We recently connected with Vanndearlyn Vong and have shared our conversation below.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I’m Vanndearlyn Vong, a Cambodian-American artist born and raised in Long Beach, California. I earned my B.A. in Political Science, with a minor in Cambodian Language and Culture in 2021.
I started working with clay to support Southeast Asian people facing deportations, with 40% of every sale going to the Long Beach Southeast Asian Anti-Deportation Collective.
As a second generation Cambodian-American, I feel a responsibility to ensure that we continue this ancient tradition. It’s imperative for us to preserve traditional Cambodian culture, as the Khmer Rouge tried to destroy its previous culture during the genocide from 1975-1979.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
What drives my art is a yearning to center and preserve Cambodian culture.
I’m grateful to have learned from Yary Livan, 1 of 3 Cambodian master ceramists who survived the genocide. We connected through FaceBook, and bonded over a love for clay and culture. In July-August 2022, I was fortunate to learn traditional techniques, and help fire a smokeless wood-burning kiln in Lowell, Massachusetts under his guidance.
I hope to continue studying the traditional Cambodian arts, and pass this knowledge on to other people as part of a cultural renewal.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding part of being an artist is getting to “play” again, and bring my ideas to reality.
The process of coming up with an idea, and editing through sessions has allowed me to stop being a perfectionist and create at my own pace.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.vanndearlynscreations.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vanndearlynscreations/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vanndearlynscreations