Flo Oy Wong – artist, poet, community activist
Flo Oy Wong, a trailblazing mixed-media artist, poet, and educator whose vision and voice spotlight the contributions of ordinary people, particularly in Oakland Chinatown, died from heart complications on April 11. She was 87.
A loving wife, mother, and grandmother, she called Sunnyvale home for 63 years. She grew up with her parents, six sisters, and brother in Oakland Chinatown.
Flo was born on October 28, 1938. Her parents, immigrants from rural Toisan in Southern China, ran Great China Restaurant on Webster Street.
As a teen, she met Ed Wong, whose Chinese immigrant family moved from Georgia and ran a grocery in north Oakland. She attended Lincoln School and graduated from Oakland High School and U.C. Berkeley.
They married in 1961 and later moved to Sunnyvale. Flo taught elementary school on the peninsula. In her 40s, inspired by the feminist movement, she took community college drawing classes.
Later, she turned to her past to create installation art. She used family photos, rice sacks, and images of Ed’s childhood to tell stories of Black and Chinese families building community together during segregation.
“One of the reasons I like to make art is because it engages my heart and my mind,” she once said.
The art world, both grassroots and mainstream, noticed. Her circle of art, music, and academic friends grew. Relatives supported her. She exhibited in California, New York, Washington, D.C. (Smithsonian Institution), and China. She received National Endowment for the Arts awards.
Her shows included exhibits about the Japanese American internment experience, an installation on Angel Island, and a musical production co-created with composer Marcus Shelby.
In 2024, a collaborative mural, “Legacy,” was unveiled in Oakland at Webster and Seventh streets. Inside large mural letters are drawings of her parents and family’s restaurant.
“I’m interested in the person who has contributed to the building of America and who gets no credit,” she once said.
To celebrate her 80th birthday, “Dreaming of Glistening Pomelos,” featuring her poetry and drawings, was published. Two documentaries, “Tales of the Tofu Goddess” and “Drawn from Life,” celebrate her life and art. She joined poetry circles and loved being a member of the “Last Hoisan Poets.”
She is survived by husband, Ed; children, Felicia and Brad; grandchildren, Ben, Sasha, and Peter; brother, William Gee Wong; and generations of nieces and nephews.
Her funeral will be held at Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland on April 18 at 11 a.m. Donations can be sent to Contemporary Asian Theater Scene (CATS) or the Asian American Women Artists Association (AWAA), which she co-founded.
Learn more about her life, art, and legacy.
My art is symbolic of this country’s multiple canons.
Flo Oy Wong
Visual Art
Process
Blog
Poetry
Publications
From The Archives
Our mission is to advance the visibility and recognition of Asian American women in the arts.
Through exhibitions, publications, public programs and an informative website, AAWAA is an accessible resource and portal for educators academics, researchers, arts and social justice communities and the general public.
Based in San Francisco, AAWAA has consistently promoted both local and national efforts to achieve its mission, defining and redefining the contributions of Asian American women artists since its founding in 1989 by noted regional artists Betty Kano and Flo Oy Wong along with Mills College professor Moira Roth and artist Bernice Bing. Established as a 501(c)3 nonprofit in 2007, AAWAA has evolved from a close-knit community organization into a respected producer of consistent high-quality multidisciplinary art exhibitions, community art projects, publications, and programming reaching diverse local and national audiences.
Contemporary Asian Theater Scene, fondly known as CATS, was founded over twenty years ago by three visionaries who realized that Asian American artists needed a voice. Dr. Jerry Hiura, Steve Yamaguma, and Miki Hirabayashi created CATS with the dream of supporting, mentoring, and ultimately presenting Asian-American artists and cultural disciplines to the South Bay.
The Silicon Valley Asian Pacific FilmFest is an eagerly anticipated event that celebrates the vibrant and diverse perspectives of Asian American filmmaking. As an annual showcase of breathtaking cinematography, compelling storytelling, and thought-provoking subjects, the festival serves as a platform to highlight the rich cultural tapestry and the unique experiences of Asian Americans on the silver screen.
Tales of the Tofu Goddess: The Artful Life of FLO OY WONG, a short film presented by Contemporary Asian Theatre Scene (CATS), premiered at the 2025 Silicon Valley Asian American FilmFest on Saturday, October 18, 2025, 10:00am, at the AMC Dine-In Theatre, 150 E McKinley Ave, Sunnyvale, California.
