Creative Migration

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Creative Migration

Bringing together Cultural & Climate Diplomacy CREATIVE MIGRATION is a women-of-color-led, international arts organization based in Los Angeles and Bangkok.

Our mission is to bring together cultural and climate diplomacy with a special focus on collaborative community building through intersectional practices. Our programming is defined through three primary strands:
1. Artist Residencies & Creative Hubs
2. Site-specific Installations
3. Transmedia Projects

Creative Migration was founded in 2005 by our Executive Director Susannah Tantemsapya in California. She expanded operations to Thailand in 2018 to open our largest project to date, Bangkok 1899, a cultural & civic hub established through funding from The Rockefeller Foundation and the Ford Motor Company Fund. Since 2011, our nonprofit has employed environmentally regenerative practices throughout our projects and day-to-day operations. Throughout the years, we have accumulated knowledge and experience to create our organization-wide Climate Policy, which features guidelines and recommendations for all our operations. Creative Migration, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in the United States and Creative Migration (East) is a registered foundation in the Kingdom of Thailand.

09/26/2026

Lab XL: Care, Burnout, Access & Inclusion in the Cultural Sector
An industry-facing panel & Q&A

Cultural workers across the UK and Thailand are navigating burnout, overwork, and the pressure of juggling multiple jobs and roles, often without the infrastructure or recognition to sustain them. Too often, care is treated as optional rather than structural.

Join us for an embodied, conversational session that starts with a short yoga practice before opening into dialogue. Raidene Carter (Arts Admin) presents on care, burnout, access and inclusion using case studies from the Thai cultural and community sector — followed by open discussion and Q&A with Susannah Tantemsapya (Creative Migration), facilitators Nawarat “Nammon” Welployngam and Tharinee “Palm” Ratanasatien.

📅 Friday, October 9
🕑 14:00–17:00
📍 Bangkok 1899, Activity Room
🎟️ Free, open to the public
Register at this link to secure your spot: https://luma.com/lwp6lh1p

Part of Lab XL, a collaboration between Creative Migration/Bangkok 1899 and Artsadmin, supported by the British Council’s Connections Through Culture program.

09/04/2026

It’s a wrap on the first part of the Lab XL program in London! Susannah Tantemsapya (Creative Migration) travelled over to Artsadmin to co-host and participate in four Lab XL events: Webinar, Networking Lunch, Happy Hour with Kevin J. Patel and a Homework Club.

Lab XL is a producer exchange program by Creative Migration and Artsadmin, supported by the British Council’s Connections Through Culture grant. The exchange looks at leadership as stewardship through reflection and sustainability. The first part of the program took place in London and will wrap up in Bangkok in October 2026.

It was amazing to have conversations with new faces as well as reconnect with fellow culture & climate friends throughout our UK trip during London Climate Action Week . Susannah was warmly welcomed to Toynbee Studios, reconnected with Singh (Bangkok 1899 Artist-in-Residence), Tharinee “Palm” Ratanasatien, Nawarat “Nammon” Welployngam and James Olivo (Lab X artists) and Nassy Konan, reunited with Thiago Jesus from the G20 Culture & Climate Seminar and Nina Netuzhylova (Bangkok 1899 - Architecture consultant) , met the New Art Exchange team in Nottingham (BRIDGE partner), went to LCAW events and even visited Stonehenge during the Summer Solstice!

Thank you everyone for making this trip very colorful, and working through one of the hottest summers in London. More information and reflections on our Lab XL Part One experience coming soon!

09/01/2026

We are happy to announce our upcoming artists in residence at Bangkok 1899, The Association à la Recherche d’un Folklore Imaginaire (ARFI) (ARFI)!

ARFI is a collective of professional musicians based in Lyon since 1977; it represents one of the successful collectives of the European jazz scene. Around the Lyon Workshop, the Marvelous Band (the original ARFI formations) and the Marmite Infernale (its large orchestra), the repertoire of the collective evolve in a vast musical sphere. From contemporary jazz to improvised music, ARFI’s music speaks many languages: it is alive, erudite and popular, traditional and contemporary, inspired, playful and performed in all kinds of circumstances.

