Teaching Ancient Ceramic Arts in Siem Reap, Cambodia

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• Rachel Stine Rachel Stine has worked with North Korean refugees for six years. Today, she lives in Cambodia, where she writes about Korean culture, politics, and traditional arts.

Khmer Ceramics and Fine Arts Center is a leafy, open air space in Siem Reap. Located just meters from the well-manicured lawns of the National Museum, the Center was established in 2006, and has since built a solid reputation on the tourism circuit. Now in the year of its tenth anniversary, it serves as a workshop, a showroom, and most importantly, a school teaching Cambodia’s ancient ceramic arts.

“We preserve art by making it,” Sam Navarro said. A native of Montpellier, France, and ceramics expert, Navarro has served as the chief marketing officer at Khmer Ceramics Center since 2013. “When I first met Serge, our CEO, I was in Cambodia to learn about traditional handicrafts. I had no intention of going into this field. But I fell in love with the ceramics, and decided to take a post here. I was surprised by how complex the tradition is, and how our modern world is built on ceramics.”

The outdoor studio space, complete with drying racks and pottery wheels.

Today, seventy-seven local people work at Khmer Ceramics and Fine Arts Center now, many of whom are deaf or hearing impaired. Through the social enterprise, they aim to share the artistic legacy of Siem Reap with the world, and increase an appreciation for the Khmer aesthetic.

Each day, tourists visit the Center to cure Siem Reap’s infamous “temple fatigue.” Families are often seen at the wheel, spinning tan clay and following the directions of local instructors. Beginners use sharpened sticks to carve traditional kbach, or ornamentation, on their pottery. These ancient symbols are famous for being carved into Angkor Wat, The Bayon Temple, and Bateay Srei.

But locals and expats have started attending the Center to learn the craft, too. Early this year, the Center also features a membership program for artists looking to study long-term. When asked why the membership program was created, Mr. Navarro simply said: “Because we think it’s cool for people to learn pottery! Plus, for expats, there’s not much to do except visit the temples and go swimming at the local pools. But this offers something artistic.” Membership plans stretch from three to six months. Local artists can use the wheel for an unlimited amount of time each day, use a select gray glaze for their work, and can fire one piece free per day. Local Khmer instructors are available on site.

One of them is Pom Pim, who has taught at the Center for two years. Because he communicates with sign language, his pottery teaching method involves students closely examining his hand motions, and then mirroring them. He has become a popular instructor. “I really enjoy my job,” he said through an interpreter. “I’ve developed a deeper appreciation for arts while working here.”

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