Nearly 2 dozen award-winning Lao American artists gathered together to work with Lao and non-Lao including Hmong, European American, African American, Thai and Tongans to discuss the importance of art, community and how to remember our history and traditions.
The project had support from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, the Jerome Foundation, the national Association for Asian American Studies, the national Asian Pacific American Librarian's Association, the Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans, the Center for Lao Studies, Asian American Press, and the Lao Student Association of the University of Minnesota, and many individual contributors and donors.
We energized and inspired our youth, who comprised a majority of the participants, and elders who'd never been to facilities such as the Loft Literary Center.
Many of our elders were excited at the opportunity to come forward and tell our stories and their journey, including one elder who'd lived in Minnesota for years, quietly working on a history of the Lao people and a dictionary. He hadn't realized there were so many writers and artists across the country and he was overjoyed that there was a young generation who wanted to continue the study of art and culture.
We learned many things discovered many ways to improve our work in the community. We're all looking forward to future activities. The most important consequences of the Summit will bloom over the course of the next several decades within both our elders and the younger generation. Thanks to everyone who came and we look forward to working with all of you again in the coming years ahead.
The project had support from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, the Jerome Foundation, the national Association for Asian American Studies, the national Asian Pacific American Librarian's Association, the Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans, the Center for Lao Studies, Asian American Press, and the Lao Student Association of the University of Minnesota, and many individual contributors and donors.
We energized and inspired our youth, who comprised a majority of the participants, and elders who'd never been to facilities such as the Loft Literary Center.
Many of our elders were excited at the opportunity to come forward and tell our stories and their journey, including one elder who'd lived in Minnesota for years, quietly working on a history of the Lao people and a dictionary. He hadn't realized there were so many writers and artists across the country and he was overjoyed that there was a young generation who wanted to continue the study of art and culture.
We learned many things discovered many ways to improve our work in the community. We're all looking forward to future activities. The most important consequences of the Summit will bloom over the course of the next several decades within both our elders and the younger generation. Thanks to everyone who came and we look forward to working with all of you again in the coming years ahead.
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