Pao Arts Center

Pao Arts Center Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Pao Arts Center, 99 Albany Street, Boston, MA.

Pao Arts Center was established in 2017 as a visionary program collaboration between Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center (BCNC) and Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) as Chinatown’s first arts and cultural center. Pao Arts Center’s mission is to celebrate and strengthen the Asian Pacific Islander (API) community of Chinatown and Greater Boston through access to culturally relevant art, educatio

n, and creative programs. Pao Arts Center sits on a historically significant piece of land, Parcel 24, where hundreds of Chinatown residents were displaced in the 1960s in order to build a highway on-ramp. The redevelopment of this land as a place to celebrate and explore Asian culture represents a powerful shift towards community-oriented development in the face of gentrification and the belief that investing in arts, culture, and creativity are vital to the health, well-being, and vibrancy of communities.

We are so grateful to the many participants who attended our "Performance Pilgrimages on the Immigrant History Trail" pr...
05/27/2026

We are so grateful to the many participants who attended our "Performance Pilgrimages on the Immigrant History Trail" program a few weeks ago. Special thanks to the artists who activated sites across Chinatown in response to six landmarks that represent the rich history of Chinese and Syrian immigration to Boston.

Included artists: Lani Asunción, Joanna Tam, Ying Ye (叶荧), Yolanda He Yang, Anita Yip, Feda Eid & Jassi Murad

Photo Credit: Olivia Huang and Mel Taing

"Temple of Our Ancestral Dreams" and its public programming are supported by the New England Foundation for the Arts' Public Art for Spatial Justice program, with funding from the Barr Foundation and the Fund for the Arts at NEFA. This exhibit is curated by Sung-Min Kim and Wenxuan Xue.

📣 Last chance to apply to be our new Artist-in-Residence. We encourage artists across all media and backgrounds to apply...
05/26/2026

📣 Last chance to apply to be our new Artist-in-Residence. We encourage artists across all media and backgrounds to apply. We’re especially interested in artists who will engage Chinatown as a living archive — honoring its histories (past), activating community voices (present), and imagining future possibilities.

Apply online by tomorrow, 5/27 at 11:59 PM: https://www.paoartscenter.org/2026-artistinresidence-call

The 2026 Artist-in-Residence program is funded by the Hearst Foundations.

We’re looking for our next Artist-in-Residence and encourage artists across all media and backgrounds to apply. We’re es...
05/22/2026

We’re looking for our next Artist-in-Residence and encourage artists across all media and backgrounds to apply. We’re especially interested in artists who will engage Chinatown as a living archive — honoring its histories (past), activating community voices (present), and imagining future possibilities. Swipe through to see past artists in the program and learn more about their disciplines.

Wen-hao Tien, Visual Artist, Artist-in-Residence 2020: At Pao Arts Center, Wen-hao drew on visual and audio inspirations from the Chinatown community to capture the nuances and textures of a place and people in transition, creating the 2021 exhibit "Home on Our Backs" featuring all-new artwork.

Yu-Wen Wu, Interdisciplinary Artist, Artist-in-Residence 2019: Yu-Wen continued her work on Leavings/Belongings. Inspired by the tradition of storytelling while making, the project engaged participants from various public, immigrant, and refugee communities in the making of symbolic “bundles.” Leavings/Belonging featured more than 150 bundles created by immigrant women and was exhibited in 2019.

Shaw-Pong Liu, Violinist and Composer, Artist-in-Residence 2018: During "Sing Home," a song-sharing project that collected and shared songs of the people of Boston’s Chinatown, Shaw-Pong engaged the community through outdoor performances, sing-alongs, song exchanges, one-on-one conversations, and even live band karaoke. The project featured more than 100 conversations about immigration, neighborhood, and cultural and civic identity.

Apply online by May 27 at 11:59 PM: https://www.paoartscenter.org/2026-artistinresidence-call

The 2026 Artist-in-Residence program is funded by the Hearst Foundations.

