Luang Prabang: Traditional Arts & Ethnology Centre

Meet my good friend and former UW Jackson School MAIS classmate, Alicia Akins. She's been living in Luang Prabang, Laos, for the last year and a half as the Program Director for the Traditional Arts & Ethnology Centre here.

 

In Alicia's words, she's "responsible for everything you don't see at the museum here." Founded in 2005 by two women, one American and one Laos, TAEC isn't just a museum, but is also a community outreach and development organization that doesn't just seek to enscone traditional Laos culture behind glass and info placards, but rather to empower local Laotian culture in fast-paced contemporary Laos society.

 

 

TAEC is responsible for all kinds of behind the scenes programs in and around Luang Prabang; from community outreach, to promotion of traditional arts and crafts, to photography and film projects. Alicia is responsible for coordinating many of these projects, as well as much of the grant-writing and fundraising campaigns necessary to keep such an endeavor afloat.

 

What you see below are bits and pieces from Alicia's museum; rather than thinking of them as exhibits, think of them as tiny windows into the lives of Laos people. TAEC's museum includes culturally significant items and depictions from Laos' many ethnicities, including the Hmong, Akha, Khmu, and Tai Lue.

 

Cheers to Alicia for doing such a cool job out here in LP, not to mention for showing us around town and letting us crash at her house for a few days! One of the coolest things about having graduated from UW's International Studies program is that everyone I know is doing something cool in all kinds of different countries. So many more places to visit!

 

If you're interested in visiting TAEC or donating, visit their website: www.taeclaos.org