F.O.B. II: Art Speaks Part 1

F.O.B. II: Art Speaks was an art show featuring over 50 visual and performing artists from the Vietnamese and Vietnamese American community. The event was organized by the Vietnamese American Arts & Letters Association (VAALA) and co-curated by Tram Le and Lan Duong. It was held at the VAALA Center in Santa Ana, CA. The show was scheduled to run from January 9-18, 2009, but within the community where bitter memories of the war in Vietnam still run deep, political activists came out to protest the art show when they falsely believed that the art supported communism. The show organizers shut down the show three days early.

I intended to interview Tram and Lan at the VAALA Center on the night of a live performance event that was part of the show. But I arrived in Orange County only to find the doors locked and the show canceled. Fortunately I was able to catch up with the co-curators at a restaurant where they were having dinner with some of the artists and other supporters. Even though it had been a long hard day dealing with the protesters, the local law and the media, they agreed to do an interview. Inside the restaurant was too dark and noisy, so the only place I could do the interview was in the parking lot.

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