Seth Globepainter Unveils The Tree of Books at Ma Led Phan Library, Nong Khiaw, Laos
Seth Globepainter Tree of Books is a newly completed mural at the Ma Led Phan Library in Nong Khiaw, Laos, created within the elementary school and supported by the non-profit NK Seeds association. The work brings together art, education, and community, centring on the transformative power of reading for children.
The Meaning Behind Seth Globepainter’s Tree of Books
Dedicated to improving the lives of underprivileged children in Laos, NK Seeds supports access to education through sponsorship programs, free English and French classes, and essential services including clean drinking water and medical care.
Seth Globepainter painting a new mural, The Tree of Books, at the Ma Led Phan Library, located within the elementary school of Nong Khiaw. Image Seth Globepainter
The Tree of Books depicts a child deeply immersed in reading, rendered at an intimate yet monumental scale. Positioned beside the mural, real children reading within the space become part of the composition itself, blurring the boundary between art and everyday life. The mural reflects the core mission of the Ma Led Phan Library: to nurture imagination, learning, and openness to the world.
Seth Globepainter completed a new mural, The Tree of Books, at the Ma Led Phan Library, located within the elementary school of Nong Khiaw. Image Seth Globepainter.
The library serves as a vital educational and cultural hub in Nong Khiaw, offering free English courses and extracurricular activities that extend beyond the traditional classroom. In this context, Seth’s mural functions as an extension of the library’s purpose, affirming the idea that a library is a temple of knowledge, opening windows to the world.
Through its imagery and setting, the Seth Globepainter Tree of Books mural reflects the shared values of imagination, learning, and collective care.
Seth Globepainter completed a new mural, The Tree of Books, at the Ma Led Phan Library, located within the elementary school of Nong Khiaw. Image Seth Globepainter.
Each book, like each branch of the painted tree, represents a pathway: to inspiration, to travel through ideas, and to the expansion of imagination. The work was created during an afternoon spent with local children and accompanied by a collaborative drawing and painting workshop on the library wall.
The work was created during an afternoon spent with local children and accompanied by a collaborative drawing and painting workshop on the library wall. Image Seth Globepainter.
Through direct engagement with the children, the mural emerged as a shared act of creation, one rooted in community, curiosity, and care.
The work was created during an afternoon spent with local children and accompanied by a collaborative drawing and painting workshop on the library wall. Image Seth Globepainter.
The Tree of Books now stands as a lasting symbol of the transformative power of reading, education, and art, growing quietly alongside the young readers of Nong Khiaw.
Seth Globepainter completed a new mural, The Tree of Books, at the Ma Led Phan Library, located within the elementary school of Nong Khiaw. Image Seth Globepainter.
The artist, Seth Globepainter, credits and acknowledges @marthacoopergram for the magical memories, @melissalansmant and @alisaphommahaxay for project coordination, the entire @nkseeds team, and the children who made this project possible. @Seth_globepainter
Published December 2026. Project completed in collaboration with the Ma Led Phan Library and NK Seeds.