Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco

The Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco is a premier cultural arts institution dedicated to uplifting artists and communities through innovative programming and exhibition. Operating from multiple locations including the CCC Visual Art Center at 750 Kearny Street and the experimental community art space at 41 Ross in Chinatown's historic alleyway, the organization presents contemporary art exhibitions, performances, and public art projects that reach hundreds of thousands of audience members annually. The Center's core programming includes signature exhibition series such as XianRui (Fresh and Sharp), which promotes exceptional but under-recognized artists of Chinese descent, and Present Tense, examining current trends in emerging artists' work. Beyond visual arts, the organization offers community engagement activities through the Him Mark Lai Learning Center, providing education about Chinese American history and culture while offering insight into featured artists' inspirations. The Center hosts annual festivals including Spring Festival, Chinatown Music Festival, and Dance on Waverly, alongside year-round Chinatown tours for schoolchildren and visitors. With five decades of embedded community experience, the Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco has led complex public art projects and creative place-making initiatives supported by Grants for the Arts, the San Francisco Arts Commission, and the SF Municipal Transportation Agency. The organization was recently selected for the prestigious "Our Town" grant funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, recognizing its commitment to transforming Chinatown into a museum without walls through innovative public space activation and community-centered art interventions.