ABOUT CAMBODIAN LIVING ARTS
OUR HISTORY
Founded in 1998 with a mission to catalyze a vibrant arts sector, CLA initially focused on reviving and preserving traditional performing arts on the verge of disappearing. During that period, CLA supported master artists in passing their knowledge to over 300 students in various art forms across Cambodia.
By the 2010s, CLA shifted toward nurturing a new generation of young artists by offering scholarships, fellowships, fair-paying jobs through regular performance platform, professional development programs, and a five-year pilot arts education program in select public schools.
Since 2017, in response to limited resources for artists and cultural workers, CLA has provided small grants, creative skills workshops, and support for new works. Today, CLA supports artists and organizations across all art forms, with an emphasis on strengthening and developing the entire arts sector.
Executive Team
ARN Chorn-Pond
Founder
PRIM Phloeun
Executive Director
RUDGARD Frances
Managing Director
YON Sokhorn
Program Director
Program Team
The Program Team is responsible for implementing and overseeing the organization’s various initiatives, including grants, learning and development, community arts and outreach, and special projects. This team plays a crucial role in executing CLA’s strategic goals and supporting the arts ecosystem in Cambodia.
EN Sormanak
Learning & Development Program Manager
THORN Seyma
Community Engagement & Outreach Program Coordinator
THA Samath
Senior Program Coordinator
SAY Tola
Grants Program Coordinator
Marketing and Fundraising
The Marketing and Fundraising Team is responsible for promoting programs, implementing marketing strategies, maintaining and building relationships with individual and institutional donors through collective effort, organizing fundraising events, and ensuring the organization’s programs are accessible and appealing to artists and the arts community.
PHARY Phacdey
Marketing and Fundraising Manager
SUOL Nary
Marketing and Communication Coordinator
THON Dika
Videographer and Editor
Operation and Finance
Operation and Finance are responsible for the administrative and financial management of Cambodian Living Arts. Their responsibilities encompass budgeting, financial planning, resource allocation, and day-to-day operational activities that support the organization’s programs and initiatives.
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
CLA’s Board of Directors
CLA’s Board of Directors refers to the governing body of Cambodian Living Arts (CLA), an organization dedicated to supporting and developing the arts sector in Cambodia. This board consists of local and international members who provide strategic guidance and oversight for the organization’s operations and programs.
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
Boards of Living Arts International refers to the governing bodies of the international umbrella organizations: Cambodian Living Arts (CLA), Mekong Cultural Hub, and Connecting South. These organizations operate under their own visions and missions to support and develop the arts sector in their regions and the Global South. The boards provide strategic guidance and oversight for LAI’s global initiatives and partnerships.
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 worked with a handful of surviving masters in about seven cities and provinces of Cambodia to ensure their artistics knowledge was passed on to new generations within their communities through arts classes, preserving endangered traditions. From the beginning until now, we commite to support all these surviving master artists for their entire lives with monthly salaries and emergency funding.
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