Vietnamese American Arts and Letters Association records, 1993-2018

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Summary

Abstract:

The collection is comprised of organizational records and materials documenting events sponsored by the Vietnamese American Arts and Letters Association (VAALA). Items include those from the Fresh off the Boat (F.O.B.) art exhibit that presented works by 40 visual and performing artists and artistic groups of all mediums. Materials from the Vietnamese International Film Festival (VIFF) are also contained in the collection, such as programs, photographs, and descriptions of films being shown at the festival. The film festival is the first in the nation and worldwide to exhibit works by the Vietnamese diaspora, Vietnamese living outside of their homeland, and has been held at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of California, Irvine beginning in 2003.

Extent:

1.2 Linear Feet (6 boxes, 5 videocassettes, 2 OS folder) and 0.9 linear feet of unprocessed material.

Language:

English .

Preferred citation:

Vietnamese American Arts and Letters Association records. MS-SEA026. Special Collections and Archives, The UC Irvine Libraries, Irvine, California. Date accessed.

For the benefit of current and future researchers, please cite any additional information about sources consulted in this collection, including permanent URLs, item or folder descriptions, and box/folder locations.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection is comprised of materials from events sponsored by the Vietnamese American Arts and Letters Association (VAALA).

Items include those from the Fresh off the Boat (F.O.B.) art exhibit that presented works by 40 visual and performing artists and artistic groups of all mediums. The materials include information on the artists and their works, budget information, notes, a schedule of the exhibit, newspaper articles, and a Vietnam California Radio yearbook. Videotapes used for the exhibit are also included.

Materials from the Vietnamese International Film Festival (VIFF) are also contained in the collection, such as programs, photographs, and descriptions of films being shown at the festival. The film festival is the first in the nation and worldwide to exhibit works by the Vietnamese diaspora, Vietnamese living outside of their homeland, and has been held at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of California, Irvine.

Organizational records include meeting agendas and minutes, correspondence, event programs and announcements, digital files, and publications.

Biographical / historical:

The Vietnamese American Arts and Letters Association (VAALA), a community-based non-profit organization based in Orange County, California, was founded in 1991 by a group of Vietnamese American journalists, artists, and friends. VAALA's mission is to promote Vietnamese values in art, create opportunities for artists to interact with their audience, and facilitate communication among different ethnic groups through various forms of art. VAALA has organized numerous cultural events that include lectures, exhibits, book fairs, and concerts by world-class Vietnamese scholars and artists. These events help bring the arts and culture to the community.

The Fresh off the Boat (F.O.B.) art exhibit was held in September 2002 at the Nguoi Viet gallery in Westminster, California. F.O.B. was the first exhibit to incorporate all the major media of visual and performing arts presented by Vietnamese American artists who are under 40 years of age. The goal of the exhibit was to celebrate and empower the Vietnamese American identity through creativity. Media featured include painting, sculpture, photography, film, new genres, installation, performing art, video art, comic drawings, graffiti art, poetry/spoken word, music, and di-jing. F.O.B. interwove art, popular culture, and unpopular notions of identity into a controversial show that addressed discrimination, stereotypes, and struggles. The exhibit was part of a three-week long festival.

"Fresh off the Boat' is a label often attributed to immigrants who have not yet integrated into the mainstream American society. The art show was created to shatter stereotypes and empower the immigrant community, co-opting the term "F.O.B." for the immigrants' own use.

The Vietnamese International Film Festival (VIFF) was first held in 2003 and was the world's first film festival showcasing works on the Vietnamese diaspora. It was held at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of California, Irvine. The festival usually features about 100 films shown over a six-day period.

Acquisition information:

Gift of Vietnamese American Arts and Letters Association, 2003-2005 and 2011. Additional gift of Yse Le, 2013. Additional gift of Ellen Breitman and Thuy Vo Dang, 2019.

Processing information:

Processed by Julia Stringfellow, 2005. Processing was supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grant. Additional materials accessioned and processed by Alix Norton with assistance from Audra Eagle Yun, 2013. Additional materials accessioned by Hanako Ishizuka-Gunderson, 2022.

Arrangement:

This collection is arranged in 3 series:

Series 1. Fresh off the Boat (F.O.B.), 2002
Series 2. Vietnamese International Film Festival (VIFF), 2003-2005
Series 3. Organizational records, 1994-2007

The first two series of the collection are arranged alphabetically, either topically or by form of material. The organizational records series is an addition and is not arranged.

This collection also contains two unprocessed addition:

Accession 2018.005, 2011-2017. 0.2 linear feet Accession 2022.043, 2003-2018. 0.7 linear feet

Rules or conventions:

Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Indexed terms

Subjects:: Vietnamese American art -- California -- Orange County -- Exhibitions -- Archives.
Art, Vietnamese
Artists, Vietnamese
DVDs -- 21st century.
Video recordings -- 21st century
Audiocassettes -- 21st century.
Motion pictures (visual works) -- 21st century.
Clippings -- 21st century.
Interviews -- 21st century.

Access and use

Restrictions:: Processed components of the collection are open for research. Unprocessed additions may contain restricted materials. Please contact the Department of Special Collections and Archives in advance to request access.
Terms of access:: Property rights reside with the University of California. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permissions to reproduce or to publish, please contact the Southeast Asian Archive Librarian.