It’s coming!  TAEC is excited to be opening a new exhibition about the Katu in September – the first we’ve curated dedicated to an ethnic group from the south.  We’re also redesigning the Museum Shop and starting year two of the inspiring Community Researchers Project. 
 
Read on to learn more about these plans and our success at the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market in July, see photos of our Summer Children’s Activity, and find out how to book your spot in an exclusive tour to Sekong Province to learn about the Katu!

On 20 September, TAEC will open a new temporary exhibition, “Carving a Community: The Katu People.” Funded by a grant from the US Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation, TAEC collaborated with the Institute for Sociological Research of Lao PDR, the University of Gothenburg-Sweden, and the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology to conduct research and present this exhibit on the culture and arts of this little-known group. The exhibit consolidates photos and information from renowned scholars, including fieldwork by TAEC in 2013.
 
Highlights of the exhibit include a community house recreation carved by Katu men commissioned by TAEC in June 2013, agate and stone jewellery, traditional beaded loincloths, and a video of a buffalo sacrifice.

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Summer Children's Activity

It was a week of fun as the TAEC education outreach team guided 19 local children through a four-day discovery of Laos’ ethnic and artisanal heritage.  The first day, a virtual tour of museums around the world was followed by a trip to TAEC for a tour and scavenger hunt.  There were also lively trips to OckPopTok and Ban Chan pottery village where the children dyed their own scarves, tried weaving, and made pottery.  On the last day, they made their own exhibits about ethnic groups in Laos and acted as museum guides for other children. TAEC hosted five children from Ban Nayang Tai, a Tai Lue village three hours outside of Luang Prabang, for the week and there was an opportunity for all the kids to share their personal cultural knowledge with each other.
 

Children doing a scavenger hunt inside TAEC.

This was TAEC’s first time organizing a summer activity like this and afterward many other children asked if we would do it again so they could join.  We certainly hope so! Helping young people understand and take pride in their heritage is an important part of TAEC’s work.  Special thanks to the Children’s Cultural Centre for letting us use their space, OckPopTok for sponsoring an afternoon exploring their Living Crafts Centre, and to those who have financially supported our education outreach programmes this year.
 
Be sure to check out the photo album on TAEC’s Facebook page as well as the video here!

The students at Ban Chan with the pottery they made.		A group explains their exhibit to fellow students.

 

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The Community Researchers Project, a three-phase community engagement project run jointly by PhotoFoward and TAEC, develops the storytelling skills of young women. In the first phase, “Stitching Our Stories”, students learn basic photography techniques. The second phase introduces interviewing and video, and the final phase gives them even more freedom in crafting their stories using objects, visual and storytelling techniques.
 
The project will be launching its second year this October and will include women from even more diverse ethnic backgrounds. TAEC plans to exhibit the work of these young documentarians in a community-curated exhibit to open in September 2014.
 
We are actively seeking sponsorship and funding for this programme, if you are interested in contributing please contact information@taeclaos.org.

Have you ever wanted to go on a research trip with TAEC?  Now is your chance! The curator of our new Katu exhibit, Dr. Linda S. McIntosh, will lead a study tour to visit Katu villages and other cultural sites in southern Laos in September. Participants will have the opportunity to observe traditional Katu textile production and see other crafts, such as basketry. Entering a Katu communal hall to witness the bold woodcarvings and paintings that adorn the interior will be a highlight of the trip. The communal hall is the focal point of the village, where members of the community gather to carry out important rites, including buffalo sacrifices.
 
The study trip will begin and end in Pakse, Champasak Province from 27 – 30 September 2013.  Please e-mail Dr. McIntosh at textiletours@gmail.com for more information and to book.  Space is limited.

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