Ceramics Project
Ceramic Project,situated in Chulabhorn Pattana 2 Village, Tambon Khao Phra, Ampoe Phipun, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, was initiated by Professor Dr. H.R.H. Princess Chulabhorn, the President of Chulabhorn Research Institute.
A significant reason for the establishment of this project comes from main problem the Chulabhorn Pattana 2 Village was facing; that is, soil in the village is of sandy type, the result of previous mining activities, making it unsuitable for farming. Moreover, each household has been allotted only 400square meter for housing, and there is no farming land in the village area. From survey, it was found that there is a source of raw material in neaby area that can be used for making ceramic. H.R.H. Princess Chulabhorn has therefore initiated the Ceramic Project, with the objective to create jobs for villagers in Chulabhorn Pattana2 Village and nearby villages.
In 1993, a pottery group was formed, with majority of the members from Chulabhorn Pattana 2 Village. The members were sent to be trained at Bang Sai SUPPORT Training Center, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province. The training was divided in to six four-month course. The types of basic training consisted of free-from sculpting, clay stripping, and weaving clay strips into basket.
In 1995, the product was developed to include souvenirs and miniature vegetables and fruits. In 1996, a training course on drawing of motifs and coloring of bencharong (Thai Porcelain with designs in five colors, black, white, yellow, green, and red) was conducted. On 26 November 1997 the construction of the ceramic factory was completed. However, the project was still not in full operation since production line was not ready. It was necessary for the production to rely mainly on the machines from the former workshop, which were only small-scale machines.
At Present the products are made to order while some are sold at exhibitions, Royal Project Shop, Department of Export Promotion’s merchandise display areas, Bangkok International Airport, and at the factory in Chulabhorn Pattana 2 Village.
