Traditional Arts and Ethnology Center

From the perspectives of ethnic minority women, this exhibition shares the lives of women in Laos today. With photographs, documentary videos, and objects the exhibition explores themes of work, family, health, heritage and handicrafts as recorded by girls and women in Northern Laos.

Over a two year period as part of the Stitching Our Stories (SOS) project, young women from Hmong and Tai Lue communities in Luang Prabang learned to use digital media to record and reflect upon their lives in a rapidly changing Laos. From this collection of photographs, video clips, and interviews, TAEC and the international arts programme, PhotoForward, developed the Caregivers to Culture Keepers exhibition.

Community Researchers were integral in framing the exhibition themes, and along with the SOS participants provided the content for the exhibition. Seven short videos present interviews with women in the Hmong and Tai Lue communities on varied topics including a Hmong medicine woman, early childcare in Laos, Hmong batik, Tai Lue weaving, Shamans, and Hmong embroidery, A part of the exhibition, the videos provide a more in-depth look into the lives of women in Laos today.

Permanent Exhibitions
Two rooms of displays showcase the Akha, Hmong, Tai Lue, and Kmhmu people in Laos and feature traditional handmade clothing and textiles, jewellery, handicraft and household tools, reconstructions of domestic scenes, and religious artefacts.

All exhibitions are presented in Lao and English. Translations are available in French, German, Spanish, and Japanese.

Collection, Library and Research

TAEC maintains a collection of ethnic minority artefacts and a small library on the ethnic groups of Laos. Special projects of TAEC contribute to a growing body of documentation about the diverse cultures found in Laos and include books, short videos, and exhibitions.