Khoutavong Yongchaiyuth

Khoutavong Yongchaiyuth, traditional Lao ceremonial woodcarver, serves as the resident monk of the Wat Lao Ariyamettaram Laotian temple in Morris, rural northwestern Connecticut, having moved there from the temple in Danbury. Khout has been a monk since he was fourteen years old, and in the temple in Laos he learned woodcarving, sculpture, stonemasonry, and painting. He was brought to the U.S. in 1999, by the resident monk in Danbury to build decorative stone and woodwork, and he practices the same traditional crafts in Morris while he serves the New Britain and Hartford Laotian community. Khout was also invited to St. Petersburg, Florida to build a temple and carve several sculptures, which took him only a month. He would like to pass on his knowledge to Laotian Americans, and was a mentor to the young monks in the large community in western Rhode Island, in Year 18 (2015-2016) of the Southern New England Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program.