JULIE WONG (黄福慈) — Artist, Activist, Educator  

Drawing on the rich diversity of traditional crafts often considered to be “women’s work,” artist, activist, and educator Julie Wong (黄福慈) uses reclaimed textiles and salvaged materials to create large-scale works and installations gleefully disrupting the male gaze and empowering women.  

RECENT EXHIBITIONS  

“Fashion vs. Fascism” — Selected as one of five artists to combine art and fashion in designing a capsule collection debunking fascist tropes to be presented at the historic Oakland Rotunda, Oakland, CA. Organized with activist Angela Davis and Berkeley poet laureate Aya De Leon, funded by the Institute for Policy Studies, the United States’ oldest progressive think tank. (Upcoming October 3, 2026)

“Art and Activism” — Community Project with the Bayganda Foundation, nurturing creativity and practical sewing skills in children and youth in the Bay Area and expanding access to education for girls in Uganda while cultivating global youth leadership through creativity, connection, and philanthropy. Workshop Leader: Create fabric portraits for a friendship quilt honoring the real-life heroes active in our communities and documenting student goals for improving our communities. 1740 Alcatraz Ave, Berkeley, CA. (Summer 2026)  

“We, The Peoples” — Lead artist created four 12-foot-tall mobile goddesses representing the Native American, Latin@, African, and Asian cultures that have shaped Los Angeles. Selected out of 400+ applications for the Inaugural LACMA Art Parade curated by Jeffrey Deitch celebrating the opening of the David Geffen Galleries. Miracle Mile/Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA. Attended by 60,000+ people, the largest event in Los Angeles County Museum of Art history. (June 20, 2026)

“Embodied Sound” — Group Exhibition at Sound Dhaba, Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA Arts District) art gallery and jazz music venue, 2441 Hunter St, Los Angeles CA. (April-May 2026)  

Various Group Exhibitions, Textile and Mixed Media — Works supporting inclusive themes and marginalized communities at Raven’s Gallery, 1545 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA. (February-July 2026)  

“The Ark of Us”— Solo Exhibition, Site-specific Installation at Temple Grounds, open air community art and live performance venue, 1650 West Temple St, Los Angeles, CA. (March-May 2026)  

“Inside the Red Tent” — Solo Exhibition Site-Specific Installation Pop Up for Women’s History Month at the invitation of Barnsdall Art Center director, Sarah Shin, Barnsdall Art Park in front of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hollyhock House, UNESCO Heritage Site, 4814 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA. (March 2026)  

“No Kings Protest” — Community Collaboration, Giant Human Banner and Large-Scale Sand Mandalas with  Andres Amador honoring the red thread that binds us together at Ocean Beach, San Francisco. (March 28, 2026)  

Ongoing Community Projects — STEAM Learning Institute, Nature Journaling Teaching Artist, Bay Area CA State Parks: Moss Beach, Portola Redwoods, San Bruno Mountains. (January 2024-present)  

“Tree of Life” Bi-Coastal Community Art Project — Focused on the interconnectedness of all beings and forms in the natural world. CB8M (Manhattan Community Board 8) Art Show at James Cagney Place, Upper East Side, Manhattan, New York, Sunset District, San Francisco, and Los Feliz District, Los Angeles. (October 2025)  

“Visible Together:1000 Paper Cranes” — Solo Exhibition Site-Specific Installation celebrating Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander Heritage Month created using 1000 paper origami cranes folded by  Congressional Representative Ted Lieu, Woman’s Bureau Director, Wendy Chun-Hon, Department of Labor Chief Information Officer Gundeep Ahluwalia, and other community members with messages supporting the welfare of U.S. workers, Department of Labor Headquarters, Frances Perkins Building, Washington DC. (May 2023)  

Private Collection – Commissioned by Federal Executive Institute Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion under President Biden, MarthaEllen Florence. Tapestries created using reclaimed textiles and salvaged materials. Lincoln, Nebraska. (March 2023)  

AWARDS  

Bridge to Basel Competition 2026-27: One of 10 finalists chosen from national pool to participate in Bridge to Basel, a highly selective program organized by the Fashion For All Foundation in New York supporting diverse and emerging artists in the of fields fashion, art, and design by exposing them to the structure of art world during Art Basel in Miami, FL. Participated in intensive Bridge to Basel seminar and workshop series featuring artists (multimedia artist Katherine Bernhardt, film director Hype Williams, textile artist Desmond Beach), gallery owners (UBS, Pen + Brush Foundation, Richard Beavers), and major design houses (LMVH, J. Crew, Denim Tears).  

Created capstone project drawing on experiences at Art Basel, Miami: The Ark of Us.  

EDUCATION

• Yale University, BA Comparative Literature (Spanish, French, Chinese), magna cum laude, (1986)  

• Northwestern Kellogg Graduate School of Management, MBA (Global Marketing), Dean’s List (1991)  

• San Jose State University, Critical Research Academy for Social Justice in Public Schools, MA Education, Multicultural Curriculum Award (2005)  

• University of Southern California Price School of Public Policy, MRED, (Affordable Housing Design), Lusk Fellow (2021)  

• U.S. Departments of Labor and Commerce, Presidential Management Fellow under President Biden working on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (2021-2023)

Speaks five languages: Native English, Fluent Spanish and French, Family Language Cantonese, Basic Mandarin