Denver art exhibit illustrates refugees from Burma in Colorado.
A group exhibit of mixed media portraits opening at Core New Art Space on Jan. 4 is putting a face on a faceless population in Colorado — groups of refugees from Burma who have arrived in increasing numbers over the last 15 years and been met with all the struggles of strangers in a strange land.
Each year, as many as 500 refugees from Burma arrive from camps in the jungles of Thailand, unemployed, uneducated and unable to speak English. Once here, they are moved into apartments on East Colfax and given the chance to start a life in the United States. But starting a life from scratch is hard for anyone, and harder if you don’t have any understanding at all of how the systems around you work — not buses, food stamps or Medicaid. It wouldn’t take much to learn. Just a friendly face to show you around, help you understand that eggs go in the refrigerator and escalators take you all the way to the top if you just stand on that first step….
