catching up

This flurry of postings is intended to give readers an idea of what this project is about, but there is much more to come between now and December.

Next week, five of the artists will visit one of Cambodia's most mine-affected provinces, Battambang, to witness first-hand how Cambodia is addressing the landmine problem.

The following week, five more artists will head to another one of Cambodia's most mine-affected provinces, Banteay Meanchey, to visit a wide range of mine action activities, including clearance, survivor assistance, and mine risk education, among others. A film crew will follow us to document the process.

We plan to work with young landmine survivors to give them the opportunity to create art as well.

We'll regularly post information about the artists, field visits, and other other exciting news (along with pictures) over the next few months, so come back often to see what we're up to.

Also, this is meant to be an inclusive project, so if you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, or are interested in becoming involved in the project, please feel free to drop a line.

Step Two: Select Artists

In order to keep the project manageable, we decided to work with a maximum of 10 artists -- but when 40 people attended the informational meeting to learn more about the project, we knew it would be a challenge to narrow it down to just 10.

Applicants were asked to submit a CV, portfolio, and statement about why they were interested in participating in the project (in English, French, or Khmer).

We invited long-time supporters of Cambodian mine action to serve on the artist selection panel. The panel consisted of representatives from the United Nations Development Programme, the Australian Agency for International Development, the Canadian International Development Agency/Agence canadienne du developpement international, and the Cambodian Campaign to Ban Landmines (a member of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines), plus the art coordinator.

After several hours of deliberation, the panel finalized a list of 10 artists from Phnom Penh as well as mine-affected provinces, ranging in age from 23 to 53 years old. As the project progresses, we'll post their profiles so you can learn more about them.

Step One: Hire an art coordinator

To ensure that the artists have the support and resources they need, we engaged someone with extensive experience working with artists in Cambodia, Ms. Sasha Constable, to advise the artists throughout the creative process.

Sasha is no stranger to the concept of merging deadly weapons and art. In 2003, she co-founded the Peace Art Project, which turned weapons into art as an expression of peace.

With the combination of talented Cambodian artists, an experienced art coordinator, and inspirational successes in Cambodian mine action, we are confident that the artworks in this project will be meaningful to audiences both within Cambodia and abroad.

So what do we plan to do?

Now that you have a little background about why this is being organized, here's some more information about exactly what the purpose is for putting this together and what it is we plan to do (in convenient bullet-point format):

Why?
• To celebrate the achievements – and acknowledge the work to be done – in Cambodian mine action in new and innovative ways
• To mark the ten-year anniversary of Cambodia’s ratification of the Antipersonnel Mine Ban Treaty (commonly known as the Ottawa Convention)
• To profile mine action as a cross-cutting issue contributing to poverty eradication in Cambodia
• To give contemporary Cambodian artists an international profile

What will we do?
• Engage up to 10 Cambodian artists, take them to observe mine action activities in the provinces, and have them create approximately 20 high-quality artworks
• Work with young landmine survivors to create artworks
• Display the pieces in an exhibition that opens in Cambodia, with reproductions traveling in the provinces, and selected pieces ending up at the Second Review Conference of the Mine Ban Treaty in Colombia in December 2009
• Have the exhibit travel to partner countries
• Donate the artworks to the Cambodian government and partners around the world to display in their Embassies or other official buildings

What is the Art Exhibit about Landmines in Cambodia?

Although Cambodia remains one of the countries most affected by landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW), significant progress has been made in addressing the problem since mine clearance activities began more than 15 years ago. Casualty rates are dropping, the government has integrated mine action into its poverty eradication strategy, and national mine clearance standards were created to make clearance operations safer and more effective. However, landmines and ERW continue to severely affect Cambodia’s development by denying Cambodians access to land that can be used for basic activities like growing food, building houses and schools, and constructing roads.

To celebrate the achievements in Cambodian mine action and to acknowledge the challenges that remain, the Cambodian Mine Action Art Project will engage Cambodian artists from a variety of backgrounds to present these concepts in new and innovative ways. By meeting with people living on mined and cleared land, survivors, deminers, and others working in the mine action sector, the artists will develop a deeper understanding of the situation, and then present their interpretation of the issues through sophisticated artwork.

This year presents a great opportunity to bring the Cambodian mine action community together to reflect on these issues because it marks the ten-year anniversary of the Antipersonnel Mine Ban Treaty (commonly known as the Ottawa Convention). The exhibit will open in Cambodia this October, then travel within Cambodia before ending up at the Second Review Conference of the Mine Ban Treaty that will take place this December in Colombia, giving people around the world the opportunity to see the issue through the eyes of Cambodians.