Center for Hmong Arts and Talent: Summer events to CHAT about

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Feature and Photo by MARGIE O’LOUGHLIN

CHATPhoto left: CHAT Executive Director Fres Thao.

“The Center for Hmong Arts and Talent (CHAT) has the distinction of being the first and only Hmong arts organization ever established,” according to executive director Fres Thao. Located in the Sunrise Market Building at 995 University Ave. W.,  the 2nd floor CHAT studio is a place where Hmong youth can come to create art and find community.

The Hmong are a distinct ethnic group from the mountainous regions of Laos. They began arriving in Minnesota in 1975 as refugees from the devastation of the Vietnam War. With some 66,000 Hmong having settled here, the Twin Cities is now home to the largest urban Hmong population in the country.

Thao, an eloquent spoken-word artist, explained the history of CHAT.

The organization began as Pom Siab Hmoob Theatre, which translates as Peering into the Heart. Between 1991-97, the company wrote, produced and performed five successful plays. In 1998, organizers decided to expand beyond theatre to better serve the Hmong arts community. Pom Siab Hmoob had been the first Hmong theatre group in the world. Traditionally the Hmong specialize in poetry, dance, woodwind instruments and textile arts; theatre has only recently become part of their cultural expression.

The mission of CHAT is for youth to live, learn and create art with a purpose. That means making a platform for traditional arts but also diving into new ways of making art and new ways of thinking. Thao said, “Everything we do here is Hmong-inspired, infused with leadership development and an emphasis on community building for our youth.”

On June 9, CHAT launched their summer season of Open Studio from 4-7pm. This weekly get-together is facilitated by the Youth Leadership Group (YLG), but, “all teens and older are welcome and you don’t need to be Hmong,” said Thao. There will be karaoke, movies, and opportunities for performance. CHAT supports many ways of venturing into the world of art and creative expression. They provide guidance and support in the areas of visual arts, theatre, literary arts, dance, music, fashion design, mixed media and more. “There are three questions that figure into every conversation here,” said Thao. “Who are we, where have we been and where are we going?”

The YLG is open to youth ages 14 to 20 years old. It got its start in 2008 and this year has 15 members, according to senior member Zena Lee, a student at St. Paul College who also loves singing. YLG is for youth interested in developing leadership and community organizing skills through service-learning projects and theatre arts. At the end of the program, YLG members write and perform a play in collaboration with the Asian American theatre company Mu Performing Arts.

“I moved to St. Paul from Wisconsin when I was 14,” Lee said. “The Hmong community is so big here, and YLG gave me a place to belong. The counselors are always saying things like, ‘we’re all family’, and it really does help to know there’s a place where you can go and where you’re understood.”

There are some 300,000 Hmong living in the USA. According to Thao, the annual Freedom Celebration and Sports Festival at Como Park’s McMurray Field is the most anticipated Hmong event of the year.  CHAT is one of the community partners who will make this event happen July 4 and 5. This year’s celebration is expected to draw more than 40,000 people over its two-day run.  Neighbors should be prepared for a busy weekend. Thao suggested, “Rather than being irritated by the crowds and the unfamiliar sights and sounds, please consider them your invitation to join us for a new cultural experience.”

The cost of admission is $5 for the whole day. There will be competitions of soccer and volleyball, Hmong artists from across the country selling their work, and food booths overflowing with papaya salad and sizzling Hmong sausages, among other things.

One of the three stages will be dedicated to performing arts and managed by the YLG, with Hmong music and entertainment for youth. YLG alumni Wong Thao, a hip-hop dancer, serves as sound tech for the CHAT performance stage. “It’s volunteering for these kinds of community events that have made my experience with CHAT most meaningful,” Thao said. ”I’ve been exposed to so many different people and organizations, and it feels satisfying to work as a group and give back to the community—Hmong and otherwise.”

Because parking and traffic have been challenging in the past during the festival, look up the location of parking lots with shuttle service, take the bus, ride your bike or walk to the event.

On the night of July 4 from 9pm-1am, Bedlam Theatre in downtown St. Paul is hosting the CHAT Adults’ Freedom Fest Concert. The performers haven’t been finalized yet but, according to Thao,

“They’ll represent the multi-cultural talent of the Twin Cities and be well worth staying up for.”

Visit the CHAT website at www.aboutchat.org to learn more about their leadership development and art opportunities for Hmong youth in the community.

To better understand the contributions the Hmong have made in the last 40 years, be sure to visit the Minnesota History Center’s exhibit “We are Hmong Minnesota/Peb Yog Hmoob Minnesota,” which runs through November 29.

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