Mongolian President praises work of Arts Council of Mongolia

{mosimage}Mongolian President Enkhbayar met with representatives of the Arts Council of Mongolia on Wednesday. During the meeting, Arts Council head N. Jantsannorov noted that the Arts Council continues to promote the nation’s culture and art as well as preserve the cultural heritage of the Mongolian people.

Mongolian President Enkhbayar met with representatives of the Arts Council of Mongolia on Wednesday. During the meeting, Arts Council head N. Jantsannorov noted that the Arts Council continues to promote the nation’s culture and art as well as preserve the cultural heritage of the Mongolian people.

In December, the Arts Council of Mongolia will celebrate five years since its creation in 2002. Funded by the Soros Foundation, the Council has distributed over $207,000 USD to 84 Mongolian art organizations and 48 artists. Also, the Council will soon be opening art information centers in Aimags. Peter Morrow, Khan Bank Executive Director and Deputy Head of the Arts Council of Mongolia, spoke with the President about the Council’s project to create a database on monasteries and temples of Mongolia. The project is funded by a great variety of donors, both domestic and international, amongst others:  the U.S.

Embassy in Mongolia, the Khan Bank, and a range of private donors collected through the efforts of former Tibet Foundation representative Sue Byrne.  The data collecting phase of the project has already been concluded. Digital pictures of Mongolian monasteries and temples was stocked and information gathered on history and legends about the monasteries and temples. In the second phase the data will be entered in online database and made  available to the public. Also, archival and present-day information is being incorporated into the database, project consultant Guido Verboom noted. 

President Enkhbayar told the group that the independence of Mongolia is not only safeguarded by the state’s borders, but also is ensured by its national language, culture, and history. Praising the archival project, Mr. Enkhbayar recommended incorporating old pictures of monasteries along with new ones and including the registration of historical monuments concerning the history of Mongolian monasteries preserved abroad. These all will make a significant contribution to the cultural heritage of Mongolia, the President said.

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