In January 2005, Tiao Somsanith travelled to his beloved Luang Prabang to collaborate
with other artists on the Quiet In the Land project.
Working with Dinh Le, a Vietnamese-American artist who shares Tiao Nith's passion for cultural
preservation, he hopes to bridge the past and future, and the old and young;
this is Tiao Nith's lifelong goal.
The project is scheduled to complete in late 2006, and will be exhibited in 2006 and 2007.
In April of 2005, he was invited to speak at the Library of Congress,
graciously hosted by the Asian Division Friends Society.
He spoke on the culture and way of life in Laos, and exhibited a selection of his work.
Providing much support for Tiao Nith was the Lao American Women's
Association (LAWA),
whose students of Lao classical and folk dance performed after Tiao Nith's speech.
In May, he spoke at the International
Conference on Lao Studies (ICLS) at Northern Illinois University.
In his presentation, titled "The Social and Symbolic Situation of the Artist in Lao Tradition and Diaspora",
he emphasized the important role of spirituality in Lao art. Teachers of art
should teach not only the techniques, but also how to integrate spirituality
into the art.
In June, he participated in the official launching of
the Lao Heritage Foundation, where he hosted another exhibit in Bethesda, MD in the Washington, D.C. area. He donated select pieces of his paintings to the foundation to help raise funds for the
organization. *Pictures
In July and August, Prince Somsanith hosted 21 musicians from Laos
in an international folk festival sponsored by the city of Montoire, France
and CIOFF (Organization for International Folk Festival).
This event featured musicians from such countries as New Zealand, Niger,
Cameroon, Senegal, Peru, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Portugal,
Spain, Italy, Belgium, and Sweden. Laos was the only Southeast Asian country represented.
For 55 days, the musicians toured 21 cities in the Montoire area. They stayed
with generous hosts in each of the cities on the tour.
They not only performed for those communities, but also shared their
culture with the French people and musicians from other countries.
The musicians had the experience of a lifetime, taking home with them
new ideas and a greater appreciation for their own music and culture.
Prince Somsanith acted as guardian of the Lao musicians and
represented them in CIOFF planning and decision making. He
served as the cultural bridge between them and the international community;
most importantly, he was the bridge between them and the
expatriate Lao living in France.
On September 10th, he hosted a benefit dinner in celebration
of Lai Heu Fai, the end of Buddhist lent. The event featured
a class on Katong making, authentic Lao food, classical dancing, and Lum Wong.
On September 24th, Prince Somsanith hosted the reception for the exhibition of his art at
Sharon Fine Gallery in Bethesda, MD.
Approximately 100 guests attended the event. It was another occassion for Prince
Somsanith to see old friends, meet new ones, and share his passion to preserve and
promote Lao culture, while at the same time raise funds to benefit the Lao Heritage
Foundation.
A week later, Prince Somsantih returned to the gallery to host
students from the local elementary school on an art appreciation tour.
He showed them each piece of his work and taught them about his style of painting.
Then each student was asked to draw a picture of their favorite painting.
The fun evening ended with Prince Somsanith signing the drawings.
October-November, 2005
Textile Exhibition, Luang Prabang
The Quiet In the Land Project, Luang Prabang, Lao PDR The art historian and curator France Morin inaugurated the Quiet in the Land series in 1995. The first two projects took place in Sabbathday, Maine and Salvador, Brazil. The series is currently based in Luang Prabang, Laos-a world heritage site. It is a community-based collaborative art and education project designed to revitalize traditional arts. The project will conclude in September/October 2006. Prince Somsanith's work from this project will be exhibited in Luang Prabang in late 2006, then in New York's Asia Society, and finally in Washington D.C.
December-January 2005-2006
Painting/embroidery exhibit, Vientiane, Lao PDR
The French Embassy in Laos and the Cultural Center in Vientiane will host Prince Somsanith’s artwork and collection from January 8 to January 31, 2006.
|
