Arts-rich translanguaging in community spaces: Vietnamese Australian parents đi chơi with collaborative bookmaking

This study examines an arts-rich translanguaging book-making project involving nine parents from Vietnamese Australian and mixed cultural backgrounds. The initiative emerged from a collaboration between a Vietnamese language advocacy group, a community publisher, and language scholars, who facilitated workshops combining visual art, storytelling, and multilingual practices. Using translanguaging and distributed language theoretical frameworks, the research analyses data from six workshops and related events conducted during 2023–2024, drawing on participant observation, interviews, visual documentation, and artifact analysis. Through a combination of thematic analysis (Braun, V., and V. Clarke. [2006. Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology 3, no. 2: 77–101].) and narrative analysis (Riessman, C. K. [2008. Narrative methods for the human sciences. Sage.]), the study examines both recurring patterns and the evolution of participants' language narratives over time. The findings advance understanding of how arts-rich approaches uniquely support heritage language sustainability by creating spaces where fluid language practices are normalised and celebrated. The project demonstrates how creative, collaborative initiatives can transform deficit perspectives of 'broken language' into appreciation of multilingual resources while fostering positive identity development. This grassroots initiative provides foundational principles for designing multilingual educational projects that integrate artistic expression with learning about language in broader educational contexts.