Chiang Mai Creative City Initiative Wins Backing Of Thai Government

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Chiang Mai Creative City moves ahead

By Shana Kongmun

Governor M.L. Panadda Diskul is joined by U.S. Consul General Susan Stevenson,

Mayor Tussanai Buranupakorn and Rev. Dr. Pradit Takernrangsarit, President of

Payap University, Martin Venzky-Stalling and other CMCC committee members.

At a meeting held at Chiang Mai University on Friday, March 18, 2011 saw the Chiang Mai Creative City (CMCC) initiative receive the support of Chiang Mai Governor ML Panadda Diskul and the announcement that the Ministry of Culture supports Chiang Mai’s initiative to apply for UNESCO’s Creative City designation gave the burgeoning movement a good push forward.

The meeting, chaired by the CMCC Chair Asst. Prof. Dr. Nat Vorayut saw Mayor Tussanai Buranupakorn and U. S. Consul General Susan Stevenson join the panel with committee member Martin Venzky-Stalling and Rev. Dr. Pradit Takernrangsarit, President of Payap University.

In addition to the revelation that the Ministry of Culture supported a bid by Chiang Mai for a folk arts and crafts designation in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network was that they also plan to promote Pattaya in the field of Film and Phuket in Gastronomy.

The UNESCO Creative Cities Network was instituted in 2005 and now encompasses 25 cities in categories including, design, media arts, music, and literature in addition to film, gastronomy and folk arts. The program aims to celebrate and maintain cultural diversity by allowing cities to promote their local heritage in a sustainable way that focuses on not just their past but their way forward and to adapt and harness the proliferation of technology and social development to further a city’s product of excellence.

Dr. Nat Vorayut told the gathering that he felt the CMCC initiative could “create more opportunity for the people of Chiang Mai and make sure development is sustained and environmentally aware.”

Governor M.L. Panadda Diskul remarked that he had been following the proceedings of the CMCC with great interest and enthusiasm.

“The CMCC is an excellent initiative,” the Governor said, “economically, socially and culturally the increased branding of Chiang Mai would help all of us to attract more investment and development, create more jobs and opportunities for the citizens of Chiang Mai, development that is based on Chiang Mai’s strengths.”

He continued, “We will make it a core part of our strategy working with the Government in Bangkok to ask their full support. I look forward to working with the Mayor on this initiative.”

“This is particularly inspiring because it has been led by Chiang Mai University and others in the private sector and not by the government. There are already many relevant and ongoing projects; the Creative Lanna Economy Project, the Department of Intellectual Property’s Creative Economy project and the Mayor’s efforts to make Chiang Mai cleaner and greener.”

He noted, “Chiang Mai is a beautiful city with beautiful people, the Rose of the North it has been called, with a beautiful culture and rich history. I am convinced if we work together peacefully we can achieve great things.”

After a discussion by Martin Venzky-Stalling iterating the strengths and weaknesses of Chiang Mai, U.S. Consul General Susan Stevenson noted the U.S. has been a supportive force in the Creative Economy process, suggested that the Design category would allow Chiang Mai to grow and diversify and bring more diversity to the economy. Rev. Dr. Pradit felt that Chiang Mai should be more daring and try for Design.

Governor M.L. Panadda Diskul agreed however but felt that Chiang Mai should “focus on the things we can do for certain.” He suggested that Chiang Mai might find application for the Folk Arts category more successful and that achievement of the Folk Arts designation would see Design flow automatically.

Chiang Mai University’s Faculty of Art, Media and Technology has been advising the Ministry of Culture and will offer their research on the subject at the next month.

[chiangmaimail]2011-03-19[/chiangmaimail]

[TheFishman1]

Sounds like a good thing “Chiang Mai is a beautiful city with beautiful people, the Rose of the North In ever rose garden don't forget the thorns

[nikster]

The city of Chiang Mai gets my vote for creatively planting lamp posts, phone booths, traffic signs and all manner of other obstacles on the sidewalk, making it near-impassable. Don't even think about baby strollers or wheelchairs.

Not easy to come up with all these different things to put on the sidewalk!