Over the past 10 years, ARFI has given an average of more than one hundred concerts per year, in France and abroad. The collective has also been involved in several creative residencies, numerous collaborations with other artists and regular projects for amateur musicians. More than 50 records have been recorded since the creation of the collective.

One of their flagship activities is the Vidéo-mallette. Drawing on documentary and ”collecting“ techniques, the Vidéo-mallette (Video-kit) focuses on the live, collaborative creation of image and sound, whether through a participatory process or as part of a performance. During the workshop, participants draw, paint and arrange photographs or various found objects (a practice known as ”collecting“), projecting them onto a screen and animating them in real time. These collected elements can also be used to ”augment“ an existing film by overlaying live images and drawings.

ARFI will reside at Bangkok 1899‘s Artist Residency by Creative Migration in September 2026, with programming at Bangkok 1899 and Alliance Française. This residency in collaboration with Alliance Française Bangkok.

Stay tuned for more announcements!

[TH in comments]

08/29/2026

Recapping a beautiful summer evening on July 23! To celebrate Deville Cohen’s (Deville Cohen) new installation K.I.S.S. (clockworks) at the new gallery, times (times.newyorkcity) hosted a conversation between Artists Commit (Artists Commit) members Deville Cohen, Robin F. Williams () and Jessica Gath (Jessica Gath) about their collective work on climate-conscious artists’ practices, including our Visual Arts PACT partnership. This talk was moderated by our Founder & Executive Director Susannah Tantemsapya.

K.I.S.S. (clockworks) is the latest in Deville’s Kinetic Independent Solar System series — solar-powered kinetic light sculptures that generate more energy than they use. This new site-specific sculpture puts that surplus to work: built-in USB and outlets turn the sculpture into a public power source, open for anyone at the venue to plug into. A single motor drives a web of timing belts, pulleys, arms and lights — mechanism laid bare, like clockwork — blurring the line between art object and infrastructure, sculpture and utility.

Grateful for the intergenerational crowd of artists, curators, practitioners, students and academics who came, including our fellow Visual Arts PACT partner org Art Switch (Art Switch Foundation)!

Special thanks to Summer and Francesca from times for supporting us throughout this event.

08/14/2026

A look back at Creative Migration Board Member, Dr. Piya Kerdlap, time in South Korea for the Jeju Forum! 🌴✨ It was incredible to connect with so many brilliant minds, listen to inspiring discussions and share ideas on global cooperation. Thank you to the organizers for inviting us to be part of such a meaningful dialogue.

07/25/2026

Amidst global dialogues on AI and energy security, Creative Migration brought a vital perspective to the stage, highlighting the crucial intersection of art, culture and ecology at the Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity 2026

Our board member, Dr. Piya Kerdlap, shared insights from Creative Migration and Bangkok 1899 at the panel “Global Co-creation: Artistic Response to Climate Emergency.” Piya addressed key systemic challenges, advocating for multi-year, unrestricted operational funding with strong governance and transparency and diversified earned income to keep grassroots spaces resilient. He also championed equitable artist mobility, calling for policy-level visa solutions for artists, true geographic reciprocity from funders, and residencies that prioritize rest and immersion over constant production pressure.

Thank you to UNESCO and the Jeju Provincial Government for designing a space to shape the future of culture and ecology.

📸 Photos by Jeju Forum

07/23/2026

We are proud to share that Creative Migration was invited to speak at the Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity. Our board member, Dr. Piya Kerdlap, represented Creative Migration at the panel “Global Co-creation: Artistic Response to Climate Emergency”.

The Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity was launched in 2001 as a platform for dialogue that shares visions for peace on the Korean Peninsula, in East Asia and around the world, while seeking creative solutions through international cooperation. The Jeju Forum has established itself over the past two decades as an international platform where global leaders and world-class experts discuss timely global issues and build diverse networks.

This year, the Jeju Forum focused on the theme: Reinventing Cooperation in a Fragmented World. We had a wonderful time listening to and participating in invigorating discussions on how to act collectively for more sustainable societies.

Thank you to the UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia for inviting Creative Migration to tell our story of Bangkok 1899 at the Jeju Forum and exchange experiences with other change-makers at the intersection of art and climate change!