"Temple of Ancestral Dreams" exhibit curators Wenxuan Xue and Sung-Min Kim ask visitors to consider:"How do neighborhood...
05/21/2026

"Temple of Ancestral Dreams" exhibit curators Wenxuan Xue and Sung-Min Kim ask visitors to consider:

"How do neighborhoods connect us with our ancestors?"

For them, "A neighborhood consists of not only the people, but also the sidewalks, the streets, the buildings, the bakeries, the restaurants, the trees, and the grass. All these entities make up Chinatown as a neighborhood and embedded in them are generations of lives that passed through. The sidewalks of Hudson St remember the children that played in them. China Pearl has hosted generations of celebratory gatherings. If we look and listen deeply, we can notice that Chinatown, as a neighborhood, is brimming with ancestral memories."

Visit the exhibit before it closes on June 19 to consider this question yourself.

Exhibit on View: April 8 - June 19, 2026
Gallery Hours:
• Wednesdays through Saturdays, 1:00–5:00 PM
• Thursdays until 6:00 PM

"Temple of Our Ancestral Dreams" and its public programming are supported by NEFA's Public Art for Spatial Justice program, with funding from the Barr Foundation and the Fund for the Arts at NEFA. This exhibit is curated by Sung-Min Kim and Wenxuan Xue.

Next Friday, join us for "Who Killed Vincent Chin?" An award-nominated documentary by Renee Tajima and the late Christin...
05/20/2026

Next Friday, join us for "Who Killed Vincent Chin?" An award-nominated documentary by Renee Tajima and the late Christine Choy, it recounts the events of the death of Vincent Chin, which led to a nationwide civil rights movement.

📅Friday, May 29
🕰️6:00 - 8:00 PM

RSVP on our website: https://www.paoartscenter.org/events/2026/vincent-chin

We’re looking for our next Artist-in-Residence and encourage artists across all media and backgrounds to apply. We’re es...
05/20/2026

We’re looking for our next Artist-in-Residence and encourage artists across all media and backgrounds to apply. We’re especially interested in artists who will engage Chinatown as a living archive — honoring its histories (past), activating community voices (present), and imagining future possibilities.

This Artist-in-Residence program is uniquely positioned as one of the only residencies in the Boston area that specifically centers AAPI experiences while working in direct dialogue with the Chinatown community through art and culture.

Check out our previous residents and their projects produced during our Artist-in-Residence program, and don't forget to submit your application by May 27 at 11:59 PM: https://www.paoartscenter.org/2026-artistinresidence-call

Wenxuan Xue, the 2025 Artist-in-Residence, is a theater and performance artist who collaborated with BCNC Family Services. Wenxuan hosted a six-session workshop series, "Art Breaks", guiding BCNC staff and childcare professionals in exploring creativity, art-based self-care, and cultural identity to foster stronger connections and a deeper sense of belonging among those who support immigrant youth.

Vermilion Theater, the 2024/2025 Artist-in-Residence, is a bilingual theater company that worked closely with BCNC Family Services, engaging Chinese-speaking participants through Karaoke and Ping-Pong Nights. By creating a welcoming and inclusive space for connection and outreach, Vermilion helped address critical issues related to well-being and belonging in a fun and supportive environment.

Lenora Lee Dance, the 2021 Artist-in-Residence, is led by multimedia performance artist, dancer, choreographer, and artistic director Lenora Lee, whose work spans San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York. Through this residency, Lenora developed "Convergent Waves," a new site-responsive multimedia experience that celebrated the contributions of activists and nonprofit leaders while reclaiming space through stories of community agency, resilience, and transformation.

The 2026 Artist-in-Residence program is funded by the Hearst Foundation.

