STORY and PHOTOS By TAM NGUYEN
Ballroom dancers by Kim Nguyen. Tennis player by Tuan Vo. Instructor Hiep Nguyen (center) gives students some pointers.
ORANGE, Calif. ― The student sat at the table with as much foil in front of her as she had silver in her hair. She cut the foil, then slowly shaped it into a figurine of two people enjoying a night at the ball.
Voila. Her masterpiece. A simple medium with an impressive result.
The senior citizen was just one of the students of noted Orange County artist Hiep Nguyen, who taught his class to shape foil into movements of people as part of his weekly series of art classes. The finished products varied from tennis players to dancers.
“It is my pleasure to share my knowledge with these folks, and I am happy to see they are having a good time,” the instructor said. His class has close to 20 people from different ethnic groups , with their art displayed on the walls of the room.
The class is held Wednesday afternoons. at the Horizon Cross Cultural Center, 3707 W. Garden Grove Blvd. The students said they enjoy it because it is fun and relaxing.
With the help of Saint Anselm’s Cross-Cultural Community Center, the cultural center opened in 1976 and has spent nearly 40 years devoted to the community. Since its opening, it has helped thousands of refugees and immigrants adjust to American life.
And part of that is offering fun pursuits such as the art class designed for seniors.
“It is my first semester here in this class, and I like it,” said Kim Nguyen of Garden Grove, the artist of the ballroom dancing figurine. Nguyen said the class reminds her of childhood projects of her youth but also gives her a chance to make new friends.
Kim Nguyen happily pointed out her artwork on the wall. The medium of that art work was newspaper clippings with pictures of food, formed to make a face.
“That was my favorite project because it was fun to make something out of nothing,” she said, adding “it made me hungry.”
Kim Nguyen said she had a passion for art when she lived in Viet Nam. Every chance she had, she would pick up a pencil and start drawing on paper or even a simple stick she used draw in the dirt.
With classes once a week, the students are learning different ways to make art with a new medium.
“I look forward to coming every week to either learn or improve my artistic skills,” said Juan Gomez, 70, of Santa Ana. “If the lesson is something I already knew, then I can either help others or even improve on my skills.”
Gomez once was an artist at a young age but had to stop to deal with personal issues, he said. “Now I can get back to doing what I really like without worrying about anything else,” Gomez said. He uses this class to clear his mind and just be himself with his classmates.
Newcomers are welcome.
“Today is my first time here, and I already like this class and happy to be able to come back,” said Tuan Vo, 65, of Garden Grove while working on the foil tennis player. Now I have something to do.
Hiep Nguyen said he is happy to provide an outlet for the students’ creativity.
“All seniors are welcome to the class, and it doesn’t matter whether you have experience or you just want to learn. We are happy to teach you new skills or improve,” he said. “We are looking forward to seeing new faces and sharing our knowledge with you.”
For more information about the center and class, visit the website or call (714) 537-0608.
