Guide to the Leland Wong papers
CEMA 128
Finding aid prepared by Mari Khasmanyan, 2015.
UC Santa Barbara Library, Department of Special Collections
University of California, Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California, 93106-9010
Phone: (805) 893-3062
Email: special@library.ucsb.edu; URL: http://www.library.ucsb.edu/special-collections
2015 November 3
Title: Leland Wong papers
Identifier/Call Number: CEMA 128
Contributing Institution:
UC Santa Barbara Library, Department of Special Collections
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
3.0 linear feet
(37 posters)
Date (inclusive): 1976-2003
Abstract: Leland Wong is a San Francisco-based illustrator, photographer, and screen printer renowned for his documentation of the Asian
American experience. This collection consists of 37 of his posters.
Physical Location: Del Norte map cases
Language of Materials: The collection is predominantly in English, with some Chinese material.
Access Restrictions
This collection is open for research.
Use Restrictions
Copyright has not been assigned to the Department of Special Collections, UCSB. All requests for permission to publish or
quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Collections. Permission for publication is given
on behalf of the Department of Special Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply
permission of the copyright holder, which also must be obtained.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of Item], Leland Wong papers, CEMA 128. Department of Special Research Collections, UC Santa Barbara Library,
University of California, Santa Barbara.
Acquisition Information
Donated by Leland Wong, April 2013.
Processing Information
Processed by Suzanne Im, 2013. Additional posters processed by Mari Khasmanyan and Husna Sayedi, 2015.
Biography
Leland Wong is a San Francisco-based illustrator, photographer, and screen printer renowned for his documentation of the Asian
American experience. Early on he became involved with Kearny Street Workshop, teaching photography classes and organizing
exhibits at the Jackson Street Gallery. Since 1974, he has designed posters and t-shirts for the Nihonmachi Street Fair, a
pan-Asian celebration of heritage held annually in August in San Francisco's Japantown. These posters have progressed from
having two colors in the first year, to over ten different colors.
Wong's artwork is inspired by his background as a Chinese American raised in San Francisco's Chinatown. He studied old Asian
prints and drawings and has included elements such as waves, the sun, the moon, clouds, dragons and other animals in his Street
Fair posters. The iconography used in his work is a testament to the influence of Asian art combined with his own unique experiences
of being American-born Chinese.
His work has been shown in many galleries, including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Corcoran Gallery in Washington,
D.C.
Wong has said of his work, "I want people to appreciate their heritage. People can look at the poster and identify with it.
It's kind of a community feeling for me."
Wong was the primary illustrator for the children's book
Exploring Chinatown: A Children's Guide to Chinese Culture, published in 2002 by Pacific View Press. He also provided illustrations for
I- Hotel, a novel by Karen Tei Yamashita, which was a finalist for the National Book Award in 2010.
Scope and Content
The collection documents the life and artwork of illustrator, photographer, and screen printer Leland Wong. It contains posters
created between 1976 and 2003 for the annual Nihonmachi Street Fair in San Francisco, as well as an array of various artwork.
Arrangement
This collection contains one series with contains 37 lithograph and silkscreen posters that are in alphabetical order.
Related Material
Kearny Street Workshop Archives (CEMA 33)
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Wong, Leland
Asian American artists--California--20th century
Asian Americans--California--San Francisco--Social life and customs
Festivals
Kearny Street Workshop
Map-case Del Norte Mapcase
3rd Annual Nihonmachi Street Fair
1976
General Physical Description note: Silkscreen; 18 x 24 in.
Comments/Descriptions
This is an announcement poster for "3rd Annual Nihonmachi Street Fair," written in red bold block letters at the top. Behind
the title of the poster there are smoke-like clouds. In the center of this image there is a red dragon depicted above red
waves. There are two red buildings located on both sides of the dragon. Beneath the dragon, there is a red sunset with yellow
colored sky. This poster is signed in pencil by Leland Wong on the bottom righthand corner.
