These are the Times

From 2023-2024, I had the great privilege of serving as a California Creative Corps Fellow with the support of Arts Council for Long Beach and California Arts Council. For this fellowship, I was partnered Khmer Girls in Action to develop and facilitate arts programming as a way to build community and help document history with our Cambodian youth in Long Beach. All year long, we engaged in arts activities and meaningful conversation in fellowship and neighborly love.

The following works were created during our time together:

These are the Times, 2024, acrylic latex on drywall Acrylic latex, Bà Ngoại’s and Bi’s threads, scarfs made in Cambodia and worn at the Khmer New Year Parade, 15’H x 70’L

After countless hours spent with the Young Women’s Empowerment Program (YWEP), multiple focus groups with Khmer Girls in Action’s members, staff, and alumni, we created a mural that tells of sisterhood and neighborhood, advocacy, and the history to which we owe our arrival in Long Beach. It was my pleasure to create their first ever mural in their establishment in 1997. Learn more about our mural here.

A Better World is Possible, 2024, transformation of vintage Volkswagon truck for the 19th Annual Cambodian New Year Parade in Long Beach.

We spent days in the studio preparing for the parade. We made signs, banners, and decorated the trucks that would flank our marching youth, members, staff, and alumni. It was a joy to spend time with the girls communing in art-making while discussing important lessons in life, in growth, and in finding our place in our communities. We had a wonderful time eating, painting, eating, laughing, eating, and talking through ideas.

Here’s a closer look at our adorable little cart! A very special thanks to Liz and Roark for your support in this project.

Bloom, 2024, vinyl, cotton trim, and steel wire

I created a three-dimensional interpretation of the Khmer Girls in Action logo, which perched on our truck, and now resides at the Khmer Girls in Action office.

The Gallery and the Self portraits, 2024. Acrylic on canvas

To celebrate the work we’ve accomplish, we transformed the hallways into a gallery space to display some of the of the projects that we’ve created together. Some of these included stoles sewn for KGA graduates by community members and KGA alumni and artwork made for the Cambodian New Year Parade. The gallery walls have also been graced with self-portraits that we worked on together, each one accompanying the words of its artist as they express the ways in which they value their culture and heritage:

I am proud that I can say our culture and our community show resilience. We have gone through—and still experience—hardship in our life as Khmer folks. However, we still try to accomplish our best, even if we have to work ten times harder. We do it, and we do it with a kind heart and mind. - Janie Ngeng

Things that make me proud to be southeast Asian is the cool and unique culture we get to share around the world
and the delicious cuisines that I grew up with originating from Cambodia. - Kaylene Lap

I love being Cambodian due to our community. I love how unique our community is, and our emphasis on being there for each other.M. Kreis, Seattle, WA
I can always depend on my fellow Asian sisters and brothers to be there for me. - Angelina Te

Things that make me proud to be Khmer is the cool and unique culture we get to share around the world and the delicious cuisines that I grew up with originating from Cambodia.  - Kaylene Lap

I am proud of being Khmer because I can represent my culture. Also, I am proud because my parents have been sacrificing everything for me and my siblings. - April Ros

I am proud to be Khmer because it’s who I am and I would not change it for the world.
My identity can be an introduction to the future and/or newer things that I am more than willing to put my pride in. - McKaylah Surria Yin

I am proud to be Khmer because I have a beautiful culture that I can share with the rest of the world.
Being able to experience amazing food, traditional clothes that make me feel special, and family bonds that make me feel alive.
Being southeast Asian is a big part of my identity that I am proud of. I would be glad to share this with more people. - Kaylyn Oul

I’m proud to be Khmer because of the amazing food that I’m exposed to, and the fact that my family can make any Cambodian or southeast Asian food that I crave on the spot.
I also love that our culture has so much original origins and our community accepts one another. Cambodian parties are also really cool. - Roselynn Sim

In the midst of the chaos, there is also opportunity
Home sick
and not sure where home is
I will either find a way, or I will make one
Know yourself and you will win all battles
I have nature and art and poetry, and if
that is not enough, what is enough?
Life is the art of dying.
After all, we are nothing more or less than we choose to reveal.
Art serves as a bridge between the past and the future, connecting generations through creativity.
- Joanna Thach (JT)

I feel proud to be a part of something that makes me feel like a better person. - Prettnika Vandy Lim

Cambodians are special. I am special. In my heart. I am lovely. They are lovely. - Elizabeth Keo

Being Cambodian, I hold a sense of pride for myself. I’m so happy to be a part of such a beautiful culture,
and I love to represent Cambodian American girls like me! - Crystar Palia Ros