The creative workshop Vun Art #3 - Black History Month: "I Have A Dream" was hosted by the American Center Hanoi in cooperation with Vun Art Cooperative. In this event, participants had the opportunity to gain a better understanding of the American' society through history lessons about the celebration of Black History Month (the month of February).
The subject of the workshop is American Baptist minister and activist Martin Luther King Jr., the most visible spokesperson and leader in the civil rights movement in America from 1954 until his death in 1968.
In the first activities, there was a presentation given by Elenita M. Tapawan, Regional Director of American Spaces Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam of the US Embassy in Hanoi. She talked about the celebration of Black History Month in America and introduced the contributions and legacy of African Americans across the nation's history and society.
In the main event, participants learned to create their own artwork with an abstract image of Martin Luther King Jr. and his famous quote "I have a dream." King delivered this iconic speech during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963.
There was also a virtual exhibition, in which participants could watch Martin Luther King Jr.' speech and other displays about African Americans' legacy throughout history.
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| Participants of the creative workshop Vun Art #3 - Black History Month: "I Have A Dream" on Feb 17 in the American Center Hanoi (Photo: American Center Hanoi). |
There were dozens of participants who came to learn and make art. They were supported by the members of the Vun Art Cooperative in the process. These supporters from Vun Art are disabled workers, who are also the creators of the scrap art sets used in the workshop.
According to Elenita M. Tapawan, Regional Director of American Spaces Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam of the US Embassy in Hanoi, having the Vun Art cooperative as the co-host of the Scrap Art Project is very important to promote and embed American culture and Vietnamese culture.
"It is an important priority for the US Embassy that we see this by cultural exchange through all of our programs. We are so excited to be working with Vun Art because after 24 workshops we are confident that we will see a greater awareness for using materials in a recycled fashion or through an upcycled fashion. We want to raise greater awareness of the contributions that people with disabilities have and to explore additional ways that we can partner in the future," said Elenita.
The process of the artmaking was approximately 2 hours in total. The result was beautiful creations from upcycled or recycled textile materials. All participants proudly showed their artworks as they spent their time making art from scraps with their hands.
Nguyen Bang Phi (a senior from Luong The Vinh High School, Hanoi) said that he enjoyed the history lesson and the art-making more than he expected. Also, he will put the finished product at his studying desk to motivate himself to work on his dream, which is to become a successful entrepreneur.
Another participant, Tran My Dung (a senior at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Hanoi) said that she always signs up for activities at the American Center Hanoi and was glad to join this workshop in particular. Dung was most impressed by the support of the disabled members of the Vun Art Cooperative, helping her complete the artwork. In her opinion, this is a rare learning experience to have fun while learning, to also take more time to think about one's dream and how they want to create their future.
Long Phạm / Vietnamtimes
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