Inside Ideas: Helen Ibbitson Jessup on Khmer Rouge & Iraq

The International Festival of Arts & Ideas is filled with great Ideas panels (which are totally FREE). Helen Ibbitson Jessup, founder of Friends of Khmer Culture and specialist in the art and architecture of Southeast Asia and Cambodia, is a panelist in one of our upcoming events. We asked Helen to answer a few questions about her experience to pre-empt her participation in Ideas: Rebuilding Culture in Iraq & Cambodia: From Crisis to Recovery.

Q: How have the people of Cambodia reacted to American assistance in preserving Cambodian art and history?

A: The response has been extremely warm from both the Museum personnel and the  Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts.

Q: Why did you decide to start the organization Friends of Khmer Culture?

A: I founded FOKCI for several reasons.  The simplest was that I wanted to express gratitude for the generosity of the Cambodian officials and people in lending their priceless objects for the exhibition I curated (with Thierry Zéphir from the Guimet Museum) for the National Gallery in Washington.  As I went further into it, I realized what a profound need there was for help in myriad Cambodian cultural fields: not just museums, but also architectural conservation, education, scholarly publications, website development, and others.

Q: How did you approach putting together one of the largest surveys of Cambodian art? 

A: By asking for help from a wide range of experts in the Khmer field and by reading a century's worth of French scholarship.  The collaboration of our French and Cambodian colleagues was vital, as was the support we had from the State Department, particularly people in the US Embassy in Phnom Penh.  In addition, the support of the National Gallery and the Guimet Museum were critical at all times.

Q:  How has Cambodia’s artistic world transcended since the Khmer Rouge reign? Is current Cambodian art and architecture reflective of that time?

A: It is heart warming how quickly young Cambodians have immersed themselves in research and education to fill the gaps left by civil disturbances that lasted for three decades.  But the needs are enormous and the lack of financial support is critical, so the struggle will be waged for many years to come to preserve this astonishing heritage and to enable the Cambodians to re-estabish connections with the greatness of their cultural past..

Interested in what Helen and her fellow panelists have to say? Do you have questions for Helen? Make your reservation today for Rebuilding Culture in Iraq & Cambodia: From Crisis to Recovery today!