Know History, Know Self
is a poster series showcasing Asian American trailblazers whose life was tied to the city of San Francisco. This collection is part of The Art on Market Street Posters Series, a project of the San Francisco Arts Commission and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency.
San Francisco is home to Asian American and Pacific Islander history: our Chinatown is the first in the United States; ethnic studies originated on our campus’; and the city helped popularize use of the term Asian American. In 1960, just 8% of city residents identified as Asian. In 2020, that number grew to 34%— nearly 300,000 San Franciscans of diverse ethnic Asian backgrounds. Asian Americans have contributed to medicine, science, and cuisine (there are more Chinese restaurants in the United States than McDonald's, KFCs, Pizza Huts, Taco Bells and Wendy's combined). However, Asian Americans are often overlooked (and stereotypically) discouraged in art and culture. The goal of this project is to amplify Asian American artists who came before and help future artists recognize their place in a long interwoven history of movers, shakers, and torch bearers.
Ruth Asawa
Born in 1926 in Norwalk, California, Ruth Asawa was an artist, educator, and mother.
In 1942, the Asawa family were among the 120,000 Japanese citizens and immigrants incarcerated during World World II. Unbroken by this experience, Asawa went on to study at Black Mountain College, where she blossomed under the guidance of teachers Buckminster Fuller and Josef Albers.
In 1949, Asawa moved to San Francisco, where she spent the rest of her life teaching and making art. Fifteen of Asawa's sculptures were on public display at the De Young Museum for 15 years.
Asawa passed away in 2013 at the age of 87.
Learn more at ruthasawa.com.
Bernice Bing
Born in 1936 in San Francisco’s Chinatown, Bernice Bing was a queer abstract painter.
Bing was the first Executive Director of SOMArts, a Fulbright Scholar, and a co-founder of SCRAP-SF. A documentary about her life titled “The Worlds of Bernice Bing” is viewable on the 6th floor of the main branch of the San Francisco Public Library.
In 2023, The Asian Art Museum held a major retrospective of her career, featuring 20 paintings and works on paper.
Bing passed away in 1998 at the age of 62.
See Bing’s community in action: Read comics and zines about her life, and explore these detailed articles and archives.
Loni Ding
Born in 1931 in San Francisco’s Chinatown, Loni Ding was a filmmaker, educator, and activist.
Ding co-founded The Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) and taught at the University of California, Berkeley. Her films assisted the passage of the 1988 Civil Liberties Act which granted reparations to Japanese Americans interned during WWII. She was awarded several Emmys, a Rockefeller Fellowship, Guggenheim Fellowship, and American Film Institute Director's Fellowship.
Her film Ancestors in the Americas can be viewed with a library card on Kanopy.com
Ding passed away in 2010 at the age of 79.
Watch this interview with Ding and learn more at the Center for Educational Telecommunications.
James Leong
Born in 1929 in San Francisco’s Chinatown, James Leong was an abstract artist and educator.
In 1956, Leong was awarded a Fulbright scholarship and relocated to Norway. Two years later, he received a Guggenheim Fellowship to teach and paint in Rome. Liberated from the racial maze of the Americas, Leong resided in Europe for 30 years before returning to the United States.
His most controversial mural, “One Hundred Years: History of the Chinese in America”, is on permanent display at the Chinese Historical Society. In 2021, Stanford acquired Leong’s papers as part of an initiative to preserve Asian American art.
Leong died in 2011 at the age of 81.
Watch Leong restore his historic painting. Read his obituary in The Seattle Times and The Northwest Asian Weekly. A remembrance was written by a former student.
Martin Wong
Born in 1946 in San Francisco, Martin Wong was a visionary queer artist.
Before moving to New York City in 1978, Wong frequently collaborated with the free theater collective Angels of Light in San Francisco. Wong’s visceral and attentive paintings were known for capturing the grit of the Lower East Side in the 1980s and 1990s. While living in New York he collected over 1000 pieces of graffiti art which he later donated to the Museum of the City of New York.
His work is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Whitney Museum of American Art, de Young Museum, and Bronx Museum among many others.
Wong died in 1999 at the age of 53.
Check out this delightful PBS video about Wong and explore his life in New York City. Students at SF State can apply for scholarships through The Martin Wong Foundation.
Kaisik Wong
Born in 1950 in San Francisco’s Chinatown, Kaisik Wong was a queer fashion designer who pioneered handmade wearable art.
Wong frequently collaborated with filmmaker Steven F. Arnold on costumes for The Cockettes, a 1970’s psychedelic theater troupe in San Francisco. Wong also designed clothing for movies, notably the 1981 art house film Fruits of Passion starring Klaus Kinski, directed by Shūji Terayama.
Supporters of Wong’s work included Salvador Dalí, Tina Turner, Elton John, and Betty Davis.
In 1996, The de Young Museum held a major retrospective of his work featuring 35 costumes and 25 photographs.
Wong died in 1990 at the age of 40.
Check out the fantastic 2020 SFAC Poster featuring Wong by Win Mixter and view more of Wong’s work collected by fans.
This project was created by Minnie Phan in 2023. Special thank you to Craig Corpora at the San Francisco Arts Commission.