Arts and Culture

At CERI, arts and culture are woven into every aspect of our work, from the design of our physical space to the ways we gather over food, music, stories, and shared rituals.

We believe healing includes cultivating joy, creativity, and pride in cultural identity.

Here are some of the ways that we support cultural arts, memory, and revitalization today:

• Khmer Amathak Dance Ensemble, founded in 2023 by Moragaut Souet-Samounn - a youth leader at CERI at the time - and supported by CERI for its initial years before becoming its own Khmer cultural arts and educational space today, preserves Cambodian classical dance traditions nearly erased during the Khmer Rouge genocide.

• The Hamro Project: Culture. Connection. Community, a group at CERI which celebrates Nepali cultural dance and music.

• Cultural celebrations and intercultural gatherings, including, but not limited to:

  • Iranian and Afghan New Years celebration in March

  • Multicultural New Year celebrations each April that honor Khmer, Nepali, and Burmese traditions

  • Pchum Ben Festival in October

  • Dashain and Deepawali in the Fall each year

• Community excursions and nature-based field trips

• Access to alternative and holistic healing modalities such as acupuncture, yoga, Zumba, and other culturally relevant practices that support physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being