Wonder has taken over the Tenderloin. Sixteen unique pieces of art, ranging from mural work and installation art to performance pieces that depict the troubles and triumphs of the neighborhood, have been thoughtfully placed at various locations in the Tenderloin.

Lance Fung, curator of this unique art exhibition, created "Wonderland" after teaching a master's level class at the San Francisco Art Institute. He recruited roughly 75 local and global artists, some of whom collaborated with local residents, to create the pieces in the month-long exhibition that lasts until Nov. 14.

"It began as a very humble project. Over the past year it grew into, not a small show, but something fairly significant," Fung said. "Also, the best thing is that it's really grown into immersing itself into the Tenderloin community."

Fung is a celebrated and well-known curator who grew up in the Bay Area and is now based in New York City. Having worked on other large-scale projects with many artists before, "Wonderland" might seem like another challenging, yet normal undertaking.

This time however, Fung found himself faced with a challenge he had not faced before -- creating this project with no money.

"The big difference is the lack of money," he said. "My other projects have a budget between $1 million and $10 million. This had a budget of zero dollars. Initially it was a hindrance, but in hindsight it became a blessing."

Various individuals and groups in the Tenderloin came together to help make "Wonderland" a reality. Space and funding was provided for many of the artist groups, rooting the exhibit further into its new home.

One of the projects featured was the "Queen Aime Studio Project."

"'Queen Aime Studio Project' was provided with a $1,700 grant from Terrance Alan and other organizations in the Tenderloin," said John Roloff, one of the artists who collaborated on the project. "The studio space for 'Queen' was donated for the length of the exhibition by Lily Sami, a well-known fashion designer who has her own studio in the Tenderloin."

The "Queen Aime Studio Project" is one of several pieces that includes the work of Tenderloin residents. Aime Krubally is originally from Gambia in Western Africa and is known worldwide as a Batik artist. Batik dates back to the early 7th century and is the artful dyeing of fabic. Roloff, along with Doug Hall and Carole Hay, found Krubally, who lives in a Single Room Occupancy in the Tenderloin and gave her space to practice and teach her art.

Another project, called "Down the Rabbit Hole," provided a glimpse into the world of human trafficking of young female sex slaves, and exposed how the Tenderloin is the leading area for female trafficking, by 43 percent, in California.

The small dingy room on Ellis Street was provided by Youth with a Mission, a nonprofit Christian organization that opens its doors to the homeless. Some of the supplies used to create this hypothetical young sex slave's room were donated to the artists.

The room used was divided into two parts. The entrance into the installation throws the viewer into a world of darkness. A small white crib stands alone in the noise-filled room, as a video of a young girl happily playing in a park repeats on a loop, projected into the crib.

A large mirror placed over the crib gives the viewer a brief look at the door that leads into this imagined, but all too real, young girl's room. A tiny bed sits in the far corner. The floor is littered with fast food and condom wrappers. Pictures of today's pop icons, like Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez, are plastered across the walls. A colorless scene of Alice falling into a new world through a rabbit hole from "Alice in Wonderland" plays over and over on a beat-up old TV.

"We felt the need to talk about a social injustice issue to really raise people's awareness," said Brandon Robinson, one of the "Down the Rabbit Hole" artists.

Many residents of San Francisco are sometimes known to be under the impression that the Tenderloin is a place to be avoided. While there is a high rate of drug use and other crime, many fixate on this while overlooking the rich diversity that makes this neighborhood so unique.

"When we first went to explore the Tenderloin, I was apprehensive," said Melkorka Helgadottir, one of the artists involved in the "Offstage" project. "It was my first time in the neighborhood. I had just moved to San Francisco from my home country of Iceland, and I had never set foot into a similar environment."

"Offstage" aims to show people the history of the Tenderloin's long history as a theater neighborhood.

"Now I know that the Tenderloin is much more dynamic than I first imagined," Helgadottir added. "The sense of community there is very strong. I have also found that many of the people that I meet on the streets of the Tenderloin are extremely friendly and open-minded. You can be yourself in the Tenderloin, no judgments."

One project that embodied the fear that many feel in the Tenderloin was called "Fear Head." This giant three-headed mural personifies the feeling that visitors, police, drug dealers, prostitutes, children, addicts, homeless, immigrants and nearly anyone who steps foot in the Tenderloin, stares down at the passersby.

"I saw this huge painting and I don't know what it is, but it's a little bit scary," said San Francisco resident Matt Harris-Gloyer. "These giant heads are kind of angry and scared, I'm not too sure. It's really interesting -- brings a different view to the area."

After all is said and done, and the art disappears after Nov. 14, the goal that Fung and the artists set out to accomplish will remain, hopefully until "Wonderland II" rolls around next year.

"In the end, 'Wonderland' is all about the sense of pride and community that comes with living in the Tenderloin," Fung said.

For more information on "Wonderland" and a map of exhibit locations go to http://wonderlandshow.blogspot.com.