About Cambodian Living Arts
Our History
CLA’s mission is to be a catalyst in a vibrant arts sector, inspiring new generations. Founded in 1998 by musician, genocide survivor and human rights activist Arn CHORN-POND, by 2012, CLA was supporting 27 classes across nine provinces, reaching 1,000 students and covering 12 art forms.
Having successfully revived and preserved traditions that neared extinction, we shifted our focus to build sustainability, support a new generation of young people in the arts. In this phase of our work, we started offering scholarships, fellowships and professional development training, whilst creating job opportunities. To support the transforming environment, CLA also engaged in cultural policy advocacy, supported the development of culture and arts education in public schools and built new audiences for arts.
Since 2017, we have also focused on creative expression, stimulating creativity among a new generation of artists by making small grants, running creative skills workshops and supporting the creation of new work.
After two decades, we have fully evolved our role as a grantmaker and catalyst in strengthening creativity and expression through different types of grants and commissioning new works to develop a healthy arts ecosystem.
Meet Our Team
Executive Team
ARN Chorn-Pond
Founder
PRIM Phloeun
Executive Director
RUDGARD Frances
Managing Director
YON Sokhorn
Program Director
Program Team
EN Sormanak
Learning & Development Program Manager
SOUS Sinath
Grants Manager
SONG Seng
Festival Coordinator
THORN Seyma
Community Engagement & Outreach Program Coordinator
THA Samath
Senior Program Coordinator
SAY Tola
Research Coordinator
Marketing and Fundraising
PHARY Phacdey
Marketing and Fundraising Manager
SUOL Nary
Communication Coordinator
THON Dika
Videographer and Editor
Operation and Finance
KUON Manith
Head of Finance
KONG Chanmanina
Senior Finance & Operation Coordinator
HOUR Phaktra
Finance Coordinator
CHHUON Vattei
Receptionist
PICH Panha
Office Assistant
SO Maly
Cleaner
SO Piseth
Security Guard
Board of Directors
Dr. Richard C. Helfer
Chair of the Board Founding Chairman and CEO, Raffles International Chairman, Creo Lifestyle International Pte Ltd _ RCH International Pte Ltd Singapore
H.E. VENG Sereyvuth
Chairman, Paññāsāstra University of Cambodia Former Minister of Culture and Minister of Tourism Phnom Penh, Cambodia
MARY K. Read
Company Director, Reads of Woollahra Sydney, Australia
Sokny ONN
Country Director, Epic Arts
Sophie Toan EK
Kravanh Restaurant, Owner
The Cambodian Living Arts’ Family
Cambodian Living Arts is an initiative of Living Arts International, a non-profit organization which believes the arts are at the heart of every vital society. Living Arts International’s other initiatives include Mekong Cultural Hub and Connecting South.
Boards of Living Arts International
Dr. Richard C. HELFER
Chair of the Board
Founding Chairman and CEO, Raffles International
Chairman, Creo Lifestyle International Pte Ltd & RCH International Pte Ltd
Singapore
Eric WONG
Treasurer
New York, NY USA
John BURT
Co-Founder
President, John Burt Productions
Chair, Season of Cambodia 2013
New York, NY USA
Rachel COOPER
Director, Global Performing Arts and Special Cultural Initiatives, Asia Society
New York, NY USA
Sarah GARDNER
Freelance Consultant
Founding Executive Director, International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies (IFACCA)
Sydney, Australia
Melissa IM
Advisor, The Juhi Center
San Francisco, CA USA
Carolyn MALCOLM
Partner, NKSFB, LLC
New York, NY USA
Nico DASWANI
Head of Arts and Culture, World Economic Forum
Geneva, Switzerland
Dr. Venka PURUSHOTHAMAN
Chair, Advisory Council
Deputy President and Provost, LASALLE College of the Arts
Singapore
Philippe PEYCAM
Director, International Institute for Asian Studies
Leiden, The Netherlands
Mary K. READ
Company Director, Reads of Woollahra
Sydney, Australia
Cambodian Living Arts’ Masters
Cambodian Living Arts began with the Cambodian Master Performers Program. We were working with some surviving masters in around 7 cities and provinces of Cambodia at the time to ensure that their knowledge was passed on to new generations within their communities so that it was no longer endangered.
MAN Men
Classical wedding Music Master
NORNG Chak
Bassac Opera Master
SUON San
Chapei Master (1950-2017)
YEOUN Mik
Modern Wedding Music Master (1939-2014)
TEP Mary
Pinpeat Master (1933-2021)
SOK Duch
Classical Wedding Music Master (1926-2017)
KHY Mom
Yike Master
KONG Nai
Chapei Master
IEANG Sithul
Classical & Folk Dance Master
LING Srey
Kontoamming Master (1926-2014)
NHUCH Hoeun
Memm Master
SENG Norn Retired
Kontoamming Master