As the #Blessed pop-up exhibit approaches Philadelphia on May 6th, I've been able to watch Laos in the House founder Catzie Vilayphonh and her team in action readying the site for this event, I'm so proud of her and her tenacity, her vision and commitment to building the community.
I'm honored to be a part of this project with her, and I'll be reading several classic poems of mine at this event at her personal request, including "The Last War Poem," "Laos in the House," "Aftermaths" and "On A Stairway in Luang Prabang," perhaps a few others as time permits.
She's a wonderful role model for Lao artists anywhere, and I can't wait to see how it all comes together.
To put the significance of this gathering into context, this space was founded in 1963 by the visionary dean of the school of architecture, Holmes Perkins, who wanted to expose students to what was “new and happening” in art and culture.
In the time since, the ICA has developed an international reputation for contemporary art and culture. 52 years ago, In 1965, they organized Andy Warhol’s first ever solo museum show, helping propel him to superstardom;. The ICA has presented early shows of artists like Laurie Anderson, Richard Artschwager, Karen Kilimnik, Glenn Ligon, Robert Mapplethorpe, Damian Ortega, Pepon Osorio, Tavares Strachan, Cy Twombly and many more.
That we are now able to bring the work of Lao American artists to this space is a very exciting moment for everyone.
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