Rui)

Twin Walls Mural Company: Elaine Chu and Marina Perez-Wong

Dave Young Kim

Opportunity For Public Comment

SFAC Main Gallery

Information For

What's Coming Up

Advisory Committee of Street Artists and Crafts Examiners

Advisory Committee of Street Artists and Crafts Examiners

Advisory Committee of Street Artists and Crafts Examiners

Advisory Committee of Street Artists and Crafts Examiners

Art Proposals for Chinatown Public Health Center - Exterior (English)

Public Comment Period:

Proposal Viewing Location

Sorell Raino-Tsui (Tsui Xiao Rui)

Twin Walls Mural Company: Elaine Chu and Marina Perez-Wong

Dave Young Kim

Opportunity For Public Comment

SFAC Main Gallery

Search form

Information For

What's Coming Up

Advisory Committee of Street Artists and Crafts Examiners

Advisory Committee of Street Artists and Crafts Examiners

Advisory Committee of Street Artists and Crafts Examiners

Advisory Committee of Street Artists and Crafts Examiners