Community Programs

Forced to Flee Visual Stories (Painted) by Refugee Youth from Burma October 3–November 4, 2012 10 am–5 pm First Floor Corridor

Forced to Flee: Visual Stories by Refugee Youth from Burma, is a sobering exhibition organized by Refugee Youth Empowered. It displays never-before-seen paintings that give voice to haunting memories, struggles and irrepressible hopes of refugee youth from Burma (Myanmar). The collection illustrates that emotions conveyed and evoked by a powerful “visual story,” or narrative image, can open hearts, build bridges of understanding, and promote peace and justice.

Since 2007, refugees from Burma have represented the fastest growing refugee community in the United States. In this exhibit, stories by refugees from Burma – “told” in the universal language of visual art – sensitize viewers to the challenges and aspirations of those forced to flee.