SAN FRANCISCO—The JW Marriott San Francisco Union Square has unveiled an installation of 100 hand-balanced red lanterns in its Refusalon Gallery, located on the entry level of the hotel, to celebrate the Chinese New Year.
General Manager Paul Toner stated, “We want to greet guests and the local community with an international art experience reflective of San Francisco’s multicultural heritage.”
Artist Justin Charles Hoover spotted the lanterns as they were about to be discarded. Every year, Chinatown’s Grant Ave. is decorated with new lanterns to herald the lunar new year. For centuries, red lanterns have symbolized vitality and good fortune in Chinese culture.
San Francisco is home to the largest Chinatown outside of Asia and the oldest Chinatown in North America. The neighborhood was founded in the mid-1850s.
“As the son of a Chinese-American immigrant and Anglo-Saxon father, I’m dedicated to the preservation of my heritage. I salvaged the lanterns and carefully placed them on top of one another to create a towering art installation signifying the glory of the Chinese culture,” says Hoover.
The JW Marriott San Francisco Union Square is located near the city’s Financial District at 515 Mason St.