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Community Event Celebrates Southeast Asian Arts and Culture
December 14, 2006 - Hartford, CT
Lynne Williamson at 860-278-2044 ext. 251 or lynne.williamson@icrweb.org
Gannon Long at 860-278-2044 ext. 275 or gannon.long@icrweb.org
The Institute for Community Research (ICR) is sponsoring a celebration of Southeast Asian culture on Saturday, January 6, 2007 from 2 to 5 pm. Hosted by ICR’s Connecticut Cultural Heritage Arts Program (CHAP), the event will feature seldom seen performances by Connecticut Southeast Asian artists, including master Cambodian court dancer and Khmer Rouge survivor Somaly Hay, the Lao Narthasinh dancers, and Laotian musicians Boualy Rathsombath and Sisivath Inthisone. A troupe of young Hmong dancers will also perform. Attendees will also enjoy food, music, dance, and traditional stories from Laotian, Hmong, and Cambodian artists. The event will take place at ICR, 2 Hartford Square West (146 Wyllys St.), Suite 100 in Hartford. The event is free; advance registration is required by calling 860-278-2044 x251.
The event is part of a series accompanying Weavings of War: Fabrics of Memory, a powerful exhibit of 60 textiles made by artisans from Laos, Vietnam, Peru, Chile, Afghanistan, South Africa, and Palestine. While the exhibit deals with war and trauma, its central theme demonstrates that art, narrative, and tradition can have a healing effect on those who have suffered through strife. Boua Tong Xiong, a Hmong traditional singer, will talk about the Hmong textiles in the exhibit as well as tell his own story of escaping from Laos. For many local leaders whose cultures are represented in the exhibit, the event is a key opportunity to educate their own communities along with new audiences. “Our community’s health, well-being and survival depend on our children learning the special activities that make us Hmong, such as the songs and rituals for weddings and funerals, keeping the language, our games, and making our clothing and embroideries,” Xiong says. Master Cambodian court dancer Somaly Hay and traditional singer Khandarith Hay, her husband, will also perform. “We understand the importance of diversity and what we can offer to the world through maintaining and presenting our culture,” says Somaly. In addition to their performance, the Hays will describe their experiences escaping Cambodia during the time of the Khmer Rouge genocide.
ICR’s Cultural Heritage Arts Program (CHAP), which brought the exhibit to Hartford, has developed extensive programming to highlight local members of the different cultures represented in Weavings of War. “The exhibit focuses on preserving and expressing cultural traditions and identity as a way to maintain the health of a community,” says CHAP Director Lynne Williamson. “This event is a great way for members of the Hmong, Cambodian, and Laotian communities, which are very active in Connecticut, to learn more about their own histories as well as to share them with others.”
Weavings of War: Fabrics of Memory will be on display at ICR until January 13, 2007. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 10 am to 5 pm; by appointment; and during special events. For more information about the exhibit and related events, please visit
www.incommunityresearch.org/weavingsofwar.htm or contact Lynne Williamson at 860-278-2044 x251 or lynne.Williamson@icrweb.org.
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The Institute for Community Research is an independent research institute that conducts applied research and supports community enhancement programs on issues of health, education and cultural heritage. Its Connecticut Cultural Heritage Arts Program encourages and promotes traditional artists and their communities through an active process of documentation, technical assistance, and public presentations to bring their work and the history of their communities to new audiences.
The Connecticut showing of Weavings of War: Fabrics of Memory is hosted by the Connecticut Cultural Heritage Arts Program (CHAP) of The Institute for Community Research. ICR's programming has been developed by CHAP in collaboration with an advisory committee of artists, community leaders and educators from local groups whose cultures are represented in the exhibit, and supported by the National Endowment for the Arts; the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism; The Edward C. and Ann T. Roberts Foundation; the Knox Foundation; the Connecticut Humanities Council; the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving; the Ensworth Charitable Foundation, Bank of America, Trustee; and the Greater Hartford Arts Council, through its United Arts and United Way campaigns.
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