The Power of Art

Andy Wang
Section 2
In response to Creating Identity, Defining Culture and Making History from an Art Exhibit: 'Unfinished Story: A Tribute to My Mothers' by Kieu-Linh Caroline Valverde

After reading the article by Professor Valverde, I knew what was going on. Art can be very powerful, either correctly interpreted or incorrectly, depending on how people want to interpret it. From one picture, Vietnamese Americans became outrage because it violated their past generations effort and their ancestors. The picture was the "Pedicure Basin" and the real meaning behind this picture which represented the hardworking mothers in America who sacrificed themselves to earn money to put their children through college and send money back to relatives. This picture was really inspiring to me because I knew was it meant to Huynh Chau. But others perceived it as in insult to a lack of respect to their former RVN flag. What surprised me the most was how Vietnamese Americans van feel so insulted by a picture and go out into a full on protest. How can a picture cause a protest? Maybe a form of art can be more powerful than words? There are many instances where people can be influenced by the media such as propaganda. So, what can we as Asian Americans do to get our voices heard in the community, state, and country? What should we do to garner an national attention?