2006 Programs and Events

American Conservator Bonnie Baskin Assists Luang Prabang Museum

Bonnie Baskin and staff at the Lao National Museum in Luang Prabang repair a broken ceramic horse.

Sponsored by the Public Diplomacy Section of the U.S. Embassy, Vientiane, Cultural Specialist Bonnie Baskin spent four weeks at the Lao National Museum in Luang Prabang preserving important artifacts in the Museum’s collection and training its staff. 

Baskin worked with the staff to pass on her expertise in how to preserve a variety of important cultural artifacts, including a T’ang horse that had been broken into 16 pieces, several ethnographic drums, photographs and manuscripts of the royal family, gilded ivory Buddha figures, lacquered stone Buddha figures, and silver-foil and gold-foil Buddha figures. She also worked with the Museum staff on collection care activities, mounting and display techniques, and signage and explanatory materials.

Baskin also completed work on a brochure about the Museum and its collection that will be sold to tourists to recover printing costs. The preparation and initial publication of the brochure was funded by a grant of $2,100 from the U.S. Embassy. In addition, the Embassy donated a computer worth $1,500 to the Museum to assist it in preparation of a digital catalogue of its collection.

In addition to her work at the Museum, Baskin also gave a presentation at the Lao-American Reading Center, located inside the Luang Prabang Library, on “The Important of Preserving Laos’ Cultural Heritage.” The talk was attended by more than 30 officials and students eager to learn more about Laos’ cultural history and the work of the Museum to preserve it. 

The Lao-American Reading Center, sponsored by the U.S. Embassy, Vientiane, is open to the general public, as well as students and officials. It contains over 1,000 books and periodicals on how to learn English, international issues such as conservation of the environment, and American life and society. It’s books are written at all levels, with some for primary school students, others suitable for secondary school and university students, and others for adults. The Center will soon have computers with Internet access free for Lao students.

Baskin has visited Laos every year since 1999 to assist the Lao National Museums in Vientiane and Luang Prabang. [May 30-July 1, 2006]