We are excited about a new project to empower minority women to share their stories through photography, interviews, and video.  In November, TAEC finished the first phase of the project with our partner, PhotoForward.  The participants, primarily young Hmong women from the night market, were given cameras, taught basic photography skills, and then asked to document women at work in their communities. The results were insightful and showed the strength of women in Lao society.  We celebrated the women’s creativity and hard work by exhibiting their photographs and embroidery at Children’s Cultural Centre.  To view their images, visit the online gallery at http://www.photoforward.org/women-at-work.html   We are now in the second phase of this project, working with a smaller group of women to further develop their photography skills and introduce them to basic research techniques.  The women have been exploring topics of their choosing, from shamanism and polygamy, to single parenthood...

Please join us for a lecture and discussion on "CULTURAL CHANGES IN ISAAN AND LAOS" Led by Professor William Klausner Wednesday, 21 November 2012  - 4:00 - 5:00pm   Join us at TAEC on Wednesday, November 21 for a talk by Prof. William Klausner, President emeritus of the James HW Thompson Foundation and adjunct professor at Chulalongkorn University. Prof. Klausner has lived in Thailand for over fifty years. His talk will explore the dramatic cultural transformation of Isaan village life during the past few decades and be followed by a discussion session with the audience. Come by Le Patio Cafe on Wednesday if you’re interested in learning about how Lao culture has changed over the years. Light refreshments will be served, and desserts in the café are also half-priced after 3pm so enjoy a treat while you listen and participate. This activity is FREE with a museum entry ticket. Light refreshments will...

Last year TAEC was involved in a project to help document traditional children's games in Luang Prabang. For this UNESCO project, TAEC collaborated with the Children's Cultural Centre. The games we documented along with others will be the focus of the new Exhibition on Traditional Children's Games in South-East Asia at the Museum of Siam in Bangkok. If you are in that area, the exibit will be open from August 18 to September 16, 2012. ...

While things in Luang Prabang may have slowed down with the low season, TAEC has been keeping busy the past few months! Since April we have welcomed a new staff member, completed staff research projects on a variety of topics related to Laos' ethnic diversity, prepared to send our Co-Director and a Yao artisan to America for a month, and had many opportunities to participate in staff training activities. In July, TAEC Co-Director, Khoun Soutthivilay, and Yao Mien artisan, Famchoy Saely, will be travelling in the United States for one week after the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market as a part of the Voluntary Visitor Programme (VOLVIS). VOLVIS was established by the United States State Department to allow foreign individuals chosen by US Embassies to meet with American professionals in their field. During their travels, Khoun and Famchoy will meet with museum and textile professionals, Southeast Asian specialists, and...

The Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre in Ban Khamyong, Luang Prabang province, Laos (TAEC)  is a non-government museum that relies on ticket and shop sales to keep its doors open. Grants and donations allow us to undertake significant research, conservation and education projects. Here in Laos, public cultural institutions and academia are in their infancy. The Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre was founded to promote understanding of Laos’ ethnic diversity and advocate for the survival and transmission of its cultural traditions. Now is a critical time, as Laos undergoes rapid modernisation and economic development. TAEC believes in supporting not just cultural traditions, but sustainable livelihoods for rural ethnic minorities. When TAEC visits communities for research, we not only ask questions about culture, but about village income levels, development issues, and education. TAEC maintains a small village fund to provide learning materials, health supplies, and emergency financial support to vulnerable source communities...