Welcome to Edge on the Square, the innovative arts hub located at the heart of San Francisco Chinatown. We celebrate pioneering creative expressions at the intersection of community, art, and action.
At Edge, surprising programs emerge year-round. Joining a collective effort with the community to revitalize the neighborhood through the cultural arts, Edge welcomes everyone to explore and experiment with our interactive art experiences, family-friendly events, culinary series, stunning performances, critical panel talks and gatherings, multimedia exhibitions and contemporary art festivals.
Join us at Edge where we are bridging art, community and action to foster meaningful cultural exchanges and imagining a collective future together.​​
A Letter from the CMAC Board
After nearly three years of dedicated leadership, Joanne Lee will be stepping down as Executive Director of Edge on the Square on March 31, 2026. We are deeply grateful for her devotion to and impact on our beloved Chinatown as well as the entire Bay Area.
Everyday, Joanne fiercely and effectively brought to life the mission of Edge on the Square—to bring joy to people, to be a place for community, belonging and reflection, to be a platform for API artists, and to be an economic catalyst for Chinatown.
Under Joanne’s leadership, the Edge team hosted three years of highly engaging and thought-provoking programs including: “MSG: Making Sharing and Gathering,” Chinatown Pride 2025, and three multi-media exhibitions, to name a few; as well as three phenomenal contemporary arts festivals including: Under the Same Sun (2023), High Five (2024) and SuperFlex (2025). We are deeply grateful for Joanne’s many contributions and the indelible mark she will leave on Edge on the Square and CMAC—and wish her continued joy and triumphs in her new endeavors.
Building upon the success of Edge on the Square, CMAC’s broader vision is stronger than ever: to transform Grant Avenue through the power of arts of culture. We envision an integrated arts and cultural campus that unites history, contemporary art, living traditions, education, and public life as a means of strengthening Chinatown’s economic sustainability and cultural self-determination. We are excited to share more about how this vision will be brought to life in the coming weeks.
With full hearts and immense gratitude, Edge on the Square thanks you for your generosity, support, and commitment. We invite your participation and imagination as we dive into strategic planning. During this time, we are open by appointment and for special events. Please email us at hello@edgeonthesquare to let us know when you’re coming by!
Exhibition Open Now!
​Edge on the Square is proud to present our newest exhibition All Eyes On Us: Invention & Ingenuity During Artistic Diasporas. At a moment when immigration is at the forefront of our nation’s geopolitics, All Eyes on Us shines a timely spotlight on the unique and forceful moves that immigrant artists make to negotiate the fraught yet fertile spaces of diaspora.
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Our Theory of Change
Edge shifts the dominant narrative of the immigrant experience by:
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Expanding knowledge and awareness of a “critical” immigrant story
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Being a strong voice for immigrants with an uplifting narrative
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Being the touchstone that holds the brand and a welcoming space to spark dialogues
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Edge will become a sustainable socio-economic engine for Chinatown by:
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Providing stellar programs that motivate the public to visit, explore, and experience Chinatown
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Engaging with communities to build relationships and networks that amplify our collective voice and power
Edge widens the aperture of the human experience through:
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Empowerment, creativity, and optimism
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Sharpening tools to initiate and engage in meaningful discourse, build self-awareness, exercise agency, and activate social transformation
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Promoting attitudes of inclusivity, cultural curiosity, constructive exchange
Land Acknowledgement
Edge on the Square, situated in the vibrant heart of San Francisco's Chinatown, stands at the crossroads of history and culture. We would like to acknowledge that the land on which we stand is the ancestral and unceded lands of the Ramaytush Ohlone People who have stewarded this land throughout the generations. We recognize the historic discrimination and violence inflicted upon Indigenous peoples in California and the Americas. We also recognize the historical significance of this land to the diverse Chinese immigrant communities who have contributed to the rich cultural tapestry of San Francisco. We offer our deepest respect to the Ramaytush Ohlone as first peoples and express gratitude to the generations of Chinese Americans who have made this community thrive.
