Workshops
Metalsmithing in Chiang Mai, Thailand with Oops+
July 21 – 30, 2024
Reserve your spot now! Space is very limited for this exclusive trip.
REGISTRATION DEADLINE EXTENDED
JUNE 18, 2024!
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Focusing on filigree, metal-forming, chasing, and repoussé, this group of specialized workshops provides you the opportunity to learn from skilled traditional craftspeople in their home studios and Buddhist temples located in Thailand’s picturesque north. Thai craftspeople have perfected the art of silversmithing and metalwork over numerous generations, and our program connects you with living masters while exploring the history and heritage of these culturally and religiously important practices.
Our program begins with a three-day filigree workshop at Angsa Jewelry where we will learn the fine work of silver filigree while enjoying nearby accommodations in the rural charm at the base of Chiang Mai’s Doi Suthep Mountain.
We then move to a two-day workshop in Chiang Mai city’s Wualai neighborhood where we will learn metal raising with local silversmiths for which the area is famous. While raising our own traditional water vessels (salung), we will learn about the importance of metal forming to Thai Buddhist artistic and ceremonial life while staying close to Chiang Mai’s century-old walled city. We will then bring our hand-raised salung to the local Buddhist temple, Chiang Mai’s famous Wat Sri Suphan, also known as “The Silver Temple”. Wat Sri Suphan is decorated with intricately wrought metallic panels, and is the center of chasing and repoussé work in Chiang Mai. There we will engage in a three-day workshop learning this traditional craft to add ornament to our raised salung. Throughout this workshop we will learn about the history of Buddhist craft in Thailand while engaging in the life of this vibrant Buddhist temple, eating local food, touring the surrounding neighborhood, and taking advantage of everything Chiang Mai has to offer.
Please join us for this exciting and unique opportunity to learn and make with Thai traditional metalsmiths!
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Oops+ has designed this experience to provide all translation, accommodations, and cultural liaison services so that you can spend your time engaging with local craftsmen and communities.
At Oops+, we uncover the magic of Thailand's cultural tapestry and make it accessible to the global arena. Our offerings center around meaningful interactions with local people, craftspeople, artists, chefs, and designers. We providing travelers with unique opportunities to learn traditional crafts, witness cultural practices, and immerse themselves in the diverse heritage of the region. envisions a world where cultures and ways of life converge creatively so that traditional heritage flourishes in harmony with sustainable practices.
Oops+ was founded by Taweesak Molsawat, an artist, educator, cultural researcher, and advocate for cultural, social, and environmental causes. By collaborating with local artisans, working towards ecological conservation, and advocating for cultural creativity, Taweesak curates experiences that result in positive outcomes for host communities and the surrounding environment.
Taweesak's diverse background and deep-rooted connection to Thai culture serve as the driving force behind Oops+'s commitment to promoting cross-cultural exchange and diversity while fostering new forms of cultural creativity, and sustainability in craft, art, gastronomy, design and ways of life.
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Chiang Mai, often referred to as Thailand's "Rose of the North," is a captivating destination renowned for its rich cultural heritage and exceptional craftsmanship. Nestled in a natural wonderland with ethnic diversity, Chiang Mai is a place where history and modernity coexist harmoniously. This extraordinary 8-day workshop offers a unique opportunity to explore traditional jewelry and metalsmithing alongside local artisans in this cultural oasis.
Chiang Mai, which translates to "new city," has celebrated over 700 years of existence while retaining its historical charm. Founded by King Meng Rai the Great in 1296, it served as the capital of the Lanna Kingdom, playing a pivotal role in the development of Buddhism in northern Thailand. The city's historical and modern facets seamlessly blend within its ancient moat-encircled old city, preserving centuries-old stupas and temples alongside contemporary conveniences.
This workshop takes place in a UNESCO Creative City that is well-known for its craftsmanship and folk arts. Chiang Mai is widely regarded as the craft center of Thailand, offering a vast array of crafts, including silver jewelry, metalsmithing, silverware, embroidery, Thai silks, basketry, celadon pottery, furniture, lacquerware, woodcarvings, and parasols.
Chiang Mai boasts over 159 craft communities specializing in cultural crafts and folk arts such as Baan Wualai, known for its silver and metalworking with traditional Chasing and Repoussé; Muang Sart Luang Village, famous for mulberry paper and lanterns; Baan Tawai, a woodworking hub; and the Sri Pan Krua and Baan Nantaram communities, specializing in lacquerware; Baan Nong Khwai and Baan Kad, where silver filigree jewelry flourishing.
This exploration of Cultural and Craft Treasures of Jewelry and Metalsmithing embark on a remarkable cultural journey through the heart of Chiang Mai's craft communities, particularly in Baan Wualai and Baan Nong Khwai with traditional metalsmithing and Jewelry experiences. Each step reveals the treasures of a bygone era, enriching your understanding of local craft traditions that have embraced their heritage for generations. Allow the essence of these remarkable villages to captivate your heart as you engage, indulge, and marvel at the wonders that await you.
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We will always stay in at least 3-star hotels with private ensuite bathrooms in each room with hot showers and complimentary bottled water. All rooms will be equipped with air-conditioning and daily turndown service.
Once in Chiang Mai we take care of all travel logistics to cover our itinerary. While Craft Abroad does not arrange international travel to nor from Chiang Mai, we are more than happy to talk with you about good flight times and our preferred airlines. Furthermore, we are happy to talk about ideas for how and where you might want to travel before and after our time together, just get in touch!
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Private Room: $5,136 USD
For this price you get your own private room in each location.
Shared Room: $4,638 USD (per peson)
Traveling with a friend or partner? This price secures your double room in each hotel (can choose either shared bed or separate beds).
