Honored ASEAN Selection 2017 Trophy Awarded to the Mahakam Lestari Foundation

The Mahakam Lestari Foundation (Yayasan Mahakam Lestari) received an honored “ASEAN Selection 2017” trophy from the Support Arts and Crafts International Centre of Thailand (SACICT) Public Organization as part of the ASEAN Selection 2017 and Craft Knowledge Exchange Program. The awards ceremony took place on July 13^th 2017 at the Bangkok Art & Culture Centre (BACC), Thailand. The Foundation had been selected to represent Indonesia along with other artisans and designers selected from each ASEAN country.

The theme chosen this year was the Innovative Craft of Basketry, and the product proposed by the Foundation is Sa’ung Seling, a unique and culturally significant handicraft made by the Dayak Kenyah community in Bahau Hulu, North Kalimantan. The product satisfactorily met the 7 judging criteria requested by the SACICT, which are Originality, Identity, Innovativeness, Design & Aesthetic, Uniqueness, Quality and Functionality.

By receiving this award, we hope to encourage our artisans to produce more, improve quality, and achieve further recognition in the domestic and international market, thus enabling us achieve our mission to preserve their culture.

The ASEAN Selection 2017 is a program which aims to provide an opportunity for craft knowledge exchange and network building among the artisans selected in order to create and develop a high-quality designed product that is domestically and internationally accepted. Now that it has been selected, the Mahakam Lestari Foundation has a chance to participate in the exhibition held at the BACC (July 13-23, 2017) by showcasing the products, and to join the craft knowledge exchange program by giving a presentation on the foundation’s craft conservation program.

Learn more about the Mahakam Lestari Foundation.