Project Description

The primary goal of this project is to foster a community among Southeast Asian peoples that celebrates both the diversity and unity of the region through the art and craft of pottery. Pottery has existed for hundreds of years in the region, but the highly sophisticated craftsmanship is known only to a few isolated groups and individuals today. By forming a network of individuals and organizations of potters, scholars, and cultural workers, this project will open a space for reviving traditional knowledge and skills in pottery, learning new techniques and approaches, and invigorating cultural expressions of regional as well as local identities through the art and craft of pottery. These will be achieved by (1) identifying a list of potters in Southeast Asia (Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Burma, Singapore, Laos, and Cambodia) and other countries-including Japan, India, and China-whose pottery traditions have influenced Southeast Asia, as well as cultural workers (scholars, NGOs, and media personnel) through the Internet and visiting communities of potters in various regions; (2) holding a workshop for Southeast Asian potters; and (3) organizing an exhibition of works by artists and craftsmen from network participants, including multimedia displays. The project hopes to generate such benefits as the sharing and transferring of indigenous and modern knowledge and skills in pottery; stimulation of the imagination of regional and local identities through pottery; greater appreciation for the art and craft of pottery, and the future promotion of intercultural and international activities and communication.