Vietnamese American Service Center
PUBLIC ART
Cover image courtesy of Kyungmi Shin, 2021
The Vietnamese population is the 2nd largest Asian subgroup in Santa Clara County (SCC), at 7.5% of the county population. SCC has the 2nd largest Vietnamese population (134,525) of any county in the U.S.(…)
Client: County of Santa Clara, Aedis Architects
Artist: Kyungmi Shin
The creation of the Vietnamese American Service Center (VASC) was a recommendation from the Office of County Executive based on a Vietnamese-American Health Assessment that was originally proposed by Supervisor David Cortese in 2011 and later furthered by both Supervisor Cortese and Supervisor Cindy Chavez. This assessment had shown that Vietnamese Americans in Santa Clara County experienced significant health disparities as well as cultural and language barriers that prevented them access to vital services.
Art Builds Community was brought on to help develop an RFQ and facilitate the process for the project team to commission a culturally sensitive lighting design artist / artist team. The project team commissioned Kyungmi Shin, sculptor and installation artist, to design a public art lighting design for the building’s rooftop that would compliment the exterior and interior design as well reflect the cultural vibrancy of the Vietnamese-American community.
