February 22, 2008

Smithsonian exhibit ‘Exit Saigon, Enter Little Saigon’ comes to SJCC

San José/Evergreen Community College District (SJECCD) will host the Smithsonian exhibit - “Exit Saigon, Enter Little Saigon: Vietnamese America since 1975” at San José City College (SJCC) from Mar. 7 to June 1, 2008. This exhibit was first displayed in January 2007 at the Smithsonian S. Dillon Ripley Center, Concourse Gallery in Washington D.C. The exhibit, named by Smithsonian, is for educational purposes.

Photo courtesy Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program

“Exit Saigon, Enter Little Saigon” is the first Vietnamese American historical exhibit from the Smithsonian to explore the Vietnamese American experience in America. Images covering over 30 years of Vietnamese immigration are displayed in this new traveling exhibition. By showcasing themes of challenges, contributions and change, the exhibit emphasizes the vibrant diversity of this ethnic community.

This exhibit documents the lengths to which Vietnamese Americans have gone to maintain linguistic and cultural traditions, and demonstrates how a displaced people who had lost almost everything can rebuild their lives to form a vibrant ethnic community, contributing to the livelihood of many neighborhoods and cities across America.

The exhibit is developed by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program (APAP), with Vietnamese American scholar Vu Pham as the curator, and organized for travel by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. The national tour is made possible by Farmers Insurance.

The exhibition’s grand opening reception will take place on Friday, March 14, 6:00 p.m. at San José City College, Student Center Building.

The exhibit’s three-month run at San José City College will be supplemented with a series of special programs featuring Vietnamese American and Asian American leaders, historians, authors, artists and photographers.

San José City College is located at 2100 Moorpark Ave., San José, CA 95128. The exhibit is located in the Student Center Building, Community Room SC204. Hours are Mondays through Wednesdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursdays 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission to the exhibit is free.