Mekong Cultural Hub

MCH itself began in response to the gap that still exists in opportunities for exchange, learning and collaboration between cultural workers within Asia. In our first ever research and planning workshop, one of the learnings was that very little cultural exchange is being initiated and hosted from within the Mekong region. Between 2018-2022 we worked on different programs to grow networks and to enable exchange, and from these activities we identified that while individuals have much to offer, it’s organisations that are really critical in facilitating and sustaining connections. That’s why we began to explore how we might approach building a long-term alliance between like-minded organisations in Asia who together can work on expanding opportunities and community in the region.

Our long-term vision for the Art & Society Hubs Network – Asia is to see an independent alliance of organisations across Asia, who are all working to strengthen the ecosystem of art, culture and society by facilitating opportunities for networking and exchange, and by jointly speaking up for the important work of artists in society. We would love to imagine that by 2034 the Network has more than 20 members, and it’s no longer MCH that coordinates it, but that the Network has found its own model of leadership and management and stands as a recognised and valued resource and voice in the region.

The name of the network Art & Society Hubs Network Asia has been decided on with the members who are currently part of the network. Art & Society represents the fact that all the members see their work in art and culture as having a strong social purpose and relevance to development and change in their local, national and international contexts. The choice of the word ‘hub’ is to indicate that this network is made up of multiple centers, each that has its own reach and networks, and it’s by connecting all these hubs up, and having these multiple wheels turning, that we will create more motion and flow around the region. In line with this, the members refer to each other as Hub Partners.

By 2027 we will have 6 Hub Partners in the Network (excluding MCH ourselves). We already have 3: AMCA from Myanmar, Trees Music & Art from Taiwan, and Heritage Space from Vietnam. In 2025 we will bring in one more hub partner, most likely from Laos. And we plan to bring in a hub partner from Cambodia and a hub partner from Thailand during 2026. 

By adding hub partners in phases, we are building our own capacity to support and coordinate the network, whilst also allowing plenty of space to co-create the priorities and the ways of working of the network. For example, by reflecting with Heritage Space after phase 1, we made quite a lot of changes when AMCA and Trees joined the network at phase 2. 

It also means that by the end of 2027, and the first five years of the Network, the framework and the ways of working that the network is built on are really coming from a Mekong perspective. This is really important to us as it comes back to why and where we started.

During 2027, we will evaluate with the hub partners our shared intentions and our resources so we can decide how to take the Network forward into its second chapter.

Currently, there are three Hub Partners, plus MCH. They are Heritage Space from Vietnam, Association for Myanmar Contemporary Arts from Myanmar and Trees Music & Art from Taiwan.

During this first chapter, the Hub Partners are being recruited by invitation from MCH. MCH has identified Hub Partners in different ways so far, including through existing networks and partnerships, and through learning about work of individual MCH Fellows with organisations in their country. We have also made research trips and conducted consultation workshops in different locations, and will most likely continue to do this in the next couple of years.

The reality for many grassroots cultural organisations in our region is that they really struggle with time and resources. Often their staff (if they have them!) are only part-time and all holding down other jobs, and they have big workloads of their own, and are very occupied with many creative and important projects and programs that they need to run while paying the bills.

During this chapter, MCH is paying a monthly stipend to all the Hub Partners so that they are able to dedicate time to building and operating the Network, and we are able to provide budget to support the network activities e.g. the Mobility Program and the annual meetings. However, even with this support – it’s a big decision for an organisation to decide to take on responsibility of becoming a partner. That’s another reason why we are taking time to build the network slowly, as organisations need to be ready to join, and we all need time to figure out the work together.

All the hub partners, and MCH ourselves, are quite different in what we do and how we work, but there are a few important points in common:

• We all have a programmatic orientation towards art and society
• All of our missions are about creating opportunities for other people (we don’t exist to produce our own work)
• We all work with practitioners from diverse artistic disciplines
• Building regional networks is a core priority or strategy for each of our organisations

Aside from the stipend and programming budget that Hub Partners get from MCH while they are part of the network at this stage, the main benefits to the Hub Partners are the opportunities to:

• Increase the visibility of their organisation
• Spread news of opportunities and programs they are working to a wider audience
• Strengthen capacity to implement programs (e.g. the network’s Mobility Program)
• Receive training via external experts invited by MCH to monthly and annual network meetings
• Get to know the region better, through exchange and travel during annual network meetings
• Seek support and solidarity from the other Hub Partners
• Initiate new projects and collaborations with the other Hub Partners
• Jointly seek funding and partnerships for common projects

At the moment we don’t have capacity to formally enroll more organisations as Hub Partners – as we are deliberately building up slowly and carefully between 2023-2027. However there are several ways you can get involved, including but not limited to:

• Letting us know about art, culture and society related opportunities or events that you would like the Network to promote
• Contacting Hub Partners directly if you are looking for contacts or advice related to conducting projects or programs in their country
• Inviting the Network to be part of your programs
• Recommending organizations that MCH should get to know, who could be potential Hub Partners in future