From popular music to traditional dance, this exhibit collaboration with the Center for Southeast Asian Studies considers the role of performance in Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, and Burma and responds to the question, what does performance do? Through examples ranging from rap in Thailand to shadow puppets in Indonesia, this exhibit demonstrates how performance connects people through a sense of belonging, is used to educate or support health and healing, and can challenge political structures and social practices. These displays highlight the diverse yet interconnected ways Southeast Asian communities express their identities, experiences, and values. While many of the performances are rooted in long-standing practices, they continue to be valued and dynamically transmitted and transformed in the present. 

Exhibit opens September 8, 2022 and runs through May 13, 2023. Gallery is free and open to the public, Tuesday–Saturday, 10am-4pm. Closed during university breaks.