Lunar New Year is a time when community members celebrate the welcoming of a prosperous and lucky new year. Storefronts (店面 in Chinese, pronounced diàn miàn in Mandarin and dinmin in Cantonese ) hang red banners with new year’s wishes, Chinese lanterns light up the streets, and families gather to watch lion dancers perform. As the oldest operating store in Manhattan’s Chinatown, Wing on Wo & Co. is a center for community gathering that aims to pay tribute to the rich history of its community. 

For the second 店面 Residency, we are calling for artists to create a window display for the storefront at 26 Mott Street in New York City, in celebration of the lunar new year and the year of the dog. This is a funded half-year long residency from October 1 - March 12, 2018. There are no restrictions on artists’ mediums, age, nationality, ethnicity, gender, or any other criteria. Visual artists, writers, poets, activists, filmmakers, curators, designers, architects, makers & tinkerers and more are all invited to apply. We only require that applicants be based in the New York area with a preference given to those who currently reside in Chinatown. We strongly encourage members of the Asian diaspora and those with a socially engaged practice to apply. 

The 店面 Store-Front Residency provides:

  • $1,000 artist honorarium 
  • $800 for materials and production
  • Studio space in Wing on Wo & Co’s basement studio, equipped with silkscreen facilities*
  • Exhibition space (storefront window) to exhibit proposed project, to be shown February 12 - March 12, 2018. 
  • Project support from China Residencies and The W.O.W Project
  • 3 visits from curators and arts professionals, selected by The W.O.W Project in accordance with the artist’s practice
  • Artist Talk (optional)
  • Opening reception party for the unveiling of the window display
  • Closing dinner with program partners at Junzi Kitchen 

*Please note that Wing on Wo & Co is a family business and therefore we are unable to provide unlimited access to the studio space during the 5 month residency period. The schedule will be determined by the selected resident and the Wing on Wo & Co family to accommodate the needs of those involved. 

This residency does not provide housing, meals, or transportation costs.

To learn more about last year’s residency, read our interview with the inaugural 店面 Residency artist-in-residence, Melissa Liu. 


The screen-printing studio at Wing On Wo & Co


The deadline for the application is midnight EST on Thursday, September 7th. Apply online here or directly in the form below. Application fees are not required, however we are requesting a suggested donation of USD $25 to support administrative costs for this initiative.

Our jury members for the 2nd 店面 Storefront Residency are Lorraine & Gary Lum, Juliet Philips, Tomie Arai, Ryan Wong, Melissa Liu, An Xiao Mina, and Evan Louis. They will review all proposals and notify finalists by September 11, 2017. The selected resident will be announced on September 18, 2017. 



This residency is made in part possible thanks to the continued support of Nom Wah Tea Parlor .

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