River art for US-Thai friendship

The United States is celebrating the 190th anniversary of diplomatic ties with Thailand this year by holding a “Rivers of Life” art exhibition at Iconsiam until March 26. The event is being co-hosted by the US embassy, Iconsiam and Chiang Khong Community in Chiang Rai.

Lydia Barraza, the US embassy’s cultural attaché, told the Bangkok Post the embassy came up with an idea to promote people’s livelihoods along the Mississippi and Mekong rivers, as well as show the effects of development, and how the two countries are combatting and mitigating the effects of climate change.

“The Mississippi River is one of the lifeline rivers of the United States, and so too is the Mekong River for Thailand and other countries it passes through. The Mississippi River looks after our wheat and…