DVAN@SFSU is a project of San Francisco State University’s College of Ethnic Studies sponsored by the Diasporic Vietnamese Artists Network (DVAN) at the Intersection for the Arts. The project is designed to advance mutual educational goals and the promotion of Vietnamese American diasporic literary arts and other cultural productions through the mentorship and support of SFSU undergraduates in the humanities and the arts.
DVAN@SFSU
History
DVAN was invited to launch DVAN@SFSU in Fall 2019 to enrich students’ lives with robust educational and professional opportunities ranging from internships, scholarships, mentorship opportunities, and a lifelong network of Vietnamese artists, academics, and organizers.
Read about the DVAN@ SFSU event: Pulitzer Prize winner comes to campus, celebrates new University milestone →
We are thrilled to run the DVAN@SFSU project, which was made to address the generational gap between Vietnamese parents and their children, whose relationships have been marked by cultural, racial, and social rifts due to histories of war and migration. Through our academic and political programming, we seek to foster a collaborative space for students to engage with their shared histories while providing professional development for them to pursue their intellectual questions in their scholarship and organizing. DVAN@SFSU is a seed to imagine, create and implement a critical global hub for the next generation of diasporic Vietnamese artists, academics, and practitioners.
Curriculum Development
The Asian American Studies department in the College of Ethnic Studies has the largest curriculum of Vietnamese American Studies and Southeast Asian American classes in the country. The following Asian American Studies courses use and/or generate DVAN materials in their curriculum:
- AAS 212 Asian Americans and Mass Media
- AAS 370 Vietnamese in the United States
- AAS 372 Vietnamese American Literature
- AAS 373 Vietnamese American Identities
- AAS 570 Southeast Asians in the United States.
- AAS 822 Asian American Literature
- AAS 588 Asian American Media Workshop
DVAN@SFSU is also starting a pilot program to host transnational sessions for SFSU undergraduates to discuss diasporic Vietnamese literature with students in Vietnam.
Financial Support of Undergraduate Students with an Appreciation for Art and Literature and Committed to Serve the Community
Kiều Chinh Scholarship Endowment
DVAN@SFSU administers the Kiều Chinh Scholarship Endowment named after legendary Vietnamese American actress Kiều Chinh.
The scholarship supports undergraduate students in the College of Ethnic Studies who have an interest in the humanities and the arts and are committed to engaging with the socio-political complexities of the Vietnamese American community and working for peace and justice in global solidarity with people of color.
The Kiều Chinh Scholarship Endowment affirms for our community that Vietnamese American culture is enriched by writers, poets, artists and community organizers who are aware that their experiences are connected to that of other people of color and are committed to practicing this politics of solidarity At now, the scholarships reward two students for $1,000.00 a year for the entirety of their undergraduate studies at SFSU. If you would like to help grow this scholarship endowment, please visit http://give.sfsu.edu/21kce.
Related read on SFSU website →
Scholarship Eligibility:
- Undergraduate students with a major or minor in the College of Ethnic Studies at SF State University
- Students with upper division standing during the award period
- Students with a minimum GPA of 3.0 in their major
- Preference shall be given to first generation college students
- Preference shall be given to students with financial need
Applications will be accepted from September 1, 2021 – November 1, 2021
Internships
DVAN@SFSU provides internships that provide three units of university credits at SFSU or a stipend when possible.
With these internships, students develop leadership and professional skills (e.g., academic research, grant writing, event organizing, communications and design, cultural competency, and collaboration).
Support Students to Support Community
Based on students’ demands, we provide spaces and opportunities for them to be exposed to cultural producers and serve the community through organizing educational programs related to the arts.
Public Events
Readings & Discussions
Students are invited to free reading and discussion events with Vietnamese American writers, poets and artists.
Q-Call: Community Engagement
Students will work with other local grassroots community-based nonprofits to help organize a yearly event that showcases emerging Southeast Asian American talents.
Textures of Remembrance: Vietnamese Artists and Writers Reflect on the Fall of Saigon
Students help organize and promote an exhibit to explore the impact of April 30, 1975—the Fall of Saigon—on Vietnamese American artists of the new generation. These creative reflections toward personal struggles and memories demonstrate the effects of the Vietnam War on identity, family and community. The exhibit is oriented towards humanizing—providing texture to—the Vietnamese diasporic refugee experience from the inside-out.
Textures of Remembrance is expected to be launched in 2022 at SF State through an on-campus gallery, in addition to a virtual component for online audiences.
Special Projects
Mapping the Diaspora
Students help develop a living, multi-use digital archive of Vietnamese diasporic production.
To address the marginalization of diasporic Vietnamese artists in society, DVAN@SFSU recently submitted an NEH grant titled “Mapping the Diaspora,” a proposal to implement a dynamic online database through which diasporic Vietnamese artists are gathered across time and space. We imagine a digital geographical map users could scroll and easily find diasporic Vietnamese cultural productions, such as literature, film, art and music. DVAN@SFSU extends appreciation for the support of the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center and the Surdna Foundation. We are sincerely grateful to have received a generous donation from Stephen CuUnjieng to launch this project in Spring ‘21.
Collaborating Organizations
DVAN@SFSU collaborates with the following organizations and groups:
SFSU VSA (@sfsuvsa) received multinational recognition for “Most Outstanding Educational Program” from the Union of North American Vietnamese Student Associations (UNAVSA) at the 2020 Leadership Conference (UNAVSA-16) for its work in collaboration with the DVAN@SFSU Initiative.
SFSU Campus Centers & Institutes:
Other Universities:
- University of California, Berkeley (Asian American and Asian Diaspora Studies) (in progress)
- Hao Sen University (American Studies) (in progress)
Support DVAN@SFSU
DVAN@SFSU is supported by grants and donations from generous individuals who believe in our mission and value the impact of our work.
Gifts to DVAN@SFSU are tax deductible, and are acknowledged by San Francisco State University.
Make Online Donation
Donate by Check
To donate by check, please make it payable to “The University Corporation, San Francisco State” and note “DVAN@SFSU (48095) Donation” on the memo line. The mailing address is:
San Francisco State University
Advancement Services
1600 Holloway Avenue, ADM 154
San Francisco, CA 94132
Advancement Services
1600 Holloway Avenue, ADM 154
San Francisco, CA 94132
If you have questions or if you are interested in making a gift of securities, charitable IRA rollovers, or other types of gifts, please contact Alex Sanchez at alexsan@sfsu.edu or (415) 338-1032.
