Vietnamese Artists Collective [p.2]

With so many artists gathered together, inspiration is also a natural by-product of the group.

“The collective is great because we are interdisciplinary. We have painters, photographers, writers, musicians, and poets,” said Anne. “I’m always intrigued by the details in the stories that Ky-Phong writes or am touched by the words Anh-Hoa uses to craft her poems. We all influence each other. Creativity does not come from a vacuum, it comes from our interactions with the world, with other people and artists.”

Collective members offer support and inspiration, as well as critical feedback.

“It’s very important that we challenge one another in our disciplines, to really push our themes and content, to dig deep and explore ourselves and our work,” said Carolyn Tran, an arts organizer and graduate of San Francisco State University. “This is a rare space for us to critically look at the intersection of our art, identity, and ideas.”

In addition to the support of its own members, the VAC has also hosted three critically acclaimed art shows to present their work and the work of other Vietnamese artists. The collective’s first show “Ho No: Our First Breath” was held in May 2004 at the Galeria de la Raza in San Francisco’s Mission District. It featured VAC members and other Vietnamese poets, writers, and visual artists.

“We were nervous that no one would show up. There’s a big difference between throwing a show in someone’s living room and then hosting a show at a gallery,” said Carolyn.

But people did show up and the event turned out to be standing room only. “The atmosphere that night was amazing,” said audience member Michelle Moy. “The artists were so talented and there was a great vibe which I think has to do with the sincere intentions of the artists to say and do something important, and an open audience that wanted to be inspired.”

In January 2005, the VAC hosted their second show “(Re)collect: Visions and Sounds” at the Oaklandish Gallery in downtown Oakland. The show featured visual artists and musicians and again sold out the space.

“When so many people come out to support us, to listen to us, it really shows that there is a need to hear from the Vietnamese community and its artists, a need from Vietnamese Americans, but also others who are curious about our relatively new lives in this country,” said Tony. “What are our concerns? Our struggles? Our passions?”

April 2005 marked the 30th anniversary of the end of the U.S. war in Viet Nam. The VAC held a night of art to mark the occasion, but with a decidedly different perspective on the day. The third show was called “30—Thirty Years of Diaspora” and instead of memorializing the end of war, it focused on the displaced lives of Vietnamese people all over the world. The press release for the show read: “A community shaped by war, but not defined by it, remembers the 30th anniversary of the exodus of Vietnamese people around the world with an evening of prose, poetry, and art.”

“The show was about celebrating ourselves and honoring ourselves. After the tragic lives we’ve lived, we are still alive, still coping with it, and creating art about it for our community,” said Anh-Hoa.

The VAC is currently taking a hiatus from organizing shows to focus on producing an arts anthology featuring visual and literary artists from the Bay Area. The anthology is supported by grants from the Puffin Foundation and the City of Oakland’s Cultural Funding Office.

“We’re really excited about this project,” said Han Pham, an interdisciplinary writer and performance artist. “The anthology is something permanent. It will be read and looked at over and over, and will be amazing visually as well. A true keepsake.”

Following the submissions process, there will be an intensive selection process before the anthology is published.

“This is a huge logistical project where we take the anthology from a concept, fund and produce it, and then promote it so it can be taken home and appreciated,” said Danny. “We’re gaining so much production experience from this, and that’s also important for the artists, to not only make the art but to sustain it as well.”

The anthology will be released in the summer of 2006 (go to www.vacollective.com for updates on the release party and reading series). After the anthology is completed, the VAC will seek out new projects. In the meantime, the works of individual members are regularly featured in exhibitions, readings, and salons in the Bay Area.