Lunar New Year 2023: Reflecting/Envisioning Chinatown
On January 22rd, 2023 The Humanities Truck joined the 1882 Foundation in celebrating Lunar New Year by showing a documentary titled “Flashback: Oral Histories of D.C. Chinatown” and hosting a community celebration called “Reflecting/Envisioning Chinatown” where we invited parade attendees to reflect on their favorite Lunar New Year traditions, self and community representation, and the year of the Rabbit.
Learn more about the event and documentary below!
Parked in front of the Wah Luck House on 6th, the Truck served as a interactive stop on the parade route where parade goers could reflect on the year that was ending and envision the new year.
Utilizing printed prompt cards, we invited participants to respond to one of four prompts that explored self portraits, favorite lunar new years traditions, the significance of Chinatown, and the year of the Rabbit, as well as capturing participant portraits that could then be added to the community portrait that was built on site inside the Truck’s maker space.
Most participants opted to participate in the community portrait building, during which Director Dan Kerr captured a snapshot that was then live printed by graduate fellows Morgan Carroll and Megan Henry. Two copies of these portraits were provided to each participant, one as a personal keepsake, and one to be added to the community portrait.
A digital rendering of the portrait can be seen below.
