Paper Son Exhibit Reception with Wilson Ong

wilson ong wears glasses and a flannel shirtWilson Ong is a fine art painter who works in oils. His expertise is portraiture, but he also paints landscapes and occasionally illustrates children’s picturebooks, including Paper Son: Lee’s Journey to America. Wilson’s original panels for this book were purchased by UArizona graduate, Mary J. Wong, and donated to the Worlds of Words Center. We invite you to meet Wilson in-person and get a close-up look at the original oil paintings from this book at a free reception of our newest exhibit.

room with oil paintings on the wall and books and educational supplies on the cabinet

Worlds of Words Center Presents – Paper Son: Lee’s Journey to America will be on display through December 16, 2022 and includes a number of engagements and hands-on activities, additional fiction and nonfiction books around Chinese exclusion and immigration, a copy of the coaching book used by Mary J. Wong’s father, and thumbnail sketches and color studies by Wilson. Visit Wilson’s website to see more of his fine art work.

Come to enjoy light refreshments and explore the exhibit invitations. The University of Arizona BookStores will offer Wilson’s books for sale and autographing during this event.

Paid parking is available at the Second St. Garage next door to the College of Education. We are also located just off of the 2nd St. streetcar stop.

Event details may change.

To request disability-related accommodations that would ensure your full participation in this event, please email wow@arizona.edu or call 520.621.9340.

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Worlds of Words Center Presents – Paper Son: Lee’s Journey to America

By Rebecca Ballenger, Associate Director, Worlds of Words Center

Wilson Ong’s last name was Wong until the fourth grade when his father revealed he used a false name to immigrate to the U.S. as a “paper son.” His father’s story isn’t that different from Lee’s story in the picturebook illustrated by Wilson, Paper Son: Lee’s Journey to America. Each of Wilson’s original oil illustrations for this book were purchased by Mary J. Wong, also the child of a paper son, and donated to the Worlds of Words Center where they are now on exhibit.

room with oil paintings on the wall and books and educational supplies on the cabinet Continue reading

Authors' Corner

Authors’ Corner: Wilson Ong

By Kathy G. Short, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ

wilson ong wears glasses and a flannel shirtMary J. Wong recently donated the entire set of original oil illustrations for Paper Son: Lee’s Journey to America by Wilson Ong to the Worlds of Words Center along with his thumbnail sketches and color studies. In working on the exhibition, we wanted to include Wilson’s perspective and process in creating the illustrations and so interviewed him, gaining many useful insights into his process and the connection of the book to his family story. Continue reading