Chinatown 'Gateway' Sculpture Has No Link To Area, Critics Say

CHINATOWN, NY — A plan for a spiral sculpture in Chinatown that's years in the making is facing scrutiny because critics say the design shows no connection to the neighborhood.

The "Gateways to Chinatown" project led by the Department of Transportation would place a tower-like metal sculpture at a future plaza area on Canal Street. It's supported by the Chinatown Partnership Business Improvement District and the Van Alen Institute.

The conceptual design, called "The Dragon's Roar," features hundreds of circles and is intended to connect with symbols in Chinese culture, a presentation about the $1 million project said.

But the abstract connection to Chinese culture didn't sit well with critics of the sculpture, despite being designed by Australian-Chinese artist, Lindy Lee.

"I'm against the design obviously because the design doesn't mean anything to Chinatown," said Shirley Ng, who is working to launch a non-profit called the Chinatown Organization for Media Awareness.

"There's no personal connection to the community," said Ng, who grew up in the neighborhood and still works in Chinatown. "If you look at it, it doesn't tell you [that] you know you are in Chinatown."

Philip Poon, an architect who had applied to design the project, was critical of how Chinese-Americans were represented, noting that people who presented plans for it at a Community Board 1 committee meeting Tuesday were not Chinese.

"It just doesn't look good when a bunch of white people in front of the room are speaking on behalf of people of color, especially people of color from a working class-immigrant community," said Poon.

To "think that it's as easy at the color red or titling the piece 'The Dragon's Roar' — this is a little bit surprising for 2019 in New York," he added, noting how red is one example often seen as a reference to Chinese architecture.

Another neighbor penned an op-ed in the Bowery Boogie calling the design "out of touch."

Community Board 1's parks and cultural committee voted Tuesday to send a letter to DOT expressing "strong concerns" regarding the design and community input, a staffer for CB 1 said. Community Board 3 will likely weigh-in when the design team returns to the board this fall, per the board.

Back in 2012, Wellington Chen, who leads Chinatown's BID, sought to bring a gateway or arch to the Chinatown neighborhood, seen in Chinatown communities nationwide, the New York Daily News reported at the time. A quarter-million dollars allocated in 2005 was ultimately rescinded when plans died out, the News reported.

Nearly 15 years later, the project remains in the conceptual design phase.

The artist Lee, UAP and LEVENBETTS were chosen as the design team for the project, which would bring a "new landmark" to the triangle where Canal and Walker streets intersect, DOT said in a 2017 release.

DOT representative Alana Morales said the department is "engaging with Community Boards, elected officials, and community stakeholders on the conceptual design for this project."

"After completing this round of outreach, we will consider feedback and determine next steps. We plan to return to the Community Boards this fall with updates," Morales said.

The proposed sculpture's critics had some ideas for public input.

Ng said Italian-American and Chinese-American artists should partner to highlight both histories of Little Italy and Chinatown.

Amy Chin, head of a non-profit called CREATE in Chinatown, suggested allowing people to vote on a group of finalists.

"Art is very subjective — some people will love something while others don't," said Chin, noting her frustration lies more with the process than the design itself. "But, if it is being paid for with nearly $1 million of public tax dollars and meant to be an iconic ‘Chinatown Gateway’ for the community, it should resonate with the community it represents. That’s a tall order for sure, but at the very least, it shouldn’t trigger community anger."

See the full presentation below:

July 2019 Presentation On Gateways To Chinatown Project by Sydney Pereira on Scribd