TAEC - Key Persons
Alai is originally from Phongsaly Province in Northern Laos. In 2001, he became a novice monk and moved to Luang Prabang in 2003 to advance his education in Business and English studies. He left monastic life in 2008 after finishing his degree and soon thereafter joined TAEC as a sales trainee. In a few short years, Alai was promoted and he now currently manages all aspects of both the Museum Shop and TAEC Boutique. He also works closely with TAEC's artisan producer groups managing order fulfillment and product design & development. Alai has traveled to the USA and Vietnam to represent TAEC and Lao ethnic artisans at international trade fairs and markets. In addition, he has attended regional workshops promoting economic development in textiles.
Job Titles:
- Independent Researcher and a Consultant
Dr. Linda S. McIntosh is a Lao-American independent researcher and a consultant on community-based tourism and heritage projects in Laos and Bali, Indonesia. She was intrinsic to the establishment of TAEC. She holds a Master's degree in Southeast Asian Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and she completed a Ph.D. at Simon Fraser University, Canada in 2010. She also holds a certificate in Museum Studies from the University of Washington and has since curated exhibitions in Laos, Thailand, and the United States. Her latest project in Laos involves the development and curation of the Xieng Khouang Provincial Museum that was funded by the NZ-MICT Project.
Dr. Marie-Pierre Lissoir is a Belgian ethnomusicologist who extensively studied the song khap of the Tai Dam ethnic group in Hua Phan Province, Laos. She recently finalised her thesis entitled, The Khap Tai Dam, Categorisation and Musical Models; Ethnomusicological Study in Tai Populations from Highlands in Laos. She regularly shares her work at international conferences and through academic articles. She is the curator of TAEC's special exhibition, "Voices of the Wind: Traditional Instruments in Laos" and worked with the team on research and documentation, artefact collection, photographic archives, and regularly conducts informative talks in French and English.
Kees Sprengers has been a photographer for over 20 years, and has been documenting the lifestyles and cultures of Luang Namtha province since 2002. In 2008 he started working with the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre, participating in numerous research trips, particularly on the Taoism of the Yao Mun and Yao Mien people. This work culminated in our special exhibition: Splendour and Sacrifice: Taoism of Northern Laos. Kees' photographs of a Kim Di Mun wedding were also featured in the special exhibition, From Courtship to Kinship: Wedding Celebrations of Laos' Ethnic Groups. Kees continues to dedicate his time and energy to TAEC, and is currently based in Thailand. More of his work can be see on his website.
Keuay is originally from Bomxing Village in Luang Prabang Province. He received his English teaching qualification in 2007 from the Teacher Training College in Luang Prabang and worked for the Pak Tha Education Department in Bokeo as the director of the Huay Phalam Primary School. In 2008, Keuay joined TAEC and is currently the general manager. He is responsible for the day-to-day operations which includes managing a staff of 20, working with the tourism community, and ultimately ensuring a positive experience for local and foreign visitors to the Centre. Additionally, Keuay is involved in ethnic community research, assisting with exhibition production, and contributing to the overall advancement of the museum, Museum Shop, and TAEC Boutique. Keuay has traveled extensively to attend sector training and internships in the Netherlands, the USA, Thailand, Malaysia, and Cambodia.
Khamchanh was born and raised in Luang Prabang. He has studied and attended trainings in Thailand, Vietnam, and the USA on Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH), Museum Management, Conservation and Exhibition of Southeast Asian Collections, and Conservation of Textiles. In 2015, Khamchanh was a fellow at the Department of Anthropology of the American Museum of Natural History in New York through the Asian Cultural Council. During his fellowship, he participated in the American Alliance of Museum Conference in Atlanta representing TAEC's work and collection. At TAEC, Khamchanh conducts ethnological research in rural villages, ensures the cataloguing and preservation of museum objects, manages TAEC's resource library, and provides informative talks and tours to museum visitors in English and Lao.
Job Titles:
- Co - Director
- Co - Founder
Tara Gujadhur co-founded the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre with Thongkhoun Soutthivilay in 2006. Tara has a BA in Anthropology and an MSc in Sustainable Tourism, and over 20 years experience in tourism development, cultural heritage management, and community development throughout Southeast Asia and Southern Africa. She worked with the Khasi in northeast India, the San (Bushmen) in Botswana, and has since spent a significant amount of time in rural villages in Laos. She came to Laos in 2003 with a development agency and spent three years advising the government on sustainable tourism, primarily in ethnic communities before starting TAEC. She guides TAEC's research, marketing and strategic development, among other responsibilities.
Thongkhoun Soutthivilay co-founded TAEC with Tara Gujadhur, and has shared the Directorship since its opening. Born and raised in Luang Prabang, Khoun worked at the Luang Phabang National Museum for over 10 years, finishing as Collection Manager. She has studied and attended trainings in Thailand, the Netherlands, Japan, and Laos, on Museum Management, Conservation and Exhibition of Southeast Asian Collections, and Conservation of Textiles. She was an Asian Cultural Council Fellow in 2008 based at the Smithsonian on Exhibition Design, and a resident at the Saitama Prefecture Museum in Japan from 2003-2004. Khoun oversees TAEC's livelihoods activities, the TAEC Shop and collections management, and develops exhibitions together with Tara.