Holland Museum celebrates Laotian history, culture through new 'Sabai Dee' exhibit

HOLLAND — The Holland area is celebrating the rich culture of its Laotian population.

Following the turmoil of the Vietnam War and the Secret War in Laos, many families sought safety and a new beginning in the United States. In the late 1970s and 1980s, a number of these families resettled in Holland, bringing with them their traditions, resilience, and hopes for the future.

That story helped inspire "Sabai Dee: Celebrating Holland’s Laotian Community," a new exhibit that is featured at the Holland Museum.

Lao for "hello," "Sabai Dee" celebrates the Laotian immigrants, refugees, and their children who built new lives in the Holland area, highlighting their stories of perseverance, community and cultural pride.

"I think from a broader museum, missional perspective, there are just so many unique and diverse stories within the Holland community that we want to be telling," said Kate Leighton-Colburn, director of development and communications. "We'll always tell the Dutch story, but so much has happened since then, and our community continues to evolve, and we want to make sure that we are documenting that history as we go."

Through personal narratives, photographs, and artifacts, this exhibit explores how Holland’s Laotian community has faced challenges, nurtured its heritage, and established deep roots that continue to enrich the city today.

"We have a large number of Laotian families in the Holland area, and they've been here since the '70s and '80s, when there was a large migration effort to the area due to unrest in Laos and other surrounding countries," Leighton-Colburn said. "Multiple churches in the area sponsored families to come over here, and they set down roots and have since developed strong ties to the area, personally and also professionally."

The museum worked with local businesses with Laotian ties and community leaders to help curate the exhibit.

"This has actually been a few years coming, so I started working on the exhibit about a year ago ... and we collected some more artifacts, especially from local businesses and organizations like Championship Martial Arts, Thai Pho Mekong, Rock N Thai Cafe, just for to name a few, and basically reaching out to the community to get some artifacts or objects that they might be interested in loaning for the exhibit," said Maddalena Frissora, the museum's exhibits curator.

Leighton-Colburn said it's important to highlight diverse voices in the community, especially those that are not as obvious.

"Folks that I've talked to have mentioned how tight-knit the community is, and that they tend to be a little bit quieter, and this is a really powerful way to show that they're here — and not only here, but a really important and integral part of Holland's history and ongoing future," she said.

The exhibit goes beyond artifacts, Leighton-Colburn said, and tells the story of how the Laotian community in Holland has evolved over time.

"We get kind of down into the nitty-gritty of what this community has done for Holland, what they've brought here, and how now it's just a part of who we are," she said. "So rather than just having artifacts from Laos, it's about the community as they are today. And then it goes into the history of their migration to the Holland area, how they got here, the level of resilience they've shown through that time."

The exhibit includes a display on the various faiths within the Laotian community as well as materials on what it means to migrate to a different part of the world and overcome challenges.

"We've been trying really, really hard to diversify our content while making it something accessible to everyone, not to silo ourselves and make it something that everyone can enjoy," Leighton-Colburn said. "And I think that's what struck me about this exhibit, especially at the opening reception, was how wildly joyful it was. It was a true celebration of culture, history, and connection."

Frissora said she's worked hard to find stories from within the community to celebrate.

"My biggest thing is making sure that we're telling everybody's story, no matter what it is," Frissora said. "So, really sharing stories that haven't been told is where my mindset comes from when creating exhibits — really making sure that we're getting to tell untold stories. I try to mix it up and make things more interesting.

"We know Holland is prominently a Dutch community, and we've highlighted that, but we really want to make sure that we're talking about all the different communities that are here, because it's not just Dutch people, right?"

The exhibit is sponsored by the West Michigan Asian American Association with support from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Michigan Arts & Culture Council.

It will be on display through May 17 in the Focus Gallery within the musuem, 31 W. 10th St., Holland.

— Sarah Leach is the executive editor of the Ottawa News Network. Contact her at sleach@ottawanewsnetwork.org. Follow her on Twitter @ONNLeach.