- G
- Y
Background to Dawei
Dawei, located in South East Myanmar is an ecologically and culturally diverse landscape. The unique landscape is home to coastal fishing communities across a patchwork of pristine beaches on the western coast, to indigenous communities governing land and forest resources according to ancestral practices towards the eastern mountain ridges.
In recent years the area has come under threat from a range of destructive development projects such as Special Economic Zones (SEZs), gas extraction, expanding agribusiness concessions, polluting mining and large-scale infrastructure development. These projects threaten to both destroy Dawei’s natural landscape and upend local livelihoods and ways of life. Over the past decade communities, youth groups and civil society have fought together to establish an alternative future for Dawei, one that protects its immense beauty and celebrates its history, culture and diversity.
The Dawei Art Space
We are opening Dawei Art Space, a free space which aims to support the growth of artistic and creative movements in Dawei through workshops, classes and public debates, whilst also reviving and strengthening pride in Dawei’s rich cultural heritage through art and photography exhibitions. The space seeks to be a home for free thought and the creation of alternative visions for the future of Dawei and its people.
The Dawei Art Space is a beautiful two-storey building, located in downtown Dawei. Three large ground floor rooms will be used for workshops, art and photography exhibitions, meetings, studio and work spaces. Youth and community groups will be organising activities, selling handicrafts and local/traditional produce and arranging responsible eco-tourism activities.
The space will be a self-sustaining social enterprise, selling local handicrafts and artworks to cover the basic costs of the space, and will reinvest profits into community-based projects. We will also develop collaborative projects with artists, photographers, and other creative people in order to continue to build a wider social movement.
The space will be for:
· Art and photography exhibitions
· Workshops (art, photography, film, handicrafts)
· Film workshops and screenings
· Studio space for upcoming and aspiring artists
· Community dialogue and organising
· Community theatre
· Traditional handicrafts and local produce (workshops and sales)
· Spoken word and poetry
· Books and literature
· Social and gathering space
· Local music performances
Who are we?
We are a group of youth, civil society representatives and artists, from Dawei, Thailand and further afield. Joint by our love for Dawei, we decided to create a space where the public can meet, participate in creative activities, see and create art, hold public talks and events and watch documentaries. We had talked about the initiative for several years, and we now believe that the time is right to make this dream a reality!
Our team is growing all the time, and together we will be responsible for the management of the space.
https://www.facebook.com/Dawei-Art-Space-460191991215333/
We are calling on you!
We want to build a space for the community, which will be run by the community, non-beholden to donors or project funding. We are seeking to establish a self-sustaining social enterprise, which will invest earnings back into the space for community led projects and initiatives.
We have just opened the space, but are now in need of support to pay for renovations, secure rent for our space, and get activities off the ground for the next phase of the project.
Please help us in making this dream a reality.
In order to make this happen we need to $10,000:
- Contribution to 1 year rent: $ 4800
- Building renovations and furnishings: $2,000
- Staff salary for 6 months (2 staff): $1710
- Seed funding for activities: $1490
Dawei, located in South East Myanmar is an ecologically and culturally diverse landscape. The unique landscape is home to coastal fishing communities across a patchwork of pristine beaches on the western coast, to indigenous communities governing land and forest resources according to ancestral practices towards the eastern mountain ridges.
In recent years the area has come under threat from a range of destructive development projects such as Special Economic Zones (SEZs), gas extraction, expanding agribusiness concessions, polluting mining and large-scale infrastructure development. These projects threaten to both destroy Dawei’s natural landscape and upend local livelihoods and ways of life. Over the past decade communities, youth groups and civil society have fought together to establish an alternative future for Dawei, one that protects its immense beauty and celebrates its history, culture and diversity.
The Dawei Art Space
We are opening Dawei Art Space, a free space which aims to support the growth of artistic and creative movements in Dawei through workshops, classes and public debates, whilst also reviving and strengthening pride in Dawei’s rich cultural heritage through art and photography exhibitions. The space seeks to be a home for free thought and the creation of alternative visions for the future of Dawei and its people.
The Dawei Art Space is a beautiful two-storey building, located in downtown Dawei. Three large ground floor rooms will be used for workshops, art and photography exhibitions, meetings, studio and work spaces. Youth and community groups will be organising activities, selling handicrafts and local/traditional produce and arranging responsible eco-tourism activities.
The space will be a self-sustaining social enterprise, selling local handicrafts and artworks to cover the basic costs of the space, and will reinvest profits into community-based projects. We will also develop collaborative projects with artists, photographers, and other creative people in order to continue to build a wider social movement.
The space will be for:
· Art and photography exhibitions
· Workshops (art, photography, film, handicrafts)
· Film workshops and screenings
· Studio space for upcoming and aspiring artists
· Community dialogue and organising
· Community theatre
· Traditional handicrafts and local produce (workshops and sales)
· Spoken word and poetry
· Books and literature
· Social and gathering space
· Local music performances
Who are we?
We are a group of youth, civil society representatives and artists, from Dawei, Thailand and further afield. Joint by our love for Dawei, we decided to create a space where the public can meet, participate in creative activities, see and create art, hold public talks and events and watch documentaries. We had talked about the initiative for several years, and we now believe that the time is right to make this dream a reality!
Our team is growing all the time, and together we will be responsible for the management of the space.
https://www.facebook.com/Dawei-Art-Space-460191991215333/ We are calling on you!
We want to build a space for the community, which will be run by the community, non-beholden to donors or project funding. We are seeking to establish a self-sustaining social enterprise, which will invest earnings back into the space for community led projects and initiatives.
We have just opened the space, but are now in need of support to pay for renovations, secure rent for our space, and get activities off the ground for the next phase of the project.
Please help us in making this dream a reality.
In order to make this happen we need to $10,000:
- Contribution to 1 year rent: $ 4800
- Building renovations and furnishings: $2,000
- Staff salary for 6 months (2 staff): $1710
- Seed funding for activities: $1490
