Refugee Arts in Seattle |
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June 29th, 2007 - 05:13PM |
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The Kinnaly Laotian Dance Troupe performs Photo: Shanna Scherbinske/The IRC From Megan Anderson, in Seattle: The second annual Refugee ARTvocacy held in Seattle to honor World Refugee Day was a huge success. Held by the International Rescue Committee, the event was sponsored by the Seattle Mayor’s Office of Art and Cultural Affairs, Humanities Washington, the Capitol Hill Arts Center, the Adee Law Firm, and ARTech. On Tuesday June 19th, over 350 members of the Puget Sound region’s diverse refugee communities and Washington locals came together in honor of World Refugee Day, declared by the United Nations to recognize the “indomitable spirit and courage of the world's refugees.” Many refugees have faced violent government regimes, fled perilous conditions, and spent their lives searching for a new homeland. They came to America in search of freedom and peace. The event featured works by individuals from around the world now living in the Puget Sound area, including special performances by the Laotian Dance Troupe, Kinnaly; the Roosevelt Cambodian Dance Troupe; the Bosnian Dance Troupe, Behar; and jazz singer Thu Tran. Over 24 refugee artists and craftspeople and 34 refugee performers participated, representing 15 countries. Just one of many talented artists who shared their work was Petro Markovich. Petro came to the US as a refugee in 1991 on the grounds of his religion and in flight from the radioactive deposits of the Chernobyl disaster. He has taught art both in the Ukraine and the U.S. His work is very diverse in style and medium, ranging from paintings to ceramics to sculpture. Guests viewed a wide range of fine arts, traditional crafts reflecting the diversity and value of the cultural contributions that refugees make in our communities. Exhibits included Burmese paintings, traditional Kashmiri silks, Iraqi sculptures, and ceramics and oil and pastel paintings by artists from around the world. Thank you to all of the artists, the volunteers, IRC staff, sponsors, and the guests that made this year’s Refugee ARTvocacy a huge success! View the Seattle ARTvocacy Slideshow on Flickr > Posted By: theirc | Refugees in the U.S. Permalink |
