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 about 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.

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 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 importance to promote and embedd 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 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 showed their artworks proudly as they spent their time making arts from scraps with their own 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.

Nguyen Bang Phi (A student at Luong The Vinh High School, Hanoi) (Photo: Nhung Nguyen)

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.

Tran My Dung (a student at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Hanoi) (Photo: Nhung Nguyen)

Video by American Center Hanoi

Vietnamese 10-year-old painter creates art from coronavirus chaos 10 -year-old Nguyen Doi Chung Anh, a student at 4E class, Nam Thanh Cong primary school (Hanoi) made the most of social distancing period in ...

Vietnamese-Swedish Artist Van Duong Thanh Creates Art for her Homeland The well established Vietnamese-Swedish artist Van Duong Thanh is known for her continued charity efforts in Vietnam. She has sold 30 of her paintings to ...

Vietnam Joins Int'l Community to Addresss Consequences of Turkey-Syria Earthquakes Vietnamese ambassador attends commemoration of earthquake victims in New York, USA.