Alternately titled
Dragon Drops Pearl Into the Tumultuous Sea on artist's website.
6th Annual Nihonmachi Street Fair
1979
General Physical Description note: Silkscreen; 20 x 26 in. Ed. 5/20
Comments/Description
This is an announcement poster for the "6th Annual Nihonmachi Street Fair," written in large red bubble letters at the top
of the image. There appears to be large prairie of greenery, with three yellow and orange flowers in the center. In the bottom
of the image there are three red and yellow scaled fish. In the background there is an image of a red sunset, black mountains,
and a few buildings. This poster is signed in pencil by Leland Wong on the bottom righthand side.
9th Annual Nihonmachi Street Fair
1982
General Physical Description note: Silkscreen; 19.5 x 25.5 in. Ed. A/P
Comments/Descriptions
This is an announcement poster for the "9th Annual Nihonmachi Street Fair." This poster contains five brown birds flying through
a corn maze. The background colors are a gradient of black, red, orange, and yellow. This poster is signed in pencil by Leland
Wong on the bottom righthand corner.
Alternately titled
Sparrows and Abundant Harvest on artist's website.
10th Annual Nihonmachi Street Fair
1983
General Physical Description note: Silkscreen; 20 x 26 in. Ed. A/P
Comments/Descriptions
This is an announcement poster for the "10th Annual Nihonmachi Street Fair." This image displays large koi fish in the sea
with a city shown in the background. The poster contains a red fish on the righthand side and a yellow fish on the lefthand
side, with a large black rock in between the two. At the top of this image, there are two red animal-like figures, with red
buildings behind them. This poster is signed in pencil by Leland Wong on the bottom righthand corner.
Alternately titled
Koi at Dragon Gate on artist's website.
11th Annual Hop Jok Fair
1984
General Physical Description note: Silkscreen; 10 x 26 in. Ed. 15/30
Comments/Description
This is an announcement poster for the "Hop Jok Fair." The border of this poster is an orange and black striped tiger, who
is shown biting the top of the announcement poster. There are Chinese translations in the center of the poster, and the bottom
reads "Cultural Performances, Music, Health Screening, Information, Food, Games, Arts and Crafts." This poster is signed in
pencil by Leland Wong on the bottom righthand corner.
11th Annual Kimochi Cherry Blossom Run/Walk
1992
General Physical Description note: Offset; 17 x 11 in.
Comments/Description
This is an announcement poster for the "11th Annual Kimochi Cherry Blossom Run/Walk." On the left of this image is a woman
with a blue and black coat holding the shoulder of a figure in red and pink colored attire. Behind these two figures is a
group of runners who are painted in black and white. There are directions, instructions, and sponsors listed on the righthand
side of this image.
11th Annual Nihonmachi Street Fair
1984
General Physical Description note: Silkscreen; 20 x 26 in. Ed. 91/285
Comments/Descriptions
This is an announcement poster for the "11th Annual Nihonmachi Street Fair." This poster appears to be inside of a book. TThe
silkscreen includes an image of a red, yellow, and green phoenix flying against a blue sky, with smaller white birds in the
background. There is an image of a large yellow and orange sun in the background, with a white and red colored flower on the
bottom of the image. There is a Chinese symbol sketched in pencil on the bottom. This poster is signed in pencil by Leland
Wong on the bottom righthand corner.
Alternately titled
Phoenix Flying To The Moon on artist's website.
12th Annual Nihonmachi Street Fair
1985
General Physical Description note: Silkscreen; 20 x 26 in. Ed. 47/245
Comments/Description
This is an announcement poster for the "12th Annual Nihonmachi Street Fair," written in orange and yellow bold letters at
the top. There is a green and white animal-like figure in the center, who stands on all fours on a piece of brown and yellow
rock. The rock and animal are surrounded by water. The background of the image includes buildings and orange mountains. This
poster is signed in pencil by Leland Wong on the bottom righthand corner.
