Tuesday, January 09, 2007

Chloe Dao at The Smithsonian


When Chloe Dao wrote to us last May with an update on her life post-Project Runway, she mentioned that she had been invited to showcase her work at The Smithsonian Institution. Here’s the latest from the Vietnamese American Heritage Project:

The exhibit entitled "Exit Saigon, Enter Little Saigon" will open January 19, 2007 at the Smithsonian S. Dillon Ripley Center, Concourse Gallery. This is the first Vietnamese American historical exhibit at the Smithsonian. The exhibit tells the story of the Vietnamese American experience in America, from the significant influx in 1975 to the present.

Chloe’s emigration from Laos and Vietnam with her 7 sisters, where her parents smuggled their remaining money in their shoes, is a classic American Dream story and serves as an inspiration to Asian Americans.

Chloe will have one of her gowns and a biography included in this exhibit. Runway fans in our nation’s capital will want to check it out. The exhibit runs through March 31, then will go on a 3 year tour across the nation. Congratulations Chloe!