Denver, Colorado
Exhibition and Installation
In collaboration with History Colorado and CAPU
2024
Exhibition and Installation
In collaboration with History Colorado and CAPU
2024
Team Members: Blake Brooks, Hannah Drummond, Jacob Kloberdanz, Xandra Lorenz, Timoteo Mason, Trevor Motzko, Jackson Pedrazzi, Sadie Rafferty, Julia Schmidt, Sammriddha Shrestha, Urban Tu, and Brandon Wunder
Photos: Act One Photography and Jesse Kuroiwa
"Where is Denver's Chinatown?" is an exhibition curated by Leyuan Li in collaboration with History Colorado and Colorado Asian Pacific United. It is a collective effort to unearth Denver's erased Chinatown.
Historically, the old Chinatown in Denver was a residential and business district between Wazee and Market Streets and from 15th Street to 20th Street. Due to historical moments of racial discrimination, social injustice, and political unrest, the old Chinatown, once considered the largest in the interior West, was demolished by the 1940s and is nowadays rarely known by the public. However, as the city continues to grow, so does the urgency to unearth the hidden history while reimaging a possible future for Denver's Chinatown. In response to these questions, the exhibition presents a series of research findings that interrogate the suppression of Chinese communities and their settlements by unfolding the social, cultural, and political conditions that shaped these historical interiors. It also showcases a series of design projects that propose a collective re-imagination of Denver's Chinatown, speculating on a possible future for an affordable and sustainable community. By offering new modes of spatial production and visual narrative, the exhibition aims to enhance public awareness of the hidden history, calling attention to the spatial and social prospects of Denver's Chinatown as a site of optimism and hope.