A community-led public art project will preserve the history of Seattle’s Chinese community and honor those affected by the Chinese Expulsion of 1886 through a permanent installation near the site where much of that history unfolded.
Helping History Find a Home
The Chinese American Legacy Art Project was more than 20 years in the making.
Community historian Doug Chin first proposed the idea while serving as president of OCA Asian Pacific American Advocates of Greater Seattle. A governing committee was later formed with the Wing Luke Museum as fiscal sponsor, working toward a permanent installation at Occidental Park near the historic Chinese settlement.
Designed by artist Stewart Wong, the sculpture commemorates the Chinese Expulsion of 1886, when hundreds of Chinese immigrants were forcibly rounded up and taken to Seattle’s waterfront for expulsion.
Getting Over the Hump
By late 2025, the City of Seattle and members of the local Chinese American community had contributed the majority of the project's funding, but more was still needed to bring the sculpture to life.
SeattleFWC26 contributed $50,000 and used the attention surrounding the World Cup to invite soccer fans and others across the region to match the gift. At the time, the project had raised approximately 58 percent of the funding it needed.
The campaign helped advance a community priority years in the making toward its planned unveiling in 2027.
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