Wednesday September 8 * 6-8pm * we will be limiting group size in the house, so please come with an expectation to chat with others outside before/after viewing the exhibits - and please note the mosquitoes are pretty bad right now: long pants are recommended

The 270 Million Project is a commitment to create 270 ink paintings resembling Rorschach tests, listening to only Lao music. These pieces explore my relationship to being a Lao American: the longing to understand my roots and the conflict of being American and Lao. Each painting represents 1 million American cluster bombs dropped onto Laos during the Vietnam War. $100 of the first 135 painting sales will go to Legacies of Wars, a non-profit working on advocacy, education and funding the removal of unexploded bombs currently still in the country . The next $100 from each of the remaining 135 painting sales will go to COPE, a facility which aids in physical therapy for the thousands of people affected by the bombs after the war. The grid display echos the idea of maps used to clear out the cluster bombs. With each sale there will be missing parts to the grid. Each missing spot represents the impact a community can have on empathsizing and solving a problem if they come together. This work speaks to intergenerational trauma, the immigrant/refugee family experience, war, identity and resilience.

Kim’s animation “False American Dream” will also be on view. This piece explores ideas of addiction, chance, immigration and the American dream. Immigrants often leave their countries in pursuit of the American dream--to build a better life, to find financial stability, to give more to their families & etc. The journey takes sacrifices, hope and patience but even all this effort can often still lead to a game of chance on if financial stability can be achieved.

Also - last chance to catch Erica Pixi’s Redacted Writings in our downstairs gallery.