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Sabaidee from Luang Prabang, Laos! This season, as we hope for the rains to cool the air, we are busy training new staff, preparing for our September change of exhibits (Note: TAEC will be closed from September 1 – 19) and organizing Lao handicraft items to showcase in our new Boutique and at the International Folk Art Market in Santa Fe in July.
Read below about these activities and more that is happening now at TAEC!
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| Katu Exhibition Catalogue Cover |
"The ethnic and cultural diversity of the population of Laos is breathtaking. One group may be similar to others, but each possesses distinctive traits. One group living in Southern Laos, the Katu, is well known for textile traditions and ceremonies, and the aim of the exhibit and accompanying catalogue is to broaden awareness of this ethnic group. I didn’t write this catalogue as an all encompassing reference on the Katu, but I consider this small publication to be a momento of TAEC’s exhibit. The small catalogue aims to document some aspects of the current status of Katu culture and society, not every aspect researched and documented in the last forty years. Throughout the world, people adjust to change, and members of this ethnic group also adapt to new experiences. No one lives in a vacuum. Thus, it will be important to return to the people and villages we met during this endeavour to witness the changes that have occurred."
- Dr. Linda S. McIntosh, editor and curator of Carving a Community: the Katu People
On June 7th, TAEC hosted a book launch with over 40 people in attendance. The catalogue is now available in Luang Prabang at the TAEC Shop and Monument Books.
Price: 60,000 Kip
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Navajo Weavers Visit TAEC
In May, three generations of Navajo weavers visited Laos in a cultural exchange sponsored by the Art in Embassies program of the United States. TAEC and the weavers visited several local weaving villages and TAEC hosted a demonstration at our cafe with more than 60 people in attendance, including many Lao weavers.
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July Activities - TAEC Boutique Opens and TAEC in Santa Fe
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| TAEC works with over 600 artisans in over 30 villages to bring high-quality traditional items to market, supporting the livelihoods of ethnic minority groups living in rural Laos. |
We are excited to announce that in early July, we will open the TAEC Boutique, a stand-alone shop selling exclusive original handcrafted products direct from our producers. The Boutique is located on the main street in Luang Prabang, just across from Villa Santi Hotel. The Boutique will feature the TAEC Heirloom Collection, with one-of-a-kind textiles, carvings, and silver. Each museum-quality, collector’s item piece will include a certificate of authenticity. Be sure to visit the TAEC Boutique the next time you visit Luang Prabang!
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| Handspun cotton in a Tai Lue village |
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Loom for weaving by hand in a Tai Lue village |
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| Bag made from vine from a Kmhmu village |
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Detail of scarf made with indigo dye
from a Phou Tai village |
For the third year, TAEC will travel to the US for the International Folk Art Market - Santa Fe. Look for Thongkhoun Soutthivilay (Khoun), Co-Director of TAEC, and Alai Sayawed, TAEC Shop Manager, and handicrafts from Laos at the market between July 11 - 13.
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Stitching Our Stories Films Seen Around the World
This year TAEC celebrates Stitching Our Stories film viewings at film festivals around the world (Cambodia, UK, and USA) and over 10,000 views on youtube. A collaboration with PhotoForward, Stitching our Stories launched in 2012 and engages women and girls from ethnic communities in the exploration of their cultural heritage using digital photography and documentary film. Most recently, two shorts, Hmong Batik and Medicine Woman were screened at the Qhia Dab Neeg Film Festival (Hmong Storytelling Film Festival) in Minneapolis in May.
Currently editing is underway for a full roster of Stitching Our Stories films to be showcased in September in the exhibition, Caregivers to Culture Keepers: Stories from Women in a Changing Laos. This exhibition will be shaped entirely by the stories, films, and photographs collected by the Stitching Our Stories programme to date.
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Staff News - Donna Joins TAEC Staff, Keuay Attends AAM
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| Donna in the shop with new trainees. Left to right: Dee, Noy, Duang, Donna and Mee |
In May, Donna Lednicky joined TAEC’s staff as the Director of Marketing and Development. She comes to us from Shanghai, China, where she and her husband have lived for the past two years, though her experience includes working at NGOs and arts organisations in India and the southwest of the US.
“Sabaidee! I am pleased to join the TAEC staff, and I look forward to meeting you, if not in person, then at least in the virtual world. In my role I hope to share with you more about the many collaborations that TAEC has with over 30 different ethnic communities in Laos.”
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Keuay Chanthangone, TAEC Manager, and Alicia Akins, TAEC Programmes Director from 2012 – 2014, recently attended the annual conference of the American Alliance of Museums held in Seattle, WA in May. Keuay was the recipient of the Getty Foundation Fellowship supporting the costs of his participation.
About his experience, Keuay says, “The best part was meeting new people who are experts and professionals working in museums around the world.” Over 3,500 people attended the four day conference.
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| Keuay at the AAM Annual Conference |
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