Bangkok, Thailand – 12 January 2026: The Mithila Art Foundation’s International Mithila Museum in Janakpur has been awarded the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Award for Cultural Heritage Conservation in the category of Innovation in Heritage Interpretation.
The award, presented at a ceremony in Bangkok, recognised the museum’s innovative model of “living heritage presentation” — integrating active artist studios, open workshops, and community-led interpretation into the museum experience. The museum, which opened in 2024, is designed and operated primarily by the Mithila artist community itself, rather than by outside heritage professionals.
“What makes this museum exceptional is not its collection, but its life,” said the UNESCO jury citation. “It is a space where the heritage is not merely displayed, but actively made, taught, and lived.”
Executive Director Rajendra Prasad Singh received the award on behalf of the Foundation and the Mithila artist community. “This award belongs to every artist who has ever put brush to paper in this tradition,” he said. “It is their knowledge, their creativity, and their resilience that built this museum and earned this recognition.”