14th Annual Nihonmachi Street Fair
1987
General Physical Description note: Silkscreen; 20 x 26 in. Ed. 54/300
Comments/Description
This is an announcement poster for the "14th Annual Nihonmachi Street Fair," written in red bold letters at the top of the
print. There are five butterflies in this image, each with its own unique pattern. There is a small, white butterfly in the
center of the image with four pink/orange dots. The largest butterfly on the right is mostly black, with red, pink, yellow,
orange, and brown dots. There is a yellow triangle located in the background of the image, and behind that, there are buildings
painted in shades of purple and pink. This poster is signed in pencil by Leland Wong on the bottom righthand corner.
15th Annual Nihonmachi Street Fair
1988
General Physical Description note: Silkscreen; 20 x 26 in. Ed. 26/285
Comments/Descriptions
This is an announcement poster for the "15th Annual Nihonmachi Street Fair." This poster consists of an image of purple irises.
There is a blue colored kingfisher bird at the top of the image, and the bird is shown facing downwards. There is a crowd
of people in the background, with buildings behind them. This poster is signed in pencil by Leland Wong on the bottom righthand
corner.
Alternately titled
Kingfisher and Irises on artist's website.
16th Annual Nihonmachi Street Fair
1989
General Physical Description note: Silkscreen; 20 x 26 in. Ed. 32/360
Comments/Description
This is an announcement poster for the "16th Annual Nihonmachi Street Fair," written in yellow block letters on the lefthand
side of the image. In the top center, there is a large blackbird with a yellow beak appearing to engage with a brown and red
dragon-like figure below it. In the background, there are buildings surrounded by yellow and orange smoke. This image is signed
in pencil by Leland Wong on the bottom righthand corner.
17th Annual Nihonmachi Street Fair
1990
General Physical Description note: Silkscreen; 20 x 26 in. Ed. 53/300
Comments/Description
This is an announcement poster for the "17th Annual Nihonmachi Street Fair," as the top banner of this image reads. In this
image, there is a lake with two large colorful ducks in the center. There are also green plants all throughout the water,
with pink and red lilies to the right of the image. In the background, there appears to be black and white buildings. This
poster is signed in pencil by Leland Wong on the bottom righthand corner.
18th Annual Nihonmachi Street Fair
1991
General Physical Description note: Silkscreen; 20 x 26 in. Ed. 36/325
Comments/Description
This is an announcement poster for the "18th Annual Nihonmachi Street Fair.". There is a large green, black, and white scaled
serpent in the center of the image, shown against a green and pink striped background. At the bottom of the print there are
four other animal-like figures all facing towards the serpent. Behind these figures, there is a black and white pagoda in
the background. This poster is signed in pencil by Leland Wong on the bottom righthand corner.
19th Annual Nihonmachi Street Fair
1992
General Physical Description note: Silkscreen; 20 x 26 in. Ed. 75/300
Comments/Descriptions
This is an announcement poster for the "19th Annual Nihonmachi Street Fair," written in black bold letters at the top. The
background of this image contains an array of red-crowned cranes, with two green snakes on the bottom right and left sides.
There are two larger red-crowned cranes on the top sides of the image. This poster is signed in pencil by Leland Wong on the
bottom righthand corner.
Alternately titled
Four Elements: Fire, Wind, Earth and Water on artist's website.
20th Annual Nihonmachi Street Fair
1993
General Physical Description note: Silkscreen; 26 x 20 in. Ed. 94/350
Comments/Description
This is an announcement poster for the "20th Annual Nihonmachi Street Fair," written in bold pink letters at the top. In the
center of this image, there is a small decorative pool with purple irises inside. Bordering the flowers is an orange and white
painted screen door. It is as if the viewer is looking inside the door to the pool of irises. Behind the irises is an image
of a cityscape with blue skies and white clouds in the background. This poster is signed in pencil by Leland Wong on the bottom
righthand corner.
