We were founded in 1998 by genocide survivor and musician Arn CHORN-POND. For a decade, we focused on endangered performing art forms and rituals. As 90% of Cambodia’s artists did not survive the Khmer Rouge regime, Cambodia’s artistic heritage was in danger of being lost forever.
Over the last 20 years, both Cambodia and the arts scene have developed rapidly and we have evolved our work to match. We have focused on helping talented people to build and develop careers in the arts, through scholarships, fellowships, and support to troupes and individuals.
Looking forwards, we aim to promote creativity and innovation in the arts sector, and to build links with our neighbors in the Greater Mekong region and further afield in Asia. We are also working to get more arts and culture education into Cambodian public schools, and to increase performance opportunities for Cambodian artists.
Arn CHORN-POND, our founder
Arn is a musician, human rights activist, and survivor of the Khmer Rouge period. He was born into a family of artists, but in 1975 was sent to a children’s labor camp. Under the instruction of a Master Artist, he survived by playing propaganda music. He escaped, spending time at a refugee camp in Thailand, before aid worker Peter POND adopted him in 1980. He was educated in the US, and started up several community projects in his new country. In the 1990s, Arn returned to Cambodia to find his former teacher and to rebuild the artistic legacy of his family. After seeing the desperate conditions faced by Cambodia’s remaining Masters, Arn was moved to help. In 1998, along with a group of dedicated people from the US, he created the Cambodian Masters Performers Program, which grew into Cambodian Living Arts.
Our arts development program has been at the heart of CLA’s work since we began in 1998. We support artists, troupes, teachers, and communities to sustain their work in the arts and to earn a living. We do this by providing training in both artistic and non-artistic skills, giving financial, administrative, and logistical support, and creating opportunities for collaboration and exchange.
This program aims to better integrate culture and arts education into Cambodia’s education system. We are working with the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports, and with the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts and UNESCO as partners.
We support research and dialogue into the role of arts in society, and strengthening connections with our neighbors in the Greater Mekong region and elsewhere in Asia.
We collaborate with government, civil society, grassroots organizations and regional institutions, and contribute to cultural policy discussions both in Cambodia and internationally. We also run a Fellowship program for artists and cultural workers who are driving the sector forwards.
Founding Chairman and CEO, Raffles International
Chairman, Creo Lifestyle International Pte Ltd & RCH International Pte Ltd
Singapore
Independent Advancement Consultant
San Rafael, CA USA
President, John Burt Productions
Chair, Season of Cambodia 2013
New York, NY USA
Director, Global Performing Arts and Special Cultural Initiatives, Asia Society
New York, NY USA
Freelance Consultant
Founding Executive Director, International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies (IFACCA)
Sydney, Australia
Advisor, The Juhi Center
San Francisco, CA USA
Retired Physician
Former President, American Lung Association
Washington, DC USA
Director, International Institute for Asian Studies
Leiden, The Netherlands
Deputy President and Provost, LASALLE College of the Arts
Singapore
Company Director, Reads of Woollahra
Sydney, Australia
Chairman, Paññāsāstra University of Cambodia
Former Minister of Culture and Minister of Tourism
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Senior Advisor, The Obama Foundation
New York, NY USA
2017-2019
Deputy President and Provost, LASALLE College of the Arts
Singapore
President, U.S. Business Communications, USA
Dean of Faculty, Columbia University School of the Arts, USA
President, John Burt Productions
Chair, Season of Cambodia 2013
New York, NY USA
Curator, gallery owner, author and lecturer, Singapore
Board Chair, Heritage Watch International, USA
Secretary General, On the Move, Belgium
Founder, Bophana Audiovisual Resource Center, Cambodia
Distinguished Professor in the Practice of Diplomacy, Georgetown University, USA
Vice President & Chief Program Officer, Salzburg Global Seminar, Austria
Executive Director, African Arts Institute, South Africa
Founder, India Foundation for the Arts, India
Director Arts and Creative Industries East Asia, British Council, Singapore
NETWORK
SUPPORTERS/ DONORS
We aim to support the continuity and preservation of Cambodia’s artistic and cultural heritage. This is a theme which runs throughout all of our programs.