GENERATIONS OF STORIES
Location: Old Courthouse, Santa Ana, CA Client: Viet Stories of UC Irvine As the exhibition designer, our intent was to create an engaging interactive experience while also providing an educational survey of the Vietnamese American experience in Orange County through the inclusion of site-specific artworks, historical artifacts, and informational panels and banners. The exhibition was informed by the book Vietnamese in Orange County, co-authored by Linda Vo, professor of Asian American studies at UCI, Tram Le, then associate director of Viet Storires at UCI, and Thuy Vo Dang, UCI Libraries’ archivist for the Southeast Asian Archive and regional history. Vietnamese American artist Trinh Mai was commissioned to create original artwork for the exhibition. Professor Vo said: “This exhibition presents highlights of the development and transformation of the Vietnamese American community in Orange County. We want to show that there is no singular story that represents our experiences.” Le added: “Many Vietnamese families had to destroy photographs and documents in order to survive during the war and their migration to the U.S., so we are fortunate to be able to collect invaluable artifacts and share them in this exhibition.” |