About Us
The US-ASEAN Creative Project (UACP) was formed by the GH Foundation to carry out its mission in promoting Southeast Asian culture, people, and talents. UACP has two main goals in its inception:
- To provide a venue for creative & talented individuals, and
- To introduce and promote the cultures of Southeast Asia in the United States.
UACP is a portal, a gathering place for creative and talented individuals to meet, exchange ideas, learn more, and showcase their work. In line with our mission to promote Southeast Asia, we put emphasis on supporting individuals with Southeast Asian heritage or those with interests in the region and its cultures. Through our events and competitions, we would like to encourage these talented individuals in pursuing their artistic endeavors. We understand that for an artist, it is crucial to get their art out there for the public to experience and UACP is here to provide them with a venue.
In America, Southeast Asia is a region better known for its food, resorts, and traditional cultures. While those aspects of our culture do deserve the honor, Southeast Asia is also home to more than 500 million people, most of them young individuals, living in modern societies, connected to the global pop culture. Southeast Asia’s place in the world, geographically and economically, has made it a place where cultural references from various origins competed alongside its own centuries-old traditions. From Japanese pop to Bollywood musicals, from French fashion to American TV shows, the average urban-dwelling Southeast Asian is exposed to quite a plethora of global pop icons. Fortunately, rather than losing its identity, contemporary Southeast Asian artists have instead come up with their own brand of artworks, films, literature, and music that mixes all those influences with their own traditions. UACP would like to introduce these cultural gems to the American public through its festivals and events.
Our flagship event is the US-ASEAN Film Festival which has been held annually in Washington, DC since 2003. With partners such as the National Geographic Society and the Smithsonian Institution, the festival has been offering Washingtonians the chance to see the latest films from Southeast Asia – the up and coming region in global cinema. From Thai horrors to Singaporean satires, films from the region are carving its own niche in the heart of film enthusiasts all over the world. Alongside the film festival, we have also held competitions in filmmaking and photography.
The Global Renaissance of ASEAN-American Culture & Entertainment Heritage (GH) Foundation is a non-profit organization founded by Jasmine Wibisono and Karina Lee Sudyatmiko, two Indonesians residing in Washington, DC. Born out of the desire to give Southeast Asian communities a voice, GH Foundation was established in 2002. Among its supporters are Smithsonian Institution, the ten embassies of the Southeast Asian countries in DC, and ASEAN Secretariat.
For more information about GH Foundation, please visit http://www.thegraceheritage.org/
Year 2009
This is an exciting year for us as we launch our UACP web portal that will serve the ASEAN community and those who are interested in it. We are also planning several events, competitions, and a major festival in the very near future. UACP is sponsored by GH Foundation, a non-profit organization whose funding is dependent on donations from people like you and sponsorships. You can support us by joining us, become a volunteer, giving charitable donation to the GRACE Heritage, or even sponsor our events.
For more information on packages and donation, please visit our sponsors page >>
