SEAP launched its 70th anniversary celebrations with a kickoff in early September. The event drew 106 friends and colleagues, current and former staff, current students and alumni, that evening (or morning depending on where you were), tuning in from all over the U.S., as well as from the Philippines, Germany, Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Pakistan, Thailand, Canada, Japan, China, Australia, France, the UK, Korea, and Malaysia. If you were unable to attend, check out the video here!

This year's SEAP Bulletin is a special issue featuring a wealth of stories about the history of the program, including a reflection on the history of the Lauriston Sharp Prize.

The SEAP Photography Archive is also moving forward, having gathered several hundred photographs representing the intellectual and social life of SEAP across its history. Faculty, staff, alumni, and friends have sent in scans of images (and in some cases entire albums) of their time with SEAP, and we welcome further submissions here.

Two virtual exhibits exploring aspects of SEAP's history are also in progress.

"(Re)collecting: SEAP 70th Anniversary at the Johnson Museum" will use the collections at the Johnson Museum to foreground the materialities and histories of individual objects. The exhibit is scheduled to open in December 2020, with a second phase opening in Spring 2021. For the second phase, we welcome SEAP alumni and friends to share memories and stories that you may have about your engagements and encounters with objects from Southeast Asia in the Johnson collections. If you have stories to share, please do so here.

"Building a Collection: Giok Po Oey and the John M. Echols Collection" will explore the history of the Echols Collection and its first curator, Giok Po Oey. This exhibit is scheduled for Spring 2021, and also welcomes contributions from SEAP alumni, friends, and other scholars.