07/22/2026

Reflections on Hull: Music Cities Convention Sound Diplomacy MUSIC CITIES EVENTS 🎵 Culture as the agent of change, that’s what revitalizes a city. Hull, East Yorkshire 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 is the case study.

Susannah Tantemsapya, Founder & Executive Director of Creative Migration, spent three days packed with brilliant music, cross-sectoral policy discussions and reuniting with some great people.

A few favorite moments:
✧ Speaking on “The Policy Remix” panel, proof that the best ideas show up when sectors stop talking past each other (more on that in an earlier post 👇)
✧ Facilitating a “Climate Emergency” Music City Lab 🌱
✧ Presenting one of the global Music Cities Awards at the gorgeous Hull Minster 🏆
✧ Susannah’s podcast interview with Drowned in Sound (Sean Adams) for Sound Diplomacy 🎙️
✧ Catching up with Patcharawee “Jay” Tunprawat () and the Thai delegation
✧ Reconnecting with Nina Netuzhylova, Bangkok 1899’s brilliant architectural consultant during the 2018-2019 renovations
✧ Live music showcases at “Hull of a Night” 🎶, including Hiedu Oraka (Chiedu Oraka), “The Black Yorkshireman,” a prominent UK rap and grime artist from the North Hull estate who’s supported Coldplay at Craven Park
✧ Meeting Jez Collins (Birmingham Music Archive)
✧ Reuniting with the wonderful Marta Pallarès ✨, who we brought to Thailand in 2024 for Creatives for Climate Action - Thailand (Creatives for Climate Action - Global)

Thank you Shain Shapiro, Jett Glozier and Marta Pallarès for having me at Hull Music Cities Convention.

07/11/2026

On June 11, our Founder & Executive Director Susannah Tantemsapya joined leaders from New Orleans, New South Wales, London and Africa at the Hull Music Cities Convention 2026 by Sound Diplomacy — one of the most important gatherings at the intersection of music, culture and urban policy. The convention brought together 400 delegates from over 20 countries to explore music as a tool for peace, recovery and sustainable urban development. The event's focus on cultural diplomacy and sustainability sits close to the heart of what we do at Creative Migration.

Susannah joined The Policy Remix: Bold Solutions for Resilient Music Cities, a panel that got real about the challenges cities face today (venue closures, artist displacement, shrinking cultural infrastructure) and the bold policy moves that are actually working. Alongside panelists Alice Glenn (New Orleans & Company), John Graham (Minister for Music, New South Wales), Yaw Owusu (Nothin But the Music) and Eddie Hatitye (Music In Africa Foundation) and moderated by Sean Adams, the conversation moved beyond theory into what it truly takes to protect and grow creative cities.

Susannah also had the honor of presenting an award at the evening's ceremony. Congratulations to all the nominees and winners! 🎉

Thank you to Sound Diplomacy for the invitation, especially Shain Shapiro, Jett Glozier, Azu Micò, Marta Pallarès and Cristina Peregrina.

06/04/2026

Save the date! Susannah Tantemsapya, Founder & Executive Director of Creative Migration / Bangkok 1899, is bringing her knowledge and experiences to the Hull Music Cities Convention 2026, organized by Sound Diplomacy ()!

Join her at ‘The Policy Remix: Bold Solutions for Resilient Music Cities All Over The World’ to explore how cities have used policy to solve real-world crises, moving beyond theory into action. Learn the "how" behind the wins and leave with a practical toolkit to rewrite the rules in your own backyard!

The Music Cities Convention is the world’s biggest and most important gathering focused on the importance of music in cities and places. This year, the city of Kingston upon Hull, UK, hosts a global cohort of music advocates from 30+ countries working at the forefront of music policy, including representatives from government, tourism, the night-time economy, development banks, city councils, artists, venue operators, creative entrepreneurs & more.

📌 The Policy Remix: Bold Solutions for Resilient Music Cities All Over The World
Location: Connexin Live Arena
Date & Time: Thursday June 11, 10:35 - 11:30 (GMT+1)
Buy your tickets: https://www.musiccitiesevents.com/hull

Address

Los Angeles, CA
90026

Telephone

+13239054426

Website

http://creativemigration.org/

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