21st Annual Nihonmachi Street Fair
1994
General Physical Description note: Silkscreen; 26 x 20 in. Ed. 60/250
Comments/Description
This is an announcement poster for the "21st Annual Nihonmachi Street Fair," written in large blue bold letters in the top
center of the image. On the bottom of the print there is an image of two young children: a girl in orange is shown on the
right, with a boy wearing a blue sweater on the left. There are also two small figures in red and blue bordering the sides
of the print. The background colors consist of red and yellow hues. This poster is signed in pencil by Leland Wong on the
bottom righthand corner.
22nd Annual Nihonmachi Street Fair
1995
General Physical Description note: Silkscreen; 26 x 20 in. Ed. 174/300
Comments/Description
This is an announcement poster for the "22nd Annual Nihonmachi Street Fair," written in red bold letters at the top of the
print. Both sides of the print include an image of two large red-crowned cranes which seem to be looking at one another. Centered
between the two cranes is an image of a red pagoda shown against a pink hued sky. The bottom of this print shows a large crowd
of figures shaded in black and green hues. This poster is signed in pencil by Leland Wong on the bottom righthand corner.
23rd Annual Nihonmachi Street Fair
1996
General Physical Description note: Silkscreen; 26 x 20 in. Ed. 31/265
Comments/Description
This is an announcement poster for the "23rd Annual Nihonmachi Street Fair," as the top of this image reads in bold red letters
against a blue background. This image contains three figures, two men and a woman. The man on the far left appears to be barbecuing
meat for hamburgers. The man in the middle and the woman on the far right are each holding a hamburger. This poster is signed
in pencil by Leland Wong on the bottom righthand corner.
24th Annual Nihonmachi Street Fair
1997
General Physical Description note: Silkscreen; 26 x 20 in. Ed. 39/250
Comments/Description
This is an announcement poster for the "24th Annual Nihonmachi Street," written at the top of this image in red bold letters.
The center consists of a flying woman draped in a blue and red cloak. She is shown in the action of dropping down food from
a plate she is carrying. There are two other women behind her also tossing down food. The women appear to be giving food to
two dragon-like fish on either side of the image. These fish have brown and red scales, and they seem to be floating over
a grey roof. This poster is signed in pencil by Leland Wong on the bottom righthand corner.
25th Annual Nihonmachi Street Fair
1998
General Physical Description note: Silkscreen; 26 x 20 in. Ed. 20/250
Comments/Descriptions
This is an announcement poster for the "25th Annual Nihonmachi Street Fair," written in red block letters through the center
of the image. The background is in gray color tone with various animals shown bordering the print. These animals consist of
a tiger, a dragon, and two green turtle-like figures. In the background there are buildings in shades of grey and black. This
poster is signed in pencil by Leland Wong on the bottom righthand corner.
Alternately titled
Four Animals on artist's website.
26th Annual Nihonmachi Street Fair
1999
General Physical Description note: Silkscreen; 26 x 20 in. Ed. 22/230
Comments/Description
This is an announcement poster for the "26th Nihonmachi Street Fair," written in bold letters on both sides of the image.
There is a large orange and red koi fish in the center. It appears that the fish are swimming against a current of water.
The water is painted in shades of blue, teal, and white. The background includes images of buildings and cityscapes. There
is also a figure shown on the far lefthand corner peering at the koi fish. This poster is signed in pencil by Leland Wong
on the bottom righthand corner.
28th Annual Nihonmachi Street Fair
2001
General Physical Description note: Silkscreen; 26 x 20 in. Ed. 25/170
Comments/Description
This is an announcement poster for the "28th Annual Nihonmachi Street Fair," written in red bold letters at the top of the
image. There is a large red-crowned crane on the righthand side of the poster. In the middle there is a large tree that is
surrounded by buildings. In the background there appears to be pink smoke in a mushroom-cloud shape. This poster is signed
in pencil by Leland Wong on the bottom righthand corner.
