Hold Me Close Art Show: A Celebration of Joy, Love, and Community

a reflection by Carolyn Chu and Alyssa Yang

The Hold Me Close art show focused on the different ways in which we find connection to the people around us, both in small, intimate moments and bright, crowded spaces. We conceived of this show for the first time back in February 2025. It was a theme befitting the Ocean Avenue Association (OAA) space, given the work the organization has invested in revitalizing the Ingleside art scene and supporting local businesses of Ocean Avenue. Alyssa has also previously been a part of the SF Open Studios hosted by the Ocean Ave Association, as well as the mural open calls via Ocean Ave’s collabs with Artspan SF, where she created a vibrant window installation piece on The Plant Lady’s storefront.

Our vision for the show was inspired by community-rooted DIY and accessible art experiences for us as exhibitors, for our creative network as vendors to pop up at the show, and for the audience attending. It was heartwarming to see in the weeks leading up to the event, that many of the businesses all along Ocean Ave had our event flyers taped up on their windows in English, Chinese, and Spanish translations.

We focused on exploring different interpretations of the theme “Hold Me Close” in our artwork. These depictions ranged from jubilant parties to intimate moments with friends, lovers, pets, and grandmothers. While Alyssa’s art uses super saturated colors to create intimate peeks into private moments and memories, Carolyn’s style is more narrative-driven, blending traditional folklore with contemporary aesthetic and cultural themes. We wrote exhibit descriptions for each of the pieces, discussing what motivated us to create our body of work and what personal experiences and media inspired us.

After many late nights spent conceptualizing the look and feel of the show, creating all of the art, and getting the word out, the sBay came out to peruse the art on the walls, browse merchandise from our vendors, and spend time with their friends and family. The room was abuzz with chatter, laughter, and the nu-disco beats of L’imperatrice.

We were incredibly proud to assemble such a talented group of vendors. When we originally conceived of the Artist Alley, we wanted to bring together a diverse array of disciplines. Our vendors’ offerings ranged from riso prints to crochet work to pottery to baked goods. They made things I had never seen before, from black sesame madeleines to ceramic candle holders with sun rays radiating from the center. It was quite a feast for the senses.

We worked to make the experience as immersive and interactive as possible, while finding creative ways for attendees to engage with the “Hold Me Close” theme. We created a community wall, asking attendees to draw or write their response to the question “What does home mean to you?” 

The show was a deeply personal one and we provided attendees with snacks from our childhood, from Hello Pandas to these chocolate bars with a yellow shark mascot that my grandma used to buy for me in Beijing. It was important that everything felt polished yet clearly handmade. The paper stars placed throughout the space were lovingly cut by our friends while we were setting up the space, the community wall hands were DIY-ed with foamboard from Scrap SF and Alyssa’s home printer, the peony floral bouquets were placed in makeshift soju bouquets straight from Carolyn’s recycling, and the shelf full of trinkets from both of our apartments to make the gallery feel like home.

It takes a village to put on an event like this and our hearts are filled with gratitude to everyone who supported us along the way. As two self-taught artists, we feel so lucky that we got to play some small role in contributing to this city’s vibrant local culture.

Thank you to Rosendo Betancourt and the OAA for this opportunity, conceptualizing the event with us, and creating such a meaningful and intimate community space within San Francisco.

Thank you to Karina Sun, Angie Peng, Shuyin Xu, Stacy Wu, Elin Chee, and Ruby Chen for elevating the show with your remarkable craftsmanship and individuality.

Thank you to our partners who support us during all the ups-and-downs of creating each piece of artwork, showing up early to help us set up, and even helping us cut out each individual star in the show. 

Thank you to all of the local businesses of Ocean Avenue who helped us get the word out there about the show. And finally, thank you to our friends, family, and the Bay Area community for coming out to support and sharing this joyous experience with us.

The show will continue until August 5th, 2025 at 1720 Ocean Ave. Paintings that are still available and for sale can be purchased directly with each respective artist (Carolyn - carolynchu512@gmail.com; Lys - as3yang@gmail.com) for coordinating pick up / delivery.