Rick Wong setting up the exhibit in the Nisei Veterans Hall on April 5. It will open Sat May 6, 12-3 PM & Sun May 7, 11 AM – 3 PM. Later dates are May 13-14, 20-21, & 27-28, all 11 AM – 3 PM, 1212 S. King St., Seattle. Photo: DY
By David Yamaguchi
The North American Post
In recent issues, the NAP has been posting grant opportunities in its classified ads as space permits. A recent recipient of one such grant is a group of ten International District photographers that includes the widely known Theo Bickel, John Pai, Dean Wong and Rick Wong.
Project lead Rick Wong roped in his friend, Ron Choi, as project manager.
With funding from the City of Seattle Dept. of Neighborhoods, the group set out to capture the ID during late 2022. The fruits of their effort will be on display across May in the form of numerous enlargements set up on cubicle dividers at Nisei Veterans Hall.
The project shows what is possible when a community group capitalizes on a grant to make a worthwhile endeavor happen. The set of photos will preserve the ID in a snapshot in time, when it was struggling through the pandemic, with boarded up businesses, homelessness, drugs (fentanyl), street crime, anti-Asian hate and development projects, all of which still persist today.
