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Ysa Le began her involvement with the art activism in 2000 when she volunteered for the Vietnamese American Arts & Letters Association (VAALA), a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization. Since then, she has produced many events and programs such as film festivals, exhibitions, book publishing and signings, recitals, plays, and the smART Program, which provides free art workshops to non-profit youth organizations. Le served as VAALA’s Board President from 2004-2008, and is currently VAALA’s Executive Director.
Le co-founded and co-directed the biennial Vietnamese International Film Festival (ViFF), which has been held mainly at the University of California, Irvine and Bowers Museum, Santa Ana. Since its establishment in 2003, ViFF has become an important forum for the filmmakers of Vietnamese descent. The event has been extensively covered by both domestic as well as international press and well received by thousands of audience members from all over the country.
From 2001 to 2010, Ysa hosted "Vòng Chân Trời Văn Học Nghệ Thuật" ("The Art Horizon"), a weekly program on VNCR 106.3 FM reporting art events in the community and interviewing the artists. In 2005, Le was chosen by the Orange County Register as one of the “30 Vietnamese Americans to Watch” in celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Vietnamese American community in the United States.
She received the Arts and Culture (In-Language) Award from New California Media in 2003 for her article on Mimi News reporting the revival of the traditional performing art Cai Luong in the Vietnamese community.
A graduate from the University of Southern California, School of Pharmacy in 1994, Le currently works as a pharmacist at St. Joseph Home Care Pharmacy in Orange, California. |
