Happy New Year to everyone. As I reflect upon the path Kinnari Center has taken thus far in the past year, I came to recognition that a collaborative effort with the community of artists is the key and essential direction that is needed for the original mission to become realized. Hence I renamed the project to Burma Arts Collaborative to reflect this vision. “Burma” instead of “Burmese” is used so as to be inclusive of all the cultures and peoples of Burma, and “Collaborative” is applied to really emphasize on the collective nature of the efforts, and value for the coming together of each individual creative independence that is crucial for many artists to express themselves.
With this new vision, the path becomes clearer.
January 3, 2009
The official website has been updated and new programs added, with a ‘boost’ to the existing online programs. The center is ready to get back on its feet again after the long break. Some of the recent updates have been:
- A Movie Showcase that will feature Burmese movies online for viewers to watch, and films about Burma. Most of these will be obtained from other public sources on the world wide web. Current movie is “Mystery of Snow” starring Lwin Moe.
- Updated information on the site pages
- A new schedule of upcoming programs for KIC! (Kinnari Internet Channel) featuring a documentary on Burmese New Year 2008 in Fremont, and the online powerpoint presenation class on Elements of Dance: History of Dance in Burma. More offerings will be scheduled in the near future.
- Updated calendar of Burmese arts and cultural events throughout the United States, available on the home page.
The formal executive meeting will be postponed as the travel schedule of all members do not coincide well this year. However, there will be an informal meeting to assure continuation of progress in the development of the site and online services. The next step will also be to contact identified and known Burmese artists in the community to start building the network of creative individuals who would be featured and consulted for the currently available online programs, as well as possible e-newsletter in the future. The list will be confirmed and posted once the artists agreed to the collaborative work.
August 27, 2008
We have changed from a podcast service to a live online radio show at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/kcr . We have a few programs lined up. Do check them out! You can call in and join in the discussions. We prefer this as it’s much more interactive than a regular podcast that is pre-recorded.
We are still finalizing our website and the organization as a whole so we apologize for some of the inconveniences and constant changes that might happen during this process. We are looking forward to the day when we can officially launch our center and the programs we have to the community.
May 27, 2008
A meeting is scheduled to occur in September of this year. This will be the first official and coordinated meeting since the concept and vision of the center is created by the founder. Date is to be determined. Meanwhile, recruitment of more advisors is going on. A few prospective candidates have been named and nominated, and recruitment process will begin once the Cyclone Nargis crisis relief efforts by Bay Area community is implemented and stabilized.
The initial drafts of the articles of incorporation, the bylaws material, and the strategic plan are currently being written, and to be presented for discussion and further revision during the first executive meeting.
May 22, 2008
Burmese New Year and Thingyan came and ended rather quickly here at the center. We sold Chicken Satay at a Thingyan festival in Daly City. There are still Thingyan festivals going on in the Bay Area, and in other parts of the United States, as well. The month of April is full of food, fun, music and gatherings as Overseas Burmese celebrate one of the most important festivals in our culture, and try to keep our heritage in foreign lands.
We have updated our website recently, and will continue to do so as the center is being shaped and formed. We also recruited a treasurer on our Board of Directors. Do visit the center’s home pages for more information. There are also plans to create an event calendar to track cultural and art events in the Bay Area, and whenever possible, in the whole of United States, so that you can check them out as they occur. We hope to connect you to the wide variety of cultural and art events that are out there. If you have any events that you are organizing, feel free to contact us at admin[at]burmesearts[dot]org and we will post it on our calendar.
April 22, 2008
The center is in the midst of creation. It is a new beginning for the arts and culture world for the Burmese community and those who are interested in the rich world of Burma. We are setting up the infrastructure right now.
March 26, 2008