🌀 CALL FOR ARTISTS: Emerging from Rupture: Chinese Adoptee Voices 🌀Are you a Chinese adoptee artist whose work explores ...
05/18/2026

🌀 CALL FOR ARTISTS: Emerging from Rupture: Chinese Adoptee Voices 🌀

Are you a Chinese adoptee artist whose work explores adoptee identity? We want to hear from you!

This exhibit, one of the first of its kind to center Chinese adoptee voices, invites artists of all mediums to share their lived experiences and creative expressions that emerge as they negotiate, reimagine, and reclaim their complex identities.

This call for artists is organized around the Adoptee Consciousness Model — an academic framework that traces the nonlinear, ever-evolving path of adoptee identity. Learn more about the model here: https://adopteeconsciousness.com/

Selected artists receive an honorarium and the opportunity to connect other Chinese adoptee artists and a large community of AAPI artists through Pao Arts Center. The application is now open — https://www.paoartscenter.org/call-for-artists-rupture

🗓️ Key Dates:
Exhibit on view November 12, 2026 - January 15, 2027

May 18 | Applications open (rolling review!)
Aug 9 | Application deadline
Nov 12 | Opening Reception at Pao Arts Center (all selected artists required to attend)

This exhibit will be curated by Maia Erslev (they/them), Visual Arts Manager at Pao Arts Center and a Chinese adoptee. Questions? Reach out to [email protected]

Graphic by Dana Balletta

Today from 1:00 - 4:00 PM in sites across Chinatown! Join us for "Performance Pilgrimages on the Immigrant History Trail...
05/16/2026

Today from 1:00 - 4:00 PM in sites across Chinatown! Join us for "Performance Pilgrimages on the Immigrant History Trail" to see six artists respond to and care for the site-specific histories of Boston Chinatown through water calligraphy, dance, storytelling, and more.

Learn more about today's event on our website: https://www.paoartscenter.org/events/2026/templeexhibit-pilgrimages

📅Saturday, May 16, 2026
🕰️ 1:00-4:00 PM
📍Sites throughout Chinatown
🌧️Raindate: Sunday, May 17

Today from 1:00 - 4:00 PM in sites across Chinatown! Join us for "Performance Pilgrimages on the Immigrant History Trail" to see six artists respond to and care for the site-specific histories of Boston Chinatown through water calligraphy, dance, storytelling, and more.

Join us this Saturday, 1:00 - 4:00 PM, for "Performance Pilgrimages on the Immigrant History Trail" and explore Boston C...
05/14/2026

Join us this Saturday, 1:00 - 4:00 PM, for "Performance Pilgrimages on the Immigrant History Trail" and explore Boston Chinatown’s streets and corners as memory archives activated through live performances.

RSVP on our website: https://www.paoartscenter.org/events/2026/templeexhibit-pilgrimages

What is the Immigrant History Trail? This multimedia public art project draws on Boston Chinatown's community archives to share stories about the neighborhood's working-class immigrant history. From 1954 through the 1960s, the twin public forces of urban renewal and interstate highway construction hacked away at the neighborhood. Highway construction took one-third of the housing stock, and then three acres of land went to hospital and university construction.

📅Saturday, May 16, 2026
🕰️ 1:00-4:00 PM
📍Sites throughout Chinatown
🌧️Raindate: Sunday, May 17

"Temple of Our Ancestral Dreams" and its public programming are supported by NEFA's Public Art for Spatial Justice program, with funding from the Barr Foundation, and the Fund for the Arts at NEFA. This exhibit is curated by Sung-Min Kim and Wenxuan Xue.

Photos courtesy of the Immigrant History Trail Project and CCLT.

Slide 2, top to bottom:
Immigrant History Trail marker for the China Pearl.
Immigrant History Trail marker for Shanghai Printing.

Address

99 Albany Street
Boston, MA
02111

Opening Hours

Wednesday 1pm - 5pm
Thursday 1pm - 6pm
Friday 1pm - 5pm
Saturday 1pm - 5pm

Telephone

+16178639080

Website

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