Department News

Kim Thái Nguyen, Nostalgia Snacks: Fried Food, 2020 Digital Print

April 8, 2025

GREENCASTLE, Ind. — Vietnam in the Midwest, an exhibition featuring the work of six Vietnamese and Vietnamese American artists whose lives and art intersect with the American heartland. The exhibition will be on view from March 26 through June 30, 2025, in the University Gallery on the upper level of the Peeler Art Center.

Co-curated by Lyle Dechant, assistant professor of art history and curator of exhibitions and university collections, and Chi Nguyen ’25, a DePauw studio art major, Vietnam in the Midwest brings together works by Trang Nguyen, Nhat Tran, Kim Thai Nguyen, Denise Duong, Matt Nguyen, and the late Binh Pho. Spanning both traditional and contemporary media, the exhibition explores themes of identity, memory, and the experience of belonging in multiple cultures.

Vietnam in the Midwest brings together artists whose work engages with themes of identity, displacement, and memory, contributing to a broader conversation happening across campus as we mark 50 years since the end of the Vietnam War. 

The exhibition is part of a series of events marking 50 years since the end of the Vietnam War. Other related events include:

• Kelly Writers Series: Cathy Linh Che
  A reading and discussion with Vietnamese American writer and multidisciplinary artist Cathy Linh Che.
  Date: Wednesday, April 9, 2025
  Time: 7:30–9:00 p.m. EDT
  Location: Peeler Auditorium, Richard E. Peeler Art Center, 10 W. Hanna St., Greencastle, IN

• Artist Panel Discussion: Vietnam in the Midwest
  A conversation with exhibiting artists on their work, themes of identity, and the intersections of history and contemporary art.
  Date: Thursday, April 24, 2025
  Time: 7:00–8:00 p.m. EDT
  Location: Peeler Auditorium, Richard E. Peeler Art Center, 10 W. Hanna St., Greencastle, IN
  
  

• • Film Screening: The Scent of Green Papaya
    A visually stunning film exploring memory, nostalgia, and cultural identity through the story of a young Vietnamese servant in 1950s Saigon.
    Date: Thursday, May 1, 2025
    Time: 7:00–9:00 p.m. EDT
    Location: Peeler Auditorium, Richard E. Peeler Art Center, 10 W. Hanna St., Greencastle, IN
    Free and open to the public.

Designed by internationally acclaimed architect Carlos Jiménez, the Peeler Art Center features three galleries that host approximately 12 exhibitions annually, showcasing work by students, faculty, and internationally recognized artists. Admission is free. For more information, visit depauw.edu/arts/peeler.