Epic Arts

Last week I went down to Kampot (a riverside town near the South coast) to visit an NGO called Epic Arts. I've been asked to be part of the board as a creative advisor so I wanted to meet them before the next board meeting later this year and find out more about them.

As a quick introduction, here's some blurb from their Facebook page:

Epic Arts is a disability arts charity established in 2001 and working in the UK, Cambodia and China. We reach out to those with physical and learning disabilities of all ages and backgrounds, through workshops in dance, drama, visual arts, crafts, photography, music, and story-telling. Epic Arts promotes integration of people of all abilities and disabilities using the arts as a form of expression, transformation and empowerment; celebrating the creative potential of those with whom we work.(www.facebook.com/everypersoncounts/info)

Really enjoyed the visit. Great to meet Laura and Anthony, fellow Brits who have been working there for 9 months now, Laura as the Arts Programme Advisor and Anthony as Programme Development Manager. Good to chat with them about the work and then see it in action at the Epic Arts cafe in town and the Arts Centre just up the road.

Here's one of the cafe staff with Wolfee (a puppet who has his own blog about all things Cambodia... See www.theworldofwolfee.blogspot.com)......

And here's the sign language teacher, Narith, at the class I went along to the next day.....

And here's one of the murals at the centre........

......designed and spray-painted by some of the students........

And here's the dance/drama/performance space. Which had the WOW factor even in its empty state......

......so am looking forward to visiting another time and seeing it in full flow......