Howard Phengsomphone at Exhibition Talk for CCHAP 25th Anniversary Exhibit
SubjectPortrait of
Howard Phengsomphone
(Laotian)
FilmmakerMade by
Tamara Dimitri
Date2016 November 3
Mediumborn digital video
DimensionsDuration: 2 Minutes, 12 Seconds
ClassificationsGraphics
Credit LineConnecticut Cultural Heritage Arts Program collections
CopyrightIn Copyright
Object number2015.196.283.7
DescriptionVideo of an Artists Talk at the Connecticut Office of the Arts Gallery held in conjunction with the exhibition, "Connecticut Traditional Artists and Their Communities: An Exhibit Celebrating 25 Years of CCHAP."
Howard Phengsomphone describes Lao Buddhist carvings and shares his ideas about the value of the art in the exhibition.
The video footage was filmed by Tamara Dimitri, a Connecticut Office of the Arts staff member.
NotesSubject Note: In 2016, the Connecticut Cultural Heritage Arts Program (CCHAP) at the Connecticut Historical Society (CHS) marked 25 years of documenting the state’s diverse cultural traditions and sharing the artistic creations and community cultural practices of folk artists living here. To celebrate this achievement and honor their longtime partnership, the Connecticut Office of the Arts (COA) hosted a new exhibit curated by CCHAP. "Connecticut Traditional Artists and Their Communities" displayed a variety of ethnic, occupational, and native arts that are thriving throughout the state.Howard Phengsomphone describes Lao Buddhist carvings and shares his ideas about the value of the art in the exhibition.
The video footage was filmed by Tamara Dimitri, a Connecticut Office of the Arts staff member.
"Connecticut Traditional Artists and Their Communities: An Exhibit Celebrating 25 Years of the Connecticut Cultural Heritage Arts Program" highlights the work of Connecticut folk artists whose creativity expresses the history, cultures, values, and beliefs essential to their heritage. Their skills have been learned from family and community members over years of observation, practice, and artistic participation. Artists included Peruvian woodcarver and furniture restoration expert Romulo Chanduvi, Polish iconographer and community folklorist Marek Czarnecki, Ukrainian pysanky (decorated eggs) master Paul Luniw, and Q Delpeche, creator of brilliant Trinidad-style Carnival costumes. Several skilled textile artists from newcomer groups including Bosnian, Burmese Karen, and Assyrian displayed their weavings, embroideries, and lace. The Finnish community from eastern Connecticut showed woodcarvings, weavings, and sauna decorations, and the Tibetan community displayed thangka paintings, woven rugs, and a sand mandala. Connecticut-based Native American artists displayed flutes, pottery, and finger weaving. Occupational artists from maritime, ironwork, decoy carving, and shoe-making traditions illustrated the crafts of working communities. Additional artists included Lithuanian artists Aldona Saimininkas and Asta Nenortas, Cambodian costume designers Sotha Keth and Sophanna Keth Yos, Ukrainian embroiderer Zirka Rudyk, Laotian community artists Khoutavong and Manola Sidara, Ugandan musical instruments made by Gideon Ampeire, and National Heritage Fellowship awardee Eldrid Arntzen.
Artists described their work at a public exhibition talk held on November 3, 2016.
The exhibition ran from August 11 - November 4, 2016, at the Gallery at Constitution Plaza, Hartford. The exhibition was supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Connecticut Office of the Arts, and the Connecticut Historical Society.
Biographical Note: Houmpheng (Howard) Phengsomphone retired from a long career as a counselor and administrator of several federal and state substance abuse and violence prevention projects in Rhode Island and Connecticut. In 1999 U.S. Department of Health selected his program as one of the best refugee services for youth and families. He has spoken at national conferences and universities on his work with gangs and violence prevention. A survivor of imprisonment by the Communist regime in Laos, Howard’s volunteer community involvement has been his way of supporting Lao in America who still struggle with emotional and cultural losses from the war and its aftermath. He served on the Rhode Island Coalition for Affirmative Action, the Southeast Asian Advisory Council for Parents and Schools (RI), the Providence Mayor’s Council on Human Relations, and the Governor’s (RI) Juvenile Justice Commission. He has been a Board Member of the Lao Association of CT since its inception, and was a founder, along with his wife Sue (Sisimphone), and teacher of culture and history at Lao Saturday School in New Britain for years beginning in 1994. Howard has spearheaded the collaborative development of expanded cultural heritage opportunities for Lao teens in Connecticut, leading to a partnership with CCHAP and Cambodian, Hmong, and Lao cultural leaders to offer afterschool programs, funded by the National Endowment for the Arts. The longtime Executive Director of the Lao Association of Connecticut, he continues to work in the area of culture, health, history, and community service for the Laotian community.
Additional audio, video, and photographic materials exist in the archive relating to this community and its artists.
Cataloging Note: This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services MA-245929-OMS-20.
Status
Not on view
