Chiang Mai Art Museums

Chiang Mai City Arts & Cultural Center - This fully modernised multimedia history and cultural education centre is in the very centre of the old city on Prapokklao Road between Rajdumnern Road and Rajwithee Road. If travelling by tuk-tuk or songthaew, it's easiest to ask for the "Three Kings Monument" (Saam Kasat); it's the large, elegant white building just behind the statue. Guides dressed in elegant traditional Thai clothing will usher you into an air-conditioned room to watch an English-subtitled orientation video about Chiang Mai and the north. Next, you will be pointed to a series of rooms documenting the region's history and culture in chronological order from the pre-Muang period (7,000-12,000 years ago) to the early river civilizations, to the early kings through the wars with the Burmese and the last dynasty, to the city today and its plans for the future. Other rooms are devoted to Buddhism and other regional beliefs, agricultural history, hill tribe peoples and other regional cultures, and a run-down of the royal dynasties. The exhibits consist of a smart visual mix of video, scale models, enlarged photos, wall murals and text in Thai and English.

The museum is open 8:30AM-5PM except Mondays. Admission is 90 baht. +66 53-217793

Chiang Mai National Museum Located along the SuperHighway, within walking distance of Wat Chet Yot which may usefully be visited on the same trip) Offers an insight into the history of Chiangmai. Tel. (053) 221308 09.00PM - 04.00PM Wednesday to Sunday Closed on : Monday, Tuesday and National Holidays. Admission Fee:20 Baht

Chiang Mai University Art Museum, corner of Suthep and Nimmanhaemin Roads, tel: 053-944833. Tue-Sun 9AM-5PM (free). There are exhibitions by undergraduates from the Fine Arts Department at Chiangmai University. These change often and the standard of work on display by the students is of a high standard. Each month there is usually at least one art exhibition featuring the works of artists from South East Asia. The museum also hosts musical concerts - often free - in the adjoining theatre. Within the same grounds there is a traditional Thai massage school which is associated with the university's Department of Physical Therapy. http://www.cmumuseum.org

Founded in 1965 as a result of a proposal by the noted anthropologist Prof. W.R. Geddes, who was doing research with the hilltribe peoples at the time, the Institute Museum offers exhibits concerning the lives and cultures of nine hilltribe peoples in Thailand: the Akha, Lahu, Lisu, Yao, Hmong, Karen, Lua, Khamu, and H'tin. Also included are a non-hilltribe ethnic minority, the Mlabri, associated by some with the 'spirit of the yellow leaves'. The Mlabri population has dwindled to only approximately 180 individuals at present. The daily lives of the various hilltribe peoples are illustrated through exhibits of photographs, agricultural implements, household utensils, artefacts associated with the various traditional religions, musical instruments, and ethnic costumes. Some exhibits include models dressed in complete traditional costumes depicting daily activities, such as a Hmong family having a meal or a Lisu man serenading his sweetheart. The Institute has established a new museum in a three-story pavilion located on the attractively landscaped grounds of Ratchamangkala Park (Suan Lor Gao) on Chotana Road, just a fifteen minute drive from the city center. At present the museum is open weekdays 9AM-4PM, with a slide and video show available daily 10AM-2PM. Special group tours at weekends are possible with advance notice.

For more information contact the Hilltribe Institute Museum, Chotana Road +66 53-210872 / +66 53-211933

Museum of World Insects and Natural Wonders
The museum has fascinating collection of domestic and foreign insects including animal fossils. It contains more than 400 species of the Thai mosquito, amongst many other interesting exhibits. It is located at 72 Nimmanhemin, Soi 13 (Sirimangkhlalachan Soi 3)

Tel. 0 5321 1891 Fax. 0 5321 6262
E-mail: insectsmuseum@hotmail.com
Entrance Fee, Thai: adult 250 baht, Child 150 Baht,
Foreigner: adult 300 Baht, Child 100 Baht Open Daily 09.00 a.m. to 04.00 p.m.

The temple museum, Wat Gate Museum features an eclectic collection of artifacts discovered from the attics and storerooms of the temple. One of the most interesting art objects is an old Siamese "White Elephant" flag and a collection of old phonographs going back more than 100 years to the western trading era in Chiang Mai. There are pictures of scenes from daily life in Chiang Mai including old riverboats, markets and even examples of criminal prosecution. It is possible to see what many of the town temples looked like after the Burmese occupation, when they were mostly abandoned, and before the modern influx of tourists resulted in their restoration. There are also displays of records and record players. The museum opens daily from 8.30 a.m. to 5.00 p.m.

We were impressed with the reception and the way the place is beautifully decorated. The quaint atmosphere from its previous role as a post offi ce still remains and for people who want to know about stamps this museum is surely the place to be. It shows both Thai and foreign stamps from the past to the present, and there is something for collectors too – there is also stamp for sale.

This year, the Thai post will release two different stamp collections for 2007. One is the carved fruit & vegetable collection and the other is the Red Cross. Get ready, collectors!

Office Hours: Tue-Sun 9.00am - 4.00pm The museum is closed on Mondays. The Chiang Mai Philatelic Museum 15 Praisanee Rd., T. Chang Moi, A. Muang,
Chiang Mai 50300 Tel. 66 5325 1200

Not much to offer, but those interested in the postal service of Thailand or stamps may find it of interest. Postal Museum, at Mae Ping Post Office, (1-2 km south of Wat Phra Singh). Tu-Sa 08:30-16:30 (free)