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| Cambodia Living Arts | |
|---|---|
| Name | Cambodia Living Arts |
| Formation | 1998 |
| Founder | Chum Mey; Arn Chorn-Pond |
| Type | Nonprofit organization |
| Headquarters | Phnom Penh, Cambodia |
| Region served | Cambodia, Southeast Asia |
| Focus | Performing arts, cultural heritage, traditional music, dance, theatre |
Cambodia Living Arts is a Phnom Penh–based nonprofit dedicated to reviving, supporting, and presenting traditional Cambodian performing arts. Founded in the wake of post‑Khmer Rouge recovery, the organization engages with traditional artists, international institutions, and cultural programs to safeguard repertories such as classical dance, folk music, and shadow puppetry. It operates through training, research, production, touring, and partnerships with regional and global arts organizations.
The organization emerged after the Cambodian Civil War and the Khmer Rouge period when surviving artists like Arn Chorn-Pond and community leaders collaborated with international advocates including Chum Mey and funders linked to UNESCO, United Nations Development Programme, and nongovernmental movements. Early engagements connected to restoration efforts surrounding sites like Angkor Wat, outreach by missions such as Peace Corps, and cultural diplomacy initiatives involving actors from Southeast Asia and institutions like the Asia Society, British Council, French Institute of Cambodia, and Smithsonian Institution. Its history intersects with post‑conflict cultural recovery narratives exemplified by projects in the 1990s alongside actors including UNICEF, International Committee of the Red Cross, World Bank, and the Asian Development Bank. Over time it engaged with notable artists and scholars associated with Norodom Sihanouk, Prince Sisowath, and researchers linked to École française d'Extrême-Orient.
The mission emphasizes safeguarding repertories such as Royal Ballet of Cambodia dance, Pinpeat ensembles, Mohori music, Yike theatre, and shadow puppetry traditions like Sbek Thom and Sbek Touch. Programs include artist fellowships, repertory documentation, community arts initiatives, and production residencies modeled after practices in institutions such as the Royal University of Fine Arts (Cambodia), Phare Cambodian Circus, Bophana Center, Royal Academy of Cambodia, and collaborations with universities including Cornell University, SOAS University of London, University of California, Berkeley, Paris-Sorbonne University, and University of New South Wales. The organization’s programming draws on comparative models from National Centre for the Arts (Laos), National Theatre of Thailand, Vietnam National Academy of Music, and museums such as the Musée Guimet and Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Preservation work documents repertories connected to court traditions associated with the Kingdom of Cambodia and folk forms tied to regions like Kampong Thom, Siem Reap, Battambang, and Kampot. Activities include archival recording akin to projects by Smithsonian Folkways, ethnographic fieldwork paralleling studies by Bernard‑Philippe Groslier, and repertory reconstructions inspired by recovery efforts after the Khmer Rouge Tribunal. It supports master artists who survived upheavals similar to figures recognized by UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage listings and works with curators from institutions including the British Museum, Asian Art Museum (San Francisco), Louvre, and the Victoria and Albert Museum to contextualize artifacts and repertoires.
Training initiatives provide apprenticeships for students from conservatories and schools like the Royal University of Fine Arts (Cambodia), Royal University of Phnom Penh, and community programs reminiscent of curricula at Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales and Juilliard School. Workshops cover instruments such as roneat, tro, chhing, and skor, and dance techniques from repertoires credited to historic patrons like King Norodom and choreographers linked to pre‑war troupes. The organization has facilitated exchanges with pedagogues from Bangkok National University, National Institute of Dramatic Art (Australia), Curtis Institute of Music, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and research collaborations with scholars affiliated with Cornell Southeast Asia Program.
Productions have toured national venues including the National Theatre of Cambodia and international stages such as Carnegie Hall, Sydney Opera House, Royal Albert Hall, Lincoln Center, and festivals like the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Festival d'Avignon, Spoleto Festival USA, Asia Arts Festival, Singapore Arts Festival, and Bali Arts Festival. Tours have involved cultural exchange links with companies such as Cirque du Soleil, Bangarra Dance Theatre, Kodo, and the Suzuki Company of Toga, and have been showcased at events hosted by embassies including Embassy of France in Phnom Penh, United States Embassy in Phnom Penh, and consulates tied to European Union cultural programs.
Partnerships span local institutions like the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts (Cambodia) and NGOs including Phare Ponleu Selpak, Anjali House, Khemara Centre, and international funders such as Ford Foundation, Global Heritage Fund, Asia Foundation, Open Society Foundations, Japan Foundation, Goethe-Institut, Prince Claus Fund, British Council, and corporate sponsors comparable to HSBC and TotalEnergies. Academic collaborations have involved researchers from University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, Harvard University, Yale University, Princeton University, and archival work with institutions such as British Library and National Archives (UK).
Funding sources have included multilateral donors such as UNESCO, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization-linked programs, bilateral agencies like USAID, Agence Française de Développement, German Agency for International Cooperation, and philanthropic trusts including Aga Khan Trust for Culture. Governance structures reflect nonprofit models with boards incorporating figures from arts management, diplomacy, and academia similar to trustees affiliated with Asia Society, International Council on Monuments and Sites, and cultural policy forums such as ICOMOS and UNDP cultural units. The organization’s sustainability strategies echo approaches by foundations such as Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Getty Foundation and emphasize capacity building, revenue from performances, and donor cultivation.
Category:Cambodian culture Category:Non-profit organizations