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| An exhibition space at Cecile Le Pham Fine Arts Museum. Photo: P. THANH |
Amid the anticipation of upcoming programs, it is also worth reflecting on the journey that friends - members of the Hue Book and Culture Club have taken with readers, students, and parents, etc., at the Hue Book and Culture Space at 23 - 25 Le Loi Street (Hue City).
In July, dozens of programs were held here, from a talk show about tea to a discussion with expert on career orientation for young people; or, training courses on marketing skills, or applications of artificial intelligence; to a book introduction contest for young readers, … . In a gentle and profound way, after more than a year since its establishment, the Hue Book and Culture Space has hosted over 100 diverse and rich cultural and artistic programs. What is special is that all of them have been socialized.
Also of the story of socialization, a few days ago, the Cecile Le Pham Fine Arts Museum officially opened a new exhibition space at 49 - 51 Ham Nghi Street (Hue City). Established in July 2023, this is a private museum owned by a French Vietnamese. With a deep love for her homeland, Ms. Cecile Le Pham returned and established this private museum with the wish to preserve the valuable heritages she had painstakingly collected.
After nearly two years, the Museum's exhibition space was expanded through socialization, thanks to a call from the Department of Culture & Sports, and the Cecile Le Pham Museum. In addition to displaying valuable collections, the Museum is also a place to exchange with artists, scholars, and the creative community, expanding a network of cultural and artistic connections.
And more, the profound cultural imprints along the Huong River, from the Vietnamese Girl statue gifted to Hue by Le Thanh Nhon, a sculptor, now placed in the park in front of Hai Ba Trung High School, to his statue of the patriotic scholar Phan Boi Chau, funded by contributions from friends and patriotic people before 1975, which stands in the park near Truong Tien Bridge. Or the artistic legacies that Diem Phung Thi, a sculptor, and Le Ba Dang, a master painter, donated to Hue, so that today Hue has two special cultural and artistic spaces along the Huong River, exhibiting the works of these two great artists.
The term “socialization”, once a seemingly abstract concept, has been concretized in Hue through the actions and hearts of people. In a book space, a private museum…, there is a deep story about the devotion of individuals to Hue. They may be an artist, a speaker, a young band, a researcher, a teacher, a journalist, an architect, a collector, or a business owner, etc., who have all met together through their shared affection for Hue. They have contributed another unique identity to Hue - the cultural spaces - “where those who love Hue find each other in every page of a book, every smile, every sound, every quiet shape… of love.”
This is also how Prof. Dr. Thai Kim Lan, a daughter of Hue, returned and gifted Hue a Huong River Museum of Ancient Pottery, and a Lan Vien Co Tich cultural space; or Tran Dinh Son, a researcher, with the Museum of Nguyen Dynasty Commissioned Porcelains... These special gifts have helped Hue become “richer” in its own way.