Payment Breakdown:
Registration Deposit:
$1000
The Registration Deposit reserves your spot on the trip.
Remaining Price After Deposit:
Private Room: $4,136
Shared Room: $3,638 (per person)This price includes all hotel accommodations, ground transportation, most meals, workshop fees and materials, and select excursions indicated in the full itinerary.
Detailed Itinerary*
Day 1
Arrive in Chiang Mai, Thailand. We meet you at the airport and bring you to the hotel nestled in the foothills of Doi Suthep Mountain. We will have a nice cold beverage for you, and give you time to rest up after your long journey. Will will have dinner together at the hotel and get to know one another and go over some important information for the adventure that awaits us.
Day 2
After a restful night and nourishing breakfast at our hotel, we will begin our Filigree workshop at Angsa Jewelry Studio. Here we will meet our teachers and learn a bit about the history of Thai filigree work. Then you will dive right in, starting with your filigree designs under the direction of our skilled teachers.
We will have a locally-prepared lunch at the studio, and spend the afternoon primarily on wire preparation: melting silver, drawing down wire, twisting and braiding—everything you will need for your filigree designs.
For dinner we will head out to an open-air food market to sample the good, fresh, and clean food that Chiang Mai is famous for!
Day 3
For those who wake up early we will have a walk around the area, with the opportunity to try some early-morning delicacies and breakfast at the hotel. Then we’re off to the studio where we will start learning a traditional process for making our own solder. The rest of the morning will be spent annealing, forming, and bending wire for your filigree designs.
After lunch you will place your filigree units into their outer frame, and then solder into place. After an afternoon coffee break, those who are interested will be able to walk to a nearby Buddhist temple, Wat Pa Doi, to experience firsthand the art, culture, and rhythms of Buddhism in Thailand. We will finish the day with dinner at a local restaurant.
Day 4
This is our final day of the filigree workshop. After breakfast at the hotel, you will spend your time soldering, fabricating, polishing, and finishing your custom filigree jewelry piece in the studio.
After lunch we will have a closing session with our teachers at Angsa Jewelry, then return to the hotel to prepare our things to transfer to our new hotel in the city.
By the evening we will be in our new hotel in Chiang Mai’s Wualai neighborhood, the traditional area for metalwork and silversmithing. Dinner will at a restaurant in our new urban setting.
Day 5
For early-risers we will have an excursion to Chiang Mai’s main market to see the hustle and bustle of a sunrise market chock-a-block with fresh vegetables and snacks. Then we will begin our “salung” (traditional water-vessel) forming workshop at Wualia. We will learn about the tradition of metal raising in Chiang Mai, and the connection between this craft community and their local Buddhist temples. We will visit the Buddhist temple Wat Muen San to see first-hand the metalwork this community produces as a form of religious practice. Then we will return to the studio to cut, anneal, and prepare the copper for our future salung vessels.
Lunch will be provided at the studio, and we will spend the afternoon watching forming demonstrations and beginning to raise our own vessels using traditional tools and techniques. For dinner we will explore the streets together to eat like the locals!
Day 6
After breakfast in the hotel, most of the day will be in the studio, raising our salung vessels and learning skills from the Wualai masters. This workday will be broken up with a lunch prepared by the community for us, and taken in the studio, as well as a coffee break with some northern Thai sweets. By the end of the day, participants will have a finished and polished copper vessel, ready to serve as the surface for chasing and repoussé ornament!
for Dinner we will venture to a local restaurant for more exciting culinary experiences.
Day 7
We will begin the day with a trip to Jing Jai Market, Chiang Mai’s premier craft marketplace featuring work from local artisans, great food, and even better locally-grown coffee.
After lunch we will head to the famous “Silver Temple” Wat Sri Suphan. This will begin the final workshop in our adventure, learning traditional chasing and repoussé techniques to finish-off our raised salung vessels. At Wat Sri Suphan, we will be honored with a welcoming ceremony from the temple’s head monk. here we will learn about northern Thai (Lanna) temple architecture and culture. Then we will begin designing and sketching for our pieces. Lastly, we will prepare the pitch needed for the chasing process.
Dinner will be on your own, and we suggest checking out the Wualia walking street where you can get great food and awesome handicrafts.
Day 8
After breakfast in the hotel we will head right to Wat Sri Suphan to get in the thick of our chasing and repoussé workshop. While finishing designs and pitch preparations we will get detailed demonstrations of every step by local masters. Before lunch you will transfer your design patterns to your raised copper salung vessels.
After lunch at the temple, we will begin hammering away, chasing and repoussé(ing) our designs on the outsides of our vessels. As you work you’ll be able to see how the grounds of a famous Buddhist temple operate, and the comings and goings of monks, worshipers, tourists, craftspeople, and everyday folks. It will be excellent!
For dinner you will be on your own, and we will encourage you and direct you towards some great spots in the city, such as the Thapae walking street and the Nimmanhaemin neighborhood.
Day 9
A hearty hotel breakfast prepares you for our last workshop day. You will spend your time finishing your chased salung, polishing, melting out the pitch, and soaking in all the richness and beauty of Wat Sri Suphan and the Wualai neighborhood. We will enjoy one final lunch provided by the good people of the Wualai neighborhood and then join in for a wrap-up session with your fellow craft adventurers. Then it’s off for a final party at a local BBQ joint. Then back to the hotel to prep for the rest of your journey, wherever that may be.
*This is a preliminary itinerary, subject to change based on weather, availability, and unfornseen events. In those cases comparable services will be substituted.
Day 10
After breakfast you will pack away your last bits of things, and then we will check out of the hotel and drop you at the Chiang Mai airport—saying farewells and thanks for a great adventure!
