Fay Chong

Fay Chong (1912–1973) was a Chinese-American artist, active in the Pacific Northwest, well known for his printmaking and watercolor painting. He was also known for his activities as an arts organizer and educator.

Fay Chong was born in Canton (modern Guangzhou), China in 1912, and moved to Seattle with his family in 1920. He attended public school, and studied art with Hannah Jones at Broadway High School, along with classmates Morris Graves and George Tsutakawa. He studied traditional calligraphy techniques during return visits to China in 1929 and 1935.

In 1933, Chong, Andrew Chinn, Lawrence Yun, Yippie Eng, and others formed the Chinese Arts Club. Initially an informal co-op, they began holding regular shows at a shared studio in Seattle's International District, and eventually exhibited as an arts collective at the New York Chinese School. Artists Guy Anderson and William Cumming - who, along with Graves and Mark Tobey, would later become prominent members of the 'Northwest School' - were regular guests, joining them on art-making field excursions.

In 1938, during the Great Depression, Morris Graves helped Chong find work as an artist with the Federal Art Project of the Works Project Administration. He worked with the WPA, off and on, until 1942, mainly making linocut prints for various federal buildings and public places. He also became interested in watercolor painting at this time.

After the WPA, Chong worked various jobs, including several years at a YMCA school. In the mid-1950s - already a well-known, nationally exhibited "WPA artist" - he enrolled at the University of Washington, studying under Mark Tobey and others. He earned his B.A. in 1968, and M.A. in arts education in 1971. He taught art at Cornish College of the Arts, Seattle Central College, Washington Senior High School, and Ingraham High School.

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