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The Arts
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SUPPORT
Handicrafts like silverware,
nielloware,
lacquerware, and mother-of-pearl inlay
were once produced only in artisans" homes. Today these traditional
skills, some of which are in danger of
disappearing, are being gradually
expanded to non-artisans, especially in
rural areas. A leading factor in this has
heen the Foundation for the Promotion
of Supplementary Occupations and
Related Techniques, popularly known as
SUPPORT, founded by Her Majesty Queen Sirikit to provide Thai farmers
with sufficient training to enable ihem
to turn out high-quality crafts and thus
earn extra income between crops or in
times of difficulty. SUPPORT has set up
numerous projects throughout the
country as well as retail outlets, and the
Queen has personally undertaken
several trips abroad to promote the
handicrafts on the world market.
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A multi-headed serpent adorns a musical instrument
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Another stimulus came in 1988-89,
which was designated as Thai Arts and
Crafts Year, when 104 projects were set
up to promote and market handicrafts
by the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
In this way. many of Thailand's most
treasured traditional crafts have been
revived and are now finding new
admirers outside the country.
In 1992. to mark the auspicious
occasion of Her Majesty the Queen's
60th birthday, the SUPPORT Museum
was opened in the Aphisek Dusit Pavilion in Dusit Palace,
Bangkok. The main
collections in the museum include
masterpieces from the SUPPORT Foundation. It is open to the public daily.
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One of the high-quality crafts produced by the SUPPORT Foundation
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