29th Annual Nihonmachi Street Fair
2002
General Physical Description note: Silkscreen; 26 x 20 in. Ed. AP
Comments/Description
This is an announcement poster for the "29th Annual Nihonmachi Street Fair," written at the top of this image in orange bold
letters. This is an image of a large fishtank with white, orange, yellow, and red koi fish swimming about the tank. Inside
the tank there is a small disk-shaped tower, with pebbles on the bottom. In the background, there is a crowd of people looking
inside of the fishtank. This poster is signed in pencil by Leland Wong on the bottom righthand corner.
30th Annual Nihonmachi Street Fair
2003
General Physical Description note: Silkscreen; 26 x 20 in. Ed. 87/150 and Ed. 6/150
Comments/Descriptions
This is an announcement poster for the "30th Annual Nihonmachi Street Fair." This image contains a brown planter box with
a large green bonsai tree inside of it. The background of the poster is in an orange and yellow colored gradient. The poster
includes an image of a mini green pagoda inside a planter box, of which a figure is peering into. This poster is signed in
pencil by Leland Wong on the righthand side. (There are two of these posters with different edition numbers).
Alternately titled
Bonsai Tears Revisited on artist's website.
Asian American Media Communications presents: Coming Together
April 20, 1973
General Physical Description note: Silkscreen; 20 x 25 in.
Comments/Description
This is an announcement poster for a "Benefit Dance-Concert with Mundo, Hiroshima, Lady red, and Mabuhay." There is a red,
white, and black swirl in the middle of the page. The writings on this poster are displayed in red, black, and white. The
bottom of the poster reads "Lights by Red Lantern." This poster is signed in pencil by Leland Wong on the bottom righthand
corner.
Asian American Theater Company Presents: Paper Angels by Genny Lim, directed by Amy Hill
General Physical Desctiption note: Silkscreen; 26 x 17.75 in. Ed. A/P
Comments/Descriptions
The background consists of a gold damask pattern over red coloring. In the center of the print, there is a slanted semi-circle
with a group of people on a ship to its left. The print includes an image of natural landscape, such as oceans and mountains.
Text above the ocean reads "Paper Angels" in front of a red sun with blue clouds circulating them. This poster is signed in
pencil by Leland Wong on the bottom righthand corner.
Children Don't Need Smoke!
1992-1993
General Physical Description note: Offset; 17 x 22 in.
Comments/Description
This poster reads "Children Don't Need Smoke!" at the top, followed by a translation in Chinese. There is a cartoon-like drawing
beneath the title, of a large cigarette pointed at a boy. Beneath the image, the poster reads "Children Need:" and then it
is proceeded by six small images of "Home," "Sun," "Food," "Rain," "Friends," and "Love." There are two calendars of the years
1992 and 1993 on both sides of the poster. This poster is signed in pencil by Leland Wong on the bottom righthand corner.
A Grain of Sand, We are Still Here and Going Strong
October 2, 1997
General Physical Description note: Silkscreen; 26 x 20 in.
Comments/Description
This print includes an image of three figures in the center of the piece, they are painted in shades of black and white. The
man on the right is holding a guitar, while a woman and man with a microphone are shown next to him. Behind them is a crowd
of people forming an purple and orange shaded audience. The top of the poster reads "A Grain of Sand." This poster is signed
in pencil by Leland Wong on the bottom righthand corner.
In Celebration of the Japanese Community Youth Council's 10th Anniversary
1980
General Physical Description note: Silkscreen; 17.5 x 23 in.
Comments/Description
This image has a yellow, black, and red border. In the center there is an image of a large hand mirror with five people inside
the glass. Of the five figures, the individual in the center is shown wearing a blue coat. To the right of this figure, there
are two men with sunglasses, and to the left are two women. The hand mirror has yellow designed leaves on it. Behind the mirror
are black branches with red flowers. There are also blue waves on the bottom of the branches. The bottom of this poster contains
a yellow rope on a yellow background. This poster is signed in pencil by Leland Wong on the bottom righthand corner.
