Chinatown was barren when COVID-19 hit New York City along with the rest of the world. According to the New York Times, nearly 17 restaurants and 139 ground floor stores closed in Chinatown during the pandemic. Violent Crimes against Asian Americans were on the rise with 517 anti-Asian crimes in New York as of February 28, 2021 because former president Donald Trump relentlessly called the coronavirus the Chinese virus. The vibrant and inspiring neighborhood that many tourists are attracted to were nowhere to be seen.

As the long awaited vaccine revitalized the city, Chinatown was ready for an artistic revival. The residents of the famous neighborhood and visitors were yearning to have life flow within the streets again. Activist Karlin Chan and artists Peach Tao and Marissa Molina created a solution: the Chinatown Mural Project. Chan’s knowledge of the neighborhood and connection to its residents and Tao’s talent as a muralist made them the perfect duo to get the project started and Molina became the perfect addition to the project.

Tao is an illustrator and muralist with a printmaking background. She was a talented artist as a kid, but didn’t think she could go into it professionally. After not getting into her school of choice in China, she received an acceptance letter from Savannah College of Art and Design, “So I’m like, ‘Okay, I guess it’s time for me to go to America,’” she said.

Having enjoyed the diverse student body where she made friends from around the globe, Tao started doing murals throughout 2019. She began with a couple of school murals until she was doing up to nine a year. She thought, “Oh, this is a good direction, I really enjoy it because I really enjoy interacting with communities.”

Molina is a New York based artist who specializes in large-scale paintings such as murals as well as wearable sculpture. Earning her BA in Departmental Art Honors and World History from the University at Albany, SUNY in 2010, she also earned her MFA in Studio Art at The City College of New York in 2014.

She was raised by her father who left behind extreme poverty in El Salvador to work in sanitation. “I have always admired how he views the world and been enthralled by his stories growing up. Especially as I focus on identity and how people are viewed and present themselves the more I want to showcase the stories and culture that make up one’s life.”

As an artist, she’s noticed that her art encapsulates the bright colors typical in Central American art, having been influenced by indigenous wardrobes and one of her favorite childhood books, “The Magic Dogs of the Volcanos.”

Molina has always had a profound interest in people. She believes that people are in a cycle of constantly yearning and disposing of different parts of their lives, but that cycle ends up being their own personal history. Having travelled the world, volunteered abroad, and with her multicultural background, Molina’s art focuses on identity.

Currently, Molina is the Mural Program Director for Thrive Collection, a New York City based nonprofit organization that creates opportunities through arts, sports, and mentoring in and around public schools. Her first volunteer project was the ‘Coney Island’s Resilience’ after Hurricane Sandy in 2013.

The collaborative project started in June of 2020 when Tao’s friend, Molina, suggested during the summer protests about racial injustice that she do some paintings to boost the morale for the rallies. Molina, who had already been working with Chan on documentaries during the pandemic, connected Tao with him. Chan immediately liked her style and Tao’s adaptive skill set made her the perfect artist to begin something that would excite people. Thus, the Chinatown Mural Project was born.

Tao is the resident artist who comes up with sketches and designs as well as leading the entire painting process. “Sometimes I will use my friends to help me color,” she added.

Tao continued to explain the process, “But the main concept idea is me and Karlin will talk about like, the animals cooking was my idea. The dragon was because Karlin was the head of the dragon dance team. So he gave me a lot more input. He’s the whole mastermind behind it and I think eventually we’re branching into getting more artists as well.”

Once the Chinatown Mural Project began, Tao reached back out to Molina. “I have worked with Peach many times in the past through a non-profit called Thrive Collective. I’ve watched as Peach has gone far with the Chinatown Mural Project and was honored when she wanted me to come and help with the portraiture.”

“The project is really important because it aims to reflect the rich culture, history, and daily lives of the residents of Chinatown.” She continued about her excitement centered around the project, “Especially as New York City is constantly evolving, having mural work that highlights the nuances and elements that authentically reflect those who live there is truly important. Representation really matters in feeling welcomed somewhere, so the more people see themselves celebrated, the better.”

One of their most popular new murals is of Chinese American Activist Corky Lee on Doyers Street. Done in a Willow pattern entirely in blues and whites, the mural shows Lee’s life progression from left to right with railroads joining both sides, a reference to the work Asian Americans did on the U.S. railroad system.

Also, the entirety of the asphalt on Doyers Street is painted with all the vibrant colors of the rainbow lapping over each other. Now dozens of people eat and pass by on the painted street everyday. The mural art has now become a part of the neighborhood’s life.

Chan started a GoFundMe to raise money for the Chinatown Mural Project and has reached $5,285 from 87 donors, just over half of the page’s $10,000 goal. The money goes to supplies for the project and they hope to have a contest of sorts. People who tag or take selfies with the murals will be eligible to be randomly selected as the winner which includes a free dinner at a Chinatown restaurant.

Tao and Molina have successfully brought heavier, positive colors back into Chinatown, “Like I’m not gonna say we’re curing cancer, but help brighten up the mood because I remember in March and it was very sad looking,” Tao added.

The Chinatown Mural Project is being recognized by longtime residents of the neighborhood just as much as tourists are enjoying it. Passerby’s take their phones out to snap a photo of Molina’s or Tao’s murals or of Doyers Street filled with people eating and exploring. Whether this is just the beginning of the Project or not, the two of them are lifting up people spirits one bold paint stroke at a time.