HOUSTON, August 8, 2024 — Asia Society Texas welcomed 80 campers in its 12th year of Culture Camps, celebrating and highlighting diverse Asian art techniques, history, and more. During the summer's four hands-on camp sessions, students learned traditional dances, utilized natural resources to create original art, storyboarded and illustrated their own manga, and produced an original collaborative documentary. Campers' families and friends were invited to a celebratory showcase at the conclusion of each session.

The camp season kicked off with the Asia Society's Got Talent! session, where AST's Phuong Ha and other staff inspired campers to get in tune with their inner performers, learn about rich performance traditions from across Asia, and build their confidence and stage presence with fun games and vocal drills. The campers practiced the elegant Peacock Dance of the Dai minority with professional dance competitor and CreativeArtReach founder Emily Wang, while Houston Public Library's Ivy Bao introduced the students to Chinese Opera and taught them how to sing a modern Chinese song, "Big Fish." AST volunteer Alejandro Garcia performed the Shamisen, a traditional Japanese instrument, and shared its history. The campers got on their feet with K-pop, Bollywood, and Dabke dances led by AST's Amal Hasan and Rayén Torres and with a fun dance-off led by former AST interns Selena Ruiz and Tara Diep and volunteer Adriana Lopez. The week concluded with a talent show for the students' loved ones.

In the Rising Arts: The Nature of Symbols camp session, educator Vehishta Kaikobad guided students to see the beauty of nature and its impacts on the art of calligraphy. Artwork created throughout the week celebrated the elegance and fluidity inspired by the natural world, and included a cutout Korean blossom tree and flowers with guest instructor Anne Park, three-dimensional bamboo and rock landscapes, gold foil embossings inspired by a visit to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and sand mandalas. Kaikobad and the campers prepared short plays featuring Indonesian shadow puppets and the students' original stories for the camp's showcase.

After a delayed start due to Hurricane Beryl, campers enjoyed an energetic Manga POP session, where they honed their skills in visual storytelling, script-writing, and character development and created an anthology of original manga-inspired work under the direction of artist instructor Luis Pruneda. With support from AST intern Jada Harrell, AST's Janjay Mason presented on Japanese culture and special guest instructors included Houston Public Library's Regina Leslie and former AST staff Staci Riddle, whose respective workshops on charms and bookmark-making expanded the campers' understanding of Japanese art, language, and culture as they created eye-catching crafts. The camp ended with a celebratory manga comic-con to showcase each student's artwork for family and friends.

The camp season concluded with the two-week Documentary Filmmaking: Culture and Community session, where students were immersed in the art of storytelling through film and gained valuable skills in script-writing, interviewing, and editing. Led by children's TV producer Dan Gordon, with support from AST's Uriel Sandoval, campers chose different social and environmental topics as their main focus for the group's collaborative documentary. Over the course of two weeks, the students visited the Holocaust Museum Houston, BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir of Houston, Zoroastrian Association of Houston, Eternal Gandhi Museum Houston, Fo Guang Shan Chung Mei Temple, and Maryam Islamic Center and interviewed local politicians, religious leaders, community leaders, and other professionals. Through these site visits and interviews, the campers explored the different roles and impacts that individuals and organizations can have within a community, enabling the students to showcase their new technical skills and highlighted their unique perspectives in a meaningful and powerful documentary that resonated with their audience and among themselves.

Asia Society Texas thanks the many guests who generously shared their time and perspectives with the Documentary Filmmaking camp students:

• Andrew Gordon, Research Associate Professor (retired), University of Houston
• Molly Cook, Texas State Senator
• Caro Achar, the ACLU of Texas
• Chaitali Dave, ConocoPhillips
• Imam ElFarooqui, Maryam Islamic Center
• Amy Franke, Holocaust Museum Houston
• Stephanie Valdez, CEER Houston
• Paul Ngueyn, Vietnam veteran
• Jacobi Montgomery
• Comfort Azigi
• Kate Green

Previous Culture Camps

2023: Highlights and photos
2022: Highlights and photos
2021: Highlights and photos
2020: Details
2019: Highlights and photos
2018: Highlights and photos
2017: Highlights and photos
2016: Highlights and photos
2015: Highlights and photos
2014: Highlights and photos
2013: Highlights and photos

About Asia Society Texas

Asia Society Texas believes in the strength and beauty of diverse perspectives and people. As an educational institution, we advance cultural exchange by celebrating the vibrant diversity of Asia, inspiring empathy, and fostering a better understanding of our interconnected world. Spanning the fields of arts, business, culture, education, and policy, our programming is rooted in the educational and cultural development of our community — trusting in the power of art, dialogue, and ideas to combat bias and build a more inclusive society.