Benedetti Artist in Residence: Ngoc-Tran Vu

This year’s Benedetti Artist in Residence is Ngoc-Tran Vu who gave a lecture to the MCLA community recently about who she was and her plans for her residency at MCLA. Much of Tran’s work revolves around creating phsyical space for communities and to convene in. She discussed how she has been attending events in the Berkshires and is working with MOSAIC and Assets for Artists to help build trust between people through art, especially public art.

Tran’s largest project that she is working on is creating a memorial in Dorchester, “The 1975: A Vietnamese Diaspora Commemoration Initiative.” On her website, Tran says that the project “focuses on the stories and legacies of the war in Việt Nam for the Vietnamese diaspora community and the impact on Vietnamese generations - past, present, and future. 2025 will mark the 50th anniversary of the end of the war in Viet Nam. Despite the war in Việt Nam being a critical chapter in global history, the stories of the Vietnamese diaspora remain relatively unknown. These truths are often marginalized in the discourse of the war, and ignored in U.S. media, history textbooks and formal education.” Tran states that this project is specifically un-militaristic and instead focuses on the stories of families and community and the culture of memory and public art.

The event was wonderfully catered by STATE chef Tu Le

What stuck out to me the most was how she discussed the role of physical spaces and connection. There was a question asked about the abandoned factory buildings in North Adams and their current renovations and renewals. Tran talked about the grief that many people have around these abandoned spaces but also the inspiration that comes with it of the possibility of what they may become. She speaks to how important it is to have creatives there from the beginning as they often have vision for what these left over spaces may turn into.

If you were unable to catch Tran’s talk last week or weren’t able to ask her all the questions you wanted to, you are in luck because she will be hosting another event with MOSAIC at their space in Gallery 51 on March 4th. This event is titled, “Making Artivism” and is a time to connect further with MCLA and the greater North Adams community.

More about Ngoc-Tran Vu: https://www.tranvuarts.com/

More about the Benedetti Artist in Residence Program: https://www.mcla.edu/mcla-in-the-community/bcrc/artists-in-residence.php