Collaborators
Visible Ghosts of Isaan was generously supported by The US Fulbright Program, and in collaboration with 100+ community, academic, and advocacy partners to expand our collective knowledge, reach, and impact. I have witnessed how the cross-pollination of ideas among artists, public health researchers, and oral historians can unearth new findings in all three fields. Thank you to this core team, who have continuously showed up for me, helping my vision come to fruition.
-Praveena Fernes, Curator
Dr. Kanokwan Manorom has focused on participatory impact assessment, Mekong river basin and wetlands environmental health, and indigenous knowledge on sustainable resource governance for over two decades. As the Director of the Mekong Sub-region Social Research Center at Ubon Ratchathani University, her broad network of researchers and activists was crucial for us to partner with organizations working to improve the health of rights-holders and their ecosystems.
Atchara Simlee is a lecturer of English at the Faculty of Liberal Arts, Ubon Ratchathani University (UBU). She completed her bachelor’s degree in English and Communication at UBU and holds a Master’s in teaching English as a foreign language from Thammasat University. Her research interests are in language education and sociolinguistics. Atchara served as the lead translator and cultural liaison for Visible Ghosts; she accompanied all research walks and community interactions.
Dr. Prajak Supantee is an artist and professor of contemporary art at Khon Kaen University’s Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts. He provided Visible Ghosts with curatorial mentorship, connect us to local storytellers and artists, and expanded the viewership of the collection. He also managed 8 mixed media student artists who contributed original pieces for the in-person show in Khon Kaen.
Luke Duggleby is an award-winning British freelance photographer who has been based in Bangkok, Thailand for more than 15 years. Focusing on Asia, particularly Thailand, he has worked for some of the most globally respected media publications and NGO's producing documentary and portrait photography. When not on assignment, he works on his own projects that focus largely on human and environmental rights of communities and human rights defenders. He served as the lead photographer for Visible Ghosts’ object-based storytelling gallery.
Ann Banchoff is Director of Community Engagement for the Our Voice Initiative of the Stanford Prevention Research Center. She has worked extensively with migrants and other underserved populations in the California Bay Area and in Oaxaca, Mexico. Her background in public health, social work, and international human rights guided this community-academic partnership.
Dr. Abby C. King is a Professor of Health Research & Policy and Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine. Her current research focuses on expanding the reach and generalizability of evidence-based interventions through use of state-of-the-art communication technologies; community-based participatory research perspectives to address health disparities among disadvantaged populations; and policy-level approaches to health promotion. Dr. King is Faculty Director of the Our Voice Initiative at Stanford’s Prevention Research Center.
Camilla Fuller was working as a 2019-2020 Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Thailand when she got involved with Visible Ghosts during her internship month. As someone committed to helping people feel heard, Camilla was interested in co-curating as a way to expand her tools in this mission beyond the classroom setting. Camilla now seeks to integrate storytelling and art based activism into her life work.
John Mark Belardo is the Field Director for the CIEE Development and Globalization Program, coordinating logistics and community stays for study abroad students since 2006. John served as a key cultural liaison for Visible Ghosts, and originally connected Praveena to the Rasi Salai community as an ideal candidate for an Our Voice study.
Molly Marie Gurney is our in-house artist. She has experience researching grassroots environmental activism in Thailand, facilitating dialogues on climate change, and weaving together community, art, and social change. She is passionate about community organizing that advocates for structural change while uplifting communities and protecting the environment.