The “Friends of Myanmar Artists” project has been established by Gold Leaf in order to procure books and DVD’s for the artists in Myanmar who would not otherwise have access to, nor be financially able to purchase, educational materials of this kind. 

Many of today’s best contemporary artists are graduates of the State School of Fine Arts.  However, the State Schools emphasize realistic style of painting, and the rise of modernism in the 20th c. is not extensively taught. 

The creative contemporary work that one sees is the result of their own efforts to educate themselves in art movements of the 20th c.  Art history books and contemporary art magazines enable them to keep abreast of current trends and to be knowledgeable about how the art of the past has informed current movements.

As a result, we want to help the artists continue their education by offering you the opportunity to contribute books and media for their use. 

Gold Leaf has made arrangements with the American Center in Rangoon (the Public Affairs section of the United States Embassy in Myanmar) to function as the library and management arm for donated media.  We are very fortunate in that the American Center in Rangoon is highly supportive of contemporary Myanmar art.  In addition to their own purchase of art books, they have also initiated subscriptions to Asian Art News and Art in America, essential reading to keep up with international art trends. 

In five easy steps, you, too, can make a difference to ongoing contemporary art education in Myanmar:

1. Choose a book or DVD that the artists themselves have requested.  (See below)   

2. Send an email to Gold Leaf letting us know which book or DVD you’ve chosen so that we can ensure no duplication among donors.             
                           
3. Place the order and purchase the item through the indicated online store.

4. Pay for the purchase via credit card, indicating shipping address directly to the American Center under protected APO post.  In the Gift section, cite the following:  For IRC – Gift for Friends of Myanmar Artists.

American Center
US Embassy, Rangoon
Box B, APO
APO AP 96546

5. When the American Center receives your donation, they will send an email letting you know that your donation has safely arrived and will be catalogued in the library under the Gold Leaf project along with your name.

It’s as simple as that.  If you have additional suggestions, or would like to purchase an item through your own channels, this is most welcome – just let Gold Leaf know.

Choose one or more books and/or DVD’s:

From www.amazon.com:

___      History of Art  by Anthony F. Janson  (6th ed., hardcover, $59.85)

___      History of Modern Art by H. H. Arnason & Peter Kalb (5th ed., paperback, $93.33)

___      A World History of Photography by Naomi Rosenblum (paperback, $45.00)

___      Great Artists: The Lives of 50 Painters Explored Through Their Work by
            Robert Cumming (hardcover, $15.75)

___      Art: The World’s Greatest Paintings Explored and Explained by Robert Cumming
           (hardcover, bought together with Great Artists, $33.07)

___      Performance:  Live Art since the ‘60’s by Roselee Goldberg
            (paperback, $23.07)

___      Performance Art: From Futurism to the Present by Roselee Goldberg
            (paperback, $11.53)

___      History of the Surrealist Movement by Gerard Durozoi (paperback, $42.95)

___      Andy Warhol: The Late Works by Jean-Hubert Martin (hardcover, $31.47)

___      Between Past and Future: New Photography and Video from China by Christopher Phillips
            (hardcover, $51.48)

___      Cy Twombly: Fifty Years of Work on Paper by Cy Twombly (hardcover, $47.25)

___      Donald Judd: The Early Works by Donald Judd (hardcover, $25.20)

___      Joseph Cornell:  Master of Dreams by Diane Waldman (hardcover, $28.35)

___      Joseph Cornell:  Shadowplay…Eternidy by Lynda Hartigan (hardcover, $37.80)

___      Picasso and Photography by Anne Baldassari (hardcover, $54.94)

___      The Impressionists – The Other French Revolution (DVD, $35.99)

___      Cezanne: Three Colours Cezanne (DVD, $22.99)

___      The Mystery of Picasso (DVD, $26.99)

___      Robert Rauschenberg – Man at Work (DVD, $22.99)

___      Francis Bacon (DVD, $22.99)

___      Artists of the 20th c series (DVD, $17.99 each)

___      Joan Miro –Constellations:  Color of Poetry (DVD, $21.99)

___      The Art of Mexico, Vol. 2:  The Painters (DVD, $17.99)

From the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC www.metmuseum.org/store

___      Masterworks from the Collection (CD-ROM, $39.95)

___      Treasures of the Metropolitan on DVD ($24.95)

___      The Discoveries Series: Van Gogh, Picasso, Gauguin, Degas, Renoir ($12.95 each)