COVID-19 Response: Crafts the Crafts Project

The project called Craft the Craft Project was an initiative which aims to develop creative skills for craft creators and entrepreneurs in Sukhothai to adopt and adapt their products to suit times of uncertainty during the COVID-19 pandemic which has significantly reduced the income generated by culturally-based tourism and the creative and craft sectors. This project was supported by the Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (Public organisation): DASTA Sukhothai (Area 4) and conducted by the Faculty of Architecture, Art and Design, Naresuan University. There were four main activities organised on the 11th April, 2021 for 30 crafts makers and entrepreneurs which are; 1) Training in creative skills, business model development and good practices in product design; especially when technology meets crafts in a digital market; 2) An interactive workshop was conducted by a group of experts to encourage all participants to reflect on their own craft-making motivation and to present key contents for their own unique work; 3) The top-ten crafts of excellence were awarded for further development based on selection criteria; and 4) These crafts awards were exhibited for public access. This project was successful in that it empowered local crafts creators and entrepreneurs to adapt their crafts and culturally-based products to suit the new normal market and bounce back better from the COVID-19 crisis which was also shared in a report of the UNESCO Creative Cities’ Response to COVID-19 as the Global Call 2021.