If you have a chance to visit an Art Exhibition of art students from higher education institutions at their art museum or art gallery in Thailand: First, if you were there on the opening day you will clearly see their intent in the presentation. All audiences receive a program which we called catalog; Secondly, they present a flower brooch to the audience to tell how they honor their admiration.

The amazing feeling from the art of young-generation artists would make you accept  the internationalization of art from the students of the Northeast Thailand , They called the precious thing they had done from the Isaan word “Luk Isaan Su Su." It means: "fight for the children who were born in North East Thailand"

Isaan is the name of the Northeastern Region which has the largest population in Thailand . It can also be said that Thailand's northeast has long been the country's poorest and least fertile region.

It is my intention for all reades in Thailand and all over the world who love arts to get to know how the "jury" for arts decided to help a community in Thailand after he found they really needed urgent help, and he found their works precious.

Jessada Kongsommart is a freelance artist who is well known and has had many exhibitions in Thailand and abroad. He was invited to check and evaluate students works especially paintings and sculptures.

Here is the interview.

JY. I followed your work for many years. I loved the way you handled the I-Saan Art Funds  project. I had seen many things you had tried to help your students although you are not a lecturer from the institution. I would like my readers to know about I-Saan Art Funds your project for Northeastern students in Thailand. Please tell me about the project and how you came to be involved?

JK. I am a freelance artist and many years ago I was chosen to be a "jury" to select student painting and sculpture at many institutes in Northeast Thailand. I found the problem of Isaan‘s students is that most of them came from poverty-stricken circumstances. I asked myself how can I help them ?

I and many lecturers and all of my friends who work there found good works from gifted young artists. Many friends of mine had discussed how to help them, for example during the season of the exhibition students need money to work and all of them have to find money for many things such as the program book to give for free to visitors. Many kinds of mediums for artwork are also expensive in the case of the final  exhibition students have to pay for it themselves.

In 2017 I set the project I-Saan Arts Funds with the purpose to help promote creativity, to set exhibitions of art from students in the northeastern region to show high quality potential, to move from inside the institute to the mall or the department store to show and educate people in Isaan

Lucky me. I was the "jury" for 13 institutes there, and my students could sell paintings or sculptures at that time.

I went back to Facebook and did the marketing online. I received very good feedback for the start, and raised 200,000 baht for I-Saan Art Funds.

A year later I sold my original paintings. I received very good support from collectors. I brought some money to buy artworks from students and help them with scholarships for further education , When students graduated in Isaan, for example, Rajamangala Universities of Technology, Rajabhat Universities, Public universities and colleges, they went on to pursue their studies at Silpakorn University, Chulalongkorn University  or King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang for their post-graduate work.

With the incoming funds, I proceeded to follow the purpose according to the rules consisting of activity as follows:

1. Funding and promoting the exhibition.

Art thesis of 13 institutions and 21 projects in North East region ( Isaan Thailand)

2. Providing individual support funds by helping to buy works of thesis individually

3. Funding and promoting the  important exhibitions in the Isaan region, such as the annual exhibition of each institution, the fourth-year students exhibition, print making exhibition, sculpture Exhibition.

4. Providing funds to support talented arts students in the northeastern region, whose family status is not good, to get the opportunity to study at the master's degree level.

5. Organized an exhibition of the best art thesis of the Northeast Institutes to exhibit together In the exhibition "Isaan Art Thesis".

Elder Help Younger is a small project from 2020. To bring money to pay for the fee for post grad students.

I decided to bring my collections from Kalasin province where I had much more from  the past, and sold them out. I still collect Thai silk from the National artist. Keep them for sale. Every piece of Thaisilk had a small signature: Kumsorn Srathong. In April 2020 I sold Thaisilk from her in the new project.

“Elder Help Younger” Silk from  Kumsorn Srathong was sold .I have to try more to connect with some collectors and friends and use Facebook to tell about my art collections I had many years ago , I would like to make an auction online for the first start to help students whowere impacted with Covid-19 to raise funds.

I am pleased to bring the most beloved things such as paintings, Thai silk  we call Mudmee from Kumsorn Srathong, Painting from Pratuang Emjaroen National Artist, Suchat Thaothong, Print Making  from Thepsakdi Thongnopkoon, Sculpture from Chumpon Utayophat and my own painting to sell at fair prices. All of them were sold.

I tried to buy students paintings with the budget we had. I was so lucky with my wife who was willing to help the project.

Background

Birthdate 7 January 1975

Kalasin Province

B.F.A. Painting

Faculty of Fine & Applied Arts

Fine Art Burapha University

Solo Exhibitions ( in brief)

2000  "Birth of culture"  Withaya Nitas Art Center  Chulalongkorn University BKK.

2001  “Thai  Smiles”  Museum Plein Amsterdam Netherlands

2002  Tale from the Moon"  Take it Easy Art gallery Chonburi Province

2003  "Silk Road"  Chamchuri Art GalleryChulalongkorn University BKK.

2003  "Silk Road"  Guildford Gallery Perth

2004  "My Birth Place"  Eastern center of Art and Culture  

2005  “Thai Living”  The National Gallery .Chao Fa Road Phra Nakhon, Bangkok, Thailand 10200

2006  "Silk Threads"  Gallery Opium Thailand .

2007  “Kalasin”  La Artcore, Los Angeles USA.

2008  “The Countryside Story”,  Number 1 Gallery, BKK.

2011  "HEET 12”  The Urban Sanctury Art Gallery Los Angeles USA.

2014  "Tale of Isaan"  National Gallery (Thailand)

2017  “Relax”  Nature’s Corner Gallery, Fonthill, Ontario Canada.