Visual Artists Guild

Annual Awards Dinner

&

Commemoration of the 29th anniversary of Tiananmen Massacre

  Saturday, May 26 2018 /5 P.M.

 

In the spring of 1989, Beijing erupted with the largest spontaneous demonstrations the Peoples’ Republic of China had witnessed in its 40-year history.  The pro-democracy movement quickly spread to over 30 cities around China before the world witnessed the horrors of the government’s brutal crackdown.  As the Chinese people fled from the tanks and guns, they asked the international press to let the world know the truth.

They asked the world not to forget.

 

Honoring and Celebrating the Freedom of

Zhang Lin 張林 Mr. Zhang Lin is a human rights activist who as a student participated in the 1989 pro-democracy movement in China.  He had been imprisoned on and off in China for over 13 years since 1989 for his relentless support for a democratic China and human rights in China.  His younger daughter had been called the youngest prisoner of conscience when the authority prevented her from attending school as a punishment for her father.  She and her older sister successfully left China for the US five years ago and have been hosted by Reggies Littlejohn, the President of Women's Rights without Borders.  Ms. Littlejoin is the recipient of Visual Artists Guild's 2012 Spirit of Tiananmen Award.  Mr. Zhang was able to escape from China early this year.

Honoring

Li Wenzu 李文足
( Wife of Visual Artists Guild 2017 Honoree Wang Quanzhang 王全璋 )  

Ms. Li Wenzu is the wife of human rights attorney Wang Quanzhang.  Mr. Wang was one of the over three hundred human rights attorneys and assistants who were swept up by China's government in September 2015.  While all those who had been detained had since been either sentenced to jail or released under certain house arrest, Mr. Wang had not been heard from since.  Ms. Li has continuously been appealing to the government for information about Mr. Wang but to no avail.  On April 4 this year, the 1000th of Mr. Wang's disappearance, his wife started a 60 miles walk from Beijing to Tianjin where she believe her husband was held.  However, after six day, she was forcibly returned back to Beijing and has been under house detention since.

Honoring and Celebrating the Freedom of

Dhondup Wangchen  當知項欠 Tibetan film-maker Dhondup Wangchen was arrested in March 2008 after he had completed filming a series of interviews with Tibetans who had bravely voiced their feelings on the upcoming Beijing Olympics. The interviews were smuggled out of Tibet and made into a remarkable film, Leaving Fear Behind, which has been screened in more than 30 countries and was secretly shown to journalists on the eve of the Beijing Olympics. He was sentenced to six years in prison for "subversion" and subjected to prison labor and months of solitary confinement.
Mr. Wangchen successfully escape to United States last year.

UPDATES ON PAST RECIPIENTS

Environmentalist Wu Lihong, 2013 recipient of Visual Artists Guild's Champion of Freedom of Speech Award, is still under surveillance by the public security of China. 
Mr. Wu also received the 2007 Conde Nast Traveler Envoronmental Award.  
His daughter will attend this event to update on what her father is struggling to do for Lake Tai.

Date:	Saturday, May 26, 2018
Time:	5:00 p.m. Reception and Registration 6:00 p.m. Dinner
Place:	Golden Dragon Restaurant 960 N. Broadway, Los Angeles, Ca. 90012  phone 213-626-2039
Cost:	Chinese Banquet Dinner $35, $50, $100 Please Note: No tickets available at the door FOR ONLINE PAYMENT, $3 is added for Paypal fee (see below)
Pay by CHECK  If you prefer you can send a check. To pay by check, please  specify your order inside the check payment form.   Please mail check no later than May 20, 2018 to Visual Artists Guild,  P. O. Box 861132, Los Angeles, Ca. 90086-1132.  For additional information please see also our FACEBOOK page https://www.facebook.com/visualartists.guild  call 310-433-0697 or e-mail to vag@visual-artists-guild.org Background Information: For more information on the Tiananmen Pro-democracy movement and the Massacre, please click on http://www.visual-artists-guild.org and click on Tiananmen Story . Background Information: Zhang Lin 張林 is a human rights activist who had been imprisoned on and off for 13 years since 1989. His young daughter had been called China's youngest prisoner of conscience when the authority prevented her from attending school.  Mr. Zhang arrived in the US early this year after his release from prison last year. Li Wenzu 李文足, wife of detained lawyer Wang Quanzhang 王全璋 started to walk 100 km from Beijing to bring attention to her husband's plight but was forcibly returned to Beijing.  Visual Artists Guild honored Mr. Wang last year with the Champion for Freedom of Speech.  Mr. Wang has not been heard from for more than 1000 days since July of 2015 when his family received notice of his detention.  Dhondup Wangchen is a Tibetan Filmmaker of the documentary "Leaving Fear Behind". He was sentenced to six years in prison for highlighting Tibetans' plight.  In 2013, Visual Artists Guild honored him with the Champion For Freedom of Speech award which was accepted by his wife on his behalf.  He was released last year and was able to escape to the United States last year. Visual Artists Guild is a non-profit organization as qualified under Section 501 (C) (3) of the Internal Revenue code. This is an all volunteers’ organization.