Kimochi Cherry Blossom Run
1991
General Physical Description note: Silkscreen; 26 x 20 in.
Comments/Description
This poster contains a series of small images, corresponding to years spanning from 1982 to 1991. There are three rows of
images. The center image, corresponding to the year 1987, shows a woman's feet in flip flop sandals with chrysanthemums in
the upper righthand corner. On the left of this poster, a red border reads "10 Years." This poster is signed in pencil by
Leland Wong on the bottom righthand corner.
Not on the Menu
1981
General Physical Description note: Offset; 20 x 16 in.
Comments/Description
This image consists of two black and white photographs, side by side, under the title "Not on the Menu." To the right is Chinese
characters. The photograph on the lefthand side shows two elderly women, one seated and one standing. The photograph on the
right shows a young man staring forwards. These photographs are outlined in a white border on a gray background. This poster
is signed in pencil by Leland Wong on the bottom righthand corner.
Personal Justice Denied: The Legacy Continues
1998
General Physical Description note: Silkscreen; 26 x 18 in.
Comments/Description
The middle of the print reads: "instructions to all persons of Japanese ancestry," which is displayed on a long, yellow rectangular
strip. On the right side of the poster, there are two images on top of one another. The top image displays three elderly Asian
men in spectacles. The image beneath writes "students buddhaheads unite!" along with images of children. On the left side
of the rectangular strip, is an image of two men and three children. One of the men is carrying a young girl who appears to
be asleep. This poster is signed in pencil by Leland Wong on the bottom righthand corner.
Screen Printing Workshops
1998
General Physical Description note: Silkscreen; 26 x 20 in. Ed: 17/90
Comments/Description
This image is bordered by a red printed calendar. The top of the poster reads "1998 Sceen Printing Workshops: ongoing workshops
at SOMAR thru August 1998 with Leland Wong, screen printing artist." There appears to be an image of a family of five. There
are two children sitting around a birthday cake, and two standing women in the back. Leland Wong appears to be seated next
to the children. This poster is signed in pencil by Leland Wong on the bottom righthand corner.
The Street Fair Committee Presents...There's Gonna be Another Showdown
1970
General Physical Description note: Silkscreen; 17.5 x 22.5 in.
Comments/Description
This announcement poster displays a black and white circular image in the center. In the circle, there is a man with his back
facing the viewer. There is another man in the shadows facing the first figure. In the background, there is a bright moon
surrounded by curved pagodas. This poster is signed in pencil by Leland Wong on the bottom righthand corner.
(title unknown)
General Physical Description note: Silkscreen; 18.5 x 22 in. Ed. 9/44
Comments/Description
The background consists of a red brick wall with three red squares in the top lefthand side. There is a yellow border around
the three red squares along the brick wall. In the foreground, a man wearing blue attire as well as a blue hat, is kneeled
on the ground with both hands facing outwards. His shoes are black and have a white lining on the bottom. This poster is signed
in pencil by Leland Wong on the bottom righthand corner.
(title unknown)
General Physical Description note: Silkscreen; 23 x 17.5 in. Ed. 35/53
Comments/Description
This image consists of shades of brown, black, and white. In the foreground, a woman wearing a midriff tanktop that reads
"San Francisco 100" appears to be looking at her hand. In the background there is a large crowd of people. In the far background
of the piece are building structures. This poster is signed in pencil by Leland Wong on the bottom righthand corner.
(title unknown)
General Physical Description note: Silkscreen; 22.5 x 15 in. Ed. 24/55
Comments/Description
This image consists of shades of black, white, and a dark teal color. On the lefthand side, there is a large image of an Asian
man who appears to be speaking. In the background, there is a crowd of people facing forwards. On the righthand side, there
are two pipes coming from the top and bottom of the image. This poster is signed in pencil by Leland Wong on the bottom righthand
corner.
