Laos in the House founder Catzie Vilayphonh is teaming up with artist
Sayon Syprasoeuth for a show called
"Intersectionalities: Defining the Lao American Narrative in Visual Arts."
The aim is to
"develop our very first community-based exhibition for the LAWS commemorative exhibition Intersectionalities: Defining the Lao American Narrative in Visual Arts, opening April 29 to May 28, 2016 at the Centro Cultural De La Raza in San Diego. The closing of this specially curated exhibition will also coincide with the 2-day LAWS conference taking place May 27-28th 2016."
ABOUT THE TOPIC
The Lao American Writers Summit is looking for artworks by individual and collaborating artists that directly or indirectly relate to the topic: How would you define the Lao American experiences? How does your work establish our histories? How does it project the imagery of Lao America moving forward?
Potential themes for artworks include but are not limited to:
• Everyone has a story to tell, a story line, a time-line, personal experiences
• Key words: war, refugee camp, travel, arrival, family, assimilation, language, work, roots
• Different shades of the Lao American experience: ie American born/Asian born, new immigrants, refugees, 2nd/3rd/4th generation
• Lao American in the arts; defying stereotypes, contemporary vs traditional
• Experience of race, racism; prejudice within community
• Who is Lao/Laotian American?
• Context of Lao American in the broader community of APIA identity
• Lao in Asian American Studies; historical inclusions; political intellectualization
ELIGIBILITY
Submissions are open to people of all ages, ethnicities, and backgrounds who identify as Lao and/or Laotian American, or those who have a connection to Lao neighborhoods, and Lao/Laotian American communities at large. All contemporary visual artworks will be considered, including digital media, performance (in video format) and social practices such as community-based engagement workshops. In addition to providing an original work or works for the exhibition, selected artists may be asked to participate in a moderated discussion about their work or other supplemental public programming.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Please send all materials electronically to
LaoAmWriters@gmail.com. Please submit no more than five separate works (a series of related works may be considered). Submissions should include:
• Contact Info. Your name, phone number, email address, mailing address on each page of materials and artist website address, if any.
• A brief statement. Submit as a PDF and include (1 page max):
1) Your connection to the Lao/Laotian American community;
2) How your submission relates to the exhibition theme(s);
3) A description of artwork images and/or submitted files;
4) Technical needs for exhibition, if any.
• Artist info. Submit an artist statement and bio as a PDF (1 page max).
• Work samples. Add as an attachment or link, submit images of artwork in .JPG or .PNG formats (2550 x 3300 pixels or less). Submit multimedia artwork (5 minutes max each) via an online link only. For each image or file, detail: 1) Title, 2) Date, 3) Medium/media, 4) Size and 5) Brief Description
DEADLINE.
All submissions must be received via email by 11:59PM PST on Sunday, April 10, 2016.
PROCESS Submitted work will be reviewed in mid April 2016. Artists will be notified by email if their work has been selected by April 18.
DELIVERY LAWS has a limited budget for shipping/transporting artworks that are selected for the exhibition. If your work is selected you may be asked to cover a portion of this expense (with the exception of digital prints, to be produced locally in San Diego by a partner company).
PUBLICATIONImages of selected work may be displayed on LAWS’ website and social media channels, as well as by LAWS sponsors and partners in promotional and educational materials.
