Southeast Asian Cultural Festival
August 3 and 4
Southeast Asian Cultural Festival
About the Festival
Illinois State University, in collaboration with Heartland Community College, will be hosting a Southeast Asian Cultural Festival the week of March 31st through April 4th. This festival will showcase the diverse cultures of this region, including those from Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam, and highlight intercultural practices such as yoga and meditation, martial arts, and dance. These events are free to attend and are open to the community.
Schedule
The first two days of the festival will take place at Heartland Community College, with events being held at the Astroth Community Education Center (ACEC) and at the Heartland Main Campus (1500 W. Raab Road, Normal). On Thursday, April 3rd, the festival will shift to Illinois State University with events taking place at Vrooman Center (213 W. Mulberry Street, Normal).
Tuesday, April 1
Guest lectures, guided meditation, documentary screening, Mauy Thai boxing, and more.
9:30 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Wednesday, April 2
Guest lectures, guided meditation, documentary screening, Mauy Thai boxing, and more.
9:30 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Thursday, April 3
Yoga and Breathwork Workshop
9 a.m. - 10 a.m.
Marilyn M. Boyd International House in 105 Vrooman Center. No RSVP needed.
"Batik Art & Indonesian Traditional Games " presentation by Mr. Robby Anggriawan
10 a.m. - 11 a.m.
The Eleanor Kong Room in 104 Vrooman Center. No RSVP needed.
Lunch Reception with a presentation from The Grand Cafe
11:15 a.m. - 12 p.m.
The Jaime Escalante Room in 103 Vrooman Center.
Seating is limited. Please RSVP.
"Empowering Young Entrepreneurs: The Role of Education and Support Systems in Vietnam" presentation by Dr. Mai Quynh Nguyen
12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
The Jaime Escalante Room in 103 Vrooman Center. No RSVP needed.
Muay Thai Boxing and Burmese Lethwei Martial Arts Demonstration
2 p.m. - 3 p.m.
The Eleanor Kong Room in 104 Vrooman Center.
Lantern Making Activity
3 p.m. - 4 p.m.
The Jaime Escalante Room in 103 Vrooman Center. No RSVP needed.
Tinikling Dance Performance
4 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Marilyn M. Boyd International House in 105 Vrooman Center. No RSVP needed.
Dinner Reception with a presentation from Dang Boba, Poke, & Banh Mi
5 p.m. - 6 p.m.
The Jaime Escalante Room in 103 Vrooman Center.
Seating is limited. Please RSVP.
Cirque du Cambodia Film Screening with Director Joel Gershon
6 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
The Jaime Escalante Room in 103 Vrooman Center. No RSVP needed.
Friday, April 4
Guided Meditation and Mindfulness Workshop
9 a.m. - 10 a.m.
Marilyn M. Boyd International House in 105 Vrooman Center. No RSVP needed.
"Global Art and Visual Culture [Indonesia]" presentation by Dr. Katherine Bruhn
10 a.m. - 11 a.m.
Marilyn M. Boyd International House in 105 Vrooman Center. No RSVP needed.
Lunch Reception with a presentation from the Thai House of Bloomington
11:15 a.m. - 12 p.m.
The Eleanor Kong Room in 104 Vrooman Center.
Seating is limited. Please RSVP.
Violin Performance by Chona Noble
12 p.m. - 1 p.m.
The Eleanor Kong Room in 104 Vrooman Center.
Muay Thai Boxing and Burmese Lethwei Martial Arts Demonstration
2 p.m. - 3 p.m.
The Eleanor Kong Room in 104 Vrooman Center.
Anyone with questions or concerns regarding accommodation at Heartland Community College should contact Student Access and Accommodation Services at accommodations@heartland.edu or call (309) 268-8259.
Anyone with questions, concerns, or regarding any accommodation at Illinois State University, please contact Emmy Buonomo at ecbuono@IllinoisState.edu or call the Office of International Engagement. Kindly allow time for the accommodation, thank you.
Featured Presenters
Dr. Mai Quynh Nguyen
Dean, Faculty of Business Administration, Van Lang University - Vietnam
Dean, School fo Postgraduate Education, Van Lang University - Vietnam
Dr. Mai Quynh Nguyen earned her PhD in Management from the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, in 2006. She has over 15 years of experience in higher education management, with a strong focus on curriculum development and quality assurance. Her research interests include entrepreneurship and technology management, with more than 30 publications in both local and international journals and conference proceedings.
Dr. Nguyen is also a dedicated educator, teaching a variety of subjects such as entrepreneurship, operations management, quality management, and economics. Additionally, she works as a freelance consultant specializing in marketing research, training needs assessment, and business planning.
She is known for her independence, strong collaborative skills, attention to detail, and a hardworking, responsible attitude. Her excellent leadership abilities enable her to effectively lead teams, motivate others, and foster collaboration, resulting in successful teamwork and achieving desired outcomes.
Dr. Katherine
Bruhn
Assistant Professor, Global Art and Visual Culture, Illinois State University
Dr. Katherine Bruhn is a scholar of Southeast Asian modern and contemporary art, specializing in Indonesia. Since 2008, she has frequently traveled there, working as an English teacher, curator, and researcher. Her current research explores how visual artists part of the Minangkabau ethnic group depict nature in ways shaped by their own cultural traditions, rather than colonial influences. By examining the relationship between their beliefs and the environment, she highlights how their art offers unique perspectives on nature. She has also written on socially engaged art and collaborated with politically active artist collectives and alternative spaces to study youth culture in 21st-century Indonesia.
Design Streak
This year's marketing and publicity themes were created by Design Streak students Lauren Molander and Paton Eddy.
Design Concept:
"The Southeast Asian Cultural festival is a celebration of tradition, unity, and diversity, and each element in this poster reflects the vibrancy of the region. Overall, it is an invitation for attendees to immerse themselves in its traditions and culture. The color palette is derived from the visual identity of The Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Blue represents a peaceful coexistence, red symbolizes continuous strives towards advancement. Yellow signifies a shared vision for a brighter future, and green and orange depict prosperity and spirituality, respectively. Bamboo sticks dynamically frame the central information and visualize the Filipino Tinikling Dance, which will be showcased at the festival. The use of squares in the composition symbolizes stability and solidarity among nations in a pattern reminiscent of traditional craft from the region. They join and overlap to represent the crossing of cultures that the festival will celebrate. Additionally, the fonts used in this composition are developed by Cadson Demak, a type foundry based in Thailand to emphasize the importance of cultural representation in communication."
The Office of International Engagement would like to express our deepest gratitude to Professor Archana Shekara and the students of Design Streak for creating the marketing and publicity materials for this event!
Sponsors
The Southeast Asian Cultural Festival is organized by Illinois State University's Office of International Engagment and co-sponsered by the College of Business.
This event is also funded in part by a grant awarded to Heartland Community College from The Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER) at Indiana University. The program is intended to bridge the humanities and business worlds to show that working artists and craftsman need and apply both humanities and technical education.