Guide to the Vietnamese American Arts and Letters Association Collection
MS.SEA.026
Processed by Julia Stringfellow; machine-readable finding aid created by Audrey
Pearson; addition processed by Alix Norton; updated by Zoe MacLeod, 2021.
Special Collections and Archives, University of California, Irvine
Libraries
(cc) 2021
The UCI Libraries
P.O. Box 19557
University of California, Irvine
Irvine 92623-9557
spcoll@uci.edu
Contributing Institution:
Special Collections and Archives, University of California, Irvine
Libraries
Title: Vietnamese American Arts and Letters Association collection
Identifier/Call Number: MS.SEA.026
Physical Description:
1.2 Linear Feet
(4 boxes, 5 videocassettes, 1 OS folder) and 0.2 linear feet of
unprocessed material.
Date (inclusive): 2002-2017
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.
Language of Material:
English .
Access
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.
Publication Rights
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.
Preferred Citation
Vietnamese American Arts and Letters Association Collection. 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.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Vietnamese American Arts and Letters Association, 2003-2005 and 2011. Additional
gift of Yse Le, 2013.
Processing History
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.
Historical Background
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.
Collection Scope and Content Summary
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.
Collection 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 one unprocessed addition:
Accession 2018.005, 2011-2017. 0.2 linear feet
Subjects and Indexing Terms
DVDs -- 21st century.
Video recordings -- 21st century
Audiocassettes -- 21st century.
Vietnamese American art -- California -- Orange County -- Exhibitions
-- Archives.
Motion pictures (visual works) -- 21st century.
Clippings -- 21st century.
Interviews -- 21st century.
Art, Vietnamese
Artists, Vietnamese
Online Archive of California
Fresh off the Boat (F.O.B.) Series 1.
2002
box 3, item MS-SEA026-A04
Cassette tape, F.O.B. show
circa 2002
box 3, item MS-SEA026-A01
DVDs, Nguoi Tinh Gia (Pham Duy) The Old Lover, documentary film
2002
box 1, folder 1-2
"F.O.B.: A MultiArt Show" materials
2002
General Physical Description note: 2 folders.
box 1, folder 3
"F.O.B.: A MultiArt Show" newspaper articles
2002
box AV-011, item MS-SEA026-V01-V02
Cinema symposium at the University of California, Los Angeles
2002
General Physical Description note: 2 tapes.
box 3, item MS-SEA026-V03
box 3, item MS-SEA026-V04
box 3, item MS-SEA026-V05
box 3, item MS-SEA026-V06
box 3, item MS-SEA026-V07
box 3, item MS-SEA026-V08
box 3, item MS-SEA026-V09
box 3, item MS-SEA026-V10
box AV-011, item MS-SEA026-V11-V12
F.O.B. short films series
2002
General Physical Description note: 2 tapes.
box AV-011, item MS-SEA026-V13
Nguoi Tinh Gia (Pham Duy) The Old Lover, documentary film
2002
box AV-011, item MS-SEA026-V14
Shut Up White Boy, short film
2002
Vietnamese International Film Festival (VIFF) Series 2.
2003-2005
box 3, item MS-SEA026-A02-A03
DVDs, Vietnamese International Film Festival (VIFF) trailers
2005
General Physical Description note: 2 discs.
box 1, folder 6-7
Programs, photographs, and festival materials
2003
General Physical Description note: 2 folders.
box 1, folder 8
Programs and festival materials
2005
box AV-009, item MS-SEA026-V15
VHS videocassette tape, Vietnamese International Film Festival (VIFF) talk
show
2003
Organizational records Series 3.
1994-2007
Physical Description: 0.4 Linear
Feet1 box
Scope and Content Summary
This series includes digital files from the VAALA organization, brochures, event
programs and announcements, meeting agendas and minutes, correspondence, and a book
published by VAALA on Vietnamese boat people.
Digital files
2004-2006
Physical Description note: 3 discs.
Scope and Content Summary
Contains VAALA website information, secretary files, and files of Ysa Le.
box 1, folder 11
"Building a Stronger America Together" brochure and note from President
George W. Bush
2006
box 1, folder 12
Event programs and announcements
2005-2007
Scope and Content Summary
Contains programs and postcards from VIFF, gallery openings, lectures, and book
events.
box 4, folder 1-6
Meeting notes and correspondence
1994-2000
Scope and Content Summary
Contains agendas, minutes, and notes from VAALA meetings as well as correspondence
and other organizational records.
box 4, folder 7
The Forgotten Ones: a photographic documentation of
the last Vietnamese boat people in the Philippines
2004
box 1, folder 4
Vietnam California Radio yearbook
2002-2003
box 1, folder 5
Vietnamese Diaspora Film Symposium, program materials
2004
Unprocessed addition 2018 Accession 2018.005
2011-2017
Physical Description: 0.2 Linear
Feet(1 half letter document
box)
Series Scope and Contents Summary
Contains photographs and ephemera, including posters, flyers, postcards, and other
planning and publicity materials for VAALA programs and events. An exhibit catalogue for
"Generations: 40 Hues between Black and White" show in 2015 is included.
Access
This addition to the collection has not been processed but is open for research. Please
contact the Department of Special Collections and Archives in advance to request
access.
box accn2018.005 001
Box 1
2011-2017
Scope and Contents Note
Photographs and ephemera, including posters, flyers, postcards, and other planning
and publicity materials for VAALA programs and events. An exhibit catalogue for
"Generations: 40 Hues between Black and White" show in 2015 is included.
