Cambodian Exhibition Shows Cultural Aesthetics, History

By Jonathan Van Dyke
Staff Writer

The Second Annual Cambodian Arts and Culture Exhibition will give younger members of the community and outsiders a sense of the diverse and interesting Cambodian culture, organizers say.

“We expect probably between 500 and 600 people and it’s going to be a very diverse group,” said Richer San, exhibitions coordinator. “This year’s program is going to be much better (than last year’s).”

There will be events from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. on Saturday, split between MacArthur Park and Mark Twain Library, that will demonstrate a number of the cultural aesthetics and history that make up Cambodian culture, San said. Admission will be free, and attendees will have an opportunity to participate in several different interactive demonstrations.

San said the exhibition also is a chance for local artisans and vendors to show off an area that not everyone in Long Beach may be familiar with.

“We do this to bring in some traffic to central Long Beach for the business folks who need this,” he said.

There will be textiles, dressmaking, weddings, games, Yantra Mantra, cooking, costuming, painting, drawing, shadow puppets, Cambodian Court Dance, music and different musical instruments.

At 11:30 a.m., curator Jeffrey Weaver of the J. Paul Getty Museum will make a special presentation on the Gods of Angkor in the community room of the Mark Twain Library. He will talk about the Getty Center’s (in Los Angeles) upcoming exhibition on the subject, which opens in February of next year.

At 2 p.m., there will be a movie screening of “Twilight.” King Norodom Sihanouk made the film in 1969, during a strong period of Cambodian cinema, San said. It follows the story of a prince falling in love, and demonstrates a great deal of what Cambodia was like before war changed it. There will be English subtitles. Former United Nations Ambassador Sichan Siv will introduce the screening.

“This is before the war came to Cambodia,” San said. “It’s going to be so important for the younger generation (to see). It shows Cambodia back in the 1960s, when it was very peaceful and vibrant.”

Both the movie and presentations will provide an important opportunity to remind the youth in the community of a heritage they may feel removed from, while introducing the rest of the community to it, San said.

“It is important,” he said. “Mainly we want to share with our neighbors and our new generation. We want to show them our heritage and rich culture — to promote harmony. People can communicate through culture.”

The Second Annual Cambodian Arts and Culture Exhibition will take place from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. on Saturday at MacArthur Park, 1321 E. Anaheim St. The special presentation and movie screening will take place at Mark Twain Library, 1401 E. Anaheim St. Admission will be free.

For details, call Sixth District Councilman Dee Andrews’s office at 570-6816.