Eastlake Park in Phoenix will come alive with food, music, and storytelling as the community gathers to unveil a new public art installation.

“Chinese Chorizo,” the new installation by artist Feng-Feng Yeh and part of the city of Phoenix’s ¡Sombra! Experiments in Shade initiative, will be the focus of the unveiling from 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday, May 31, at 1549 E. Jefferson St.

The project invites artists to imagine creative, community-centered solutions to living with extreme heat. In “Chinese Chorizo,” Yeh blends ancient Chinese shadow puppetry with contemporary storytelling to create both respite from the sun and reflection on resilience.

Shaped like a giant Chinese sausage, the installation features a laser-cut canopy that casts intricate silhouettes onto the ground, each one representing a real story collected from the Eastlake Park neighborhood and adjacent communities affected by redlining, a press release notes. Through light and shadow, the artwork brings often-overlooked voices into public view, transforming a simple shade structure into a celebratory space for historic preservation and connection.

The Chinese Chorizo itself, a once forgotten culinary fusion created in Chinese grocery stores in Phoenix and Tucson by Chinese immigrants who catered to their communities’ needs, symbolizes the cultural blending and mutualism that has always defined Arizona.

A signature soul food dish featuring Chinese Chorizo created by Mrs. White’s Golden Rule Café, a cornerstone of Phoenix’s Black community for more than 60 years, and a handcrafted drink featuring a Chinese Chorizo simple syrup from Skoden Coffee will offer guests a rare taste of history through food.

The event will also feature locally made popsicles, and live performances by African drumming and dance troupe Kawambe-Omowale.

Long-time civil rights advocate Pastor Warren H. Stewart Sr. and Dr. Matthew Whitaker, executive director, George Washington Carver Museum & Cultural Center, will offer reflections on the long history of solidarity across Phoenix’s Latino, Asian, and African American communities, especially in redlined neighborhoods like Eastlake Park.

The artist Feng-Feng Yeh will be on hand to share more about the Chinese Chorizo Project and invite guests to experience the installation up close.

“Chinese Chorizo” will be on display at Eastlake Park through September.

Admission, food and drink are free and open to all.

The event is free but organizers ask those attending to RSVP here.

Visit sombraphx.org.