Cecilia Ling of the Multicultural Artists Partnership
April 8, 2007 | Yvonne Lim Wilson
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The goal of one Austin-based arts group is nothing short of global harmony.
Art can help create peace - with each painting, song or any other art form, we reach out to try to understand one another, said Cecilia Ling, president and CEO of the Multicultural Arts Partnership.
"The world is just too much fighting," she said. "As Asians, for thousands of years, we have a tradition to be a good neighbor, to live in harmony. That's really in my blood. Thinking about today's world made me think, 'What I can do to help?'"
Ling formed the group in August 2006 with only two other people. In less than seven months, the group has grown to include more than 100 artists from Austin and throughout the world. They held their first event, a holiday market day, last December.
The partnership (or "MAP") seeks to share the art of different cultures with the greater Austin community and the world. MAP also serves artists by giving them an avenue to sell their work through events, shows and exhibits.
Normally, arts are vertical, meaning that musical artists seldom appear along side visual artists or performance artists, etc., Ling explained. MAP is the only group in Austin - perhaps even in Texas - to feature artists horizontally, incorporating all different types of artists in a single show, she said.
Ling explained that it's very difficult for artists to make a living with their art and need more avenues to present it to the public.
"As an artist, the most difficult thing is not art; it's marketing," she said.
An artist herself, Ling is also an international business consultant and cross-cultural workshop coordinator.
For the most recent MAP Harmony Spring Art Festival, Ling spent countless hours researching artists, gathering donors and coordinating the event. She personally visited with each artist, spending time in their homes, listening to their work and seeing them perform.
"The music is to encourage harmony in our society," Ling said. "How do we do it? We help artists with different cultural backgrounds - not just Asian, but all around the world. Since I am Asian, the first year we focused on Asia."
In just a short amount of time, MAP has already reached out to hundreds of artists and art patrons in Central Texas. It takes an enormous amount of work, energy and passion on the part of Ling, MAP members and volunteers.
The goal is to host two to three events each year. Next year the cultural theme will feature arts from either South America or Africa, Ling said. The next event will be a pre-holiday shopping event scheduled in October.
"I have confidence we are going to get better and better," Ling said. "The next generation is the key. We want to emphasize the children who will grow up with the thought in their minds about cross-culture and harmony, not hatred."
For more information on the Multicultural Arts Partnership, visit their Web site: Multicultural Arts Partnership
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