Since 1999, the Annual NAP Fair takes place off a main street outside the old city in Chiang Mai. Nimmanhaemin Road, Soi 1 is a charming lane lined with art galleries, home decor shops, clothing boutiques and the occasional cafe. The avenue itself is an intimate and fun social scene, whose smaller streets branch out lazily, flowering with all sorts of colorful little restaurants, bars, clubs, cafes, ice cream parlors, inns, and usually with a construction site or two anticipating the latest new establishment. One reaches all these places by bicycle, motorbike, or an easy stroll. Not coincidentally, Nimman. Ave. (as the name is abbreviated) is also the location of my apartment. Especially in the evening, the nearby fair is beautifully welcoming, warmly lit from above by large paper lanterns in the shape of toy elephants, giraffes, and birds. Just beneath them, a sweeping length of voluminous fabric decorates the night sky with a shallow swag. Walking through, visitors are met with delicious scents wafting from a fresh-flower trellis, soaps and sweets in equally pleasing presentation. Opening on the King's birthday, the fair engages people in the national holiday with wax candles distributed by brightly make-upped girls in traditional Thai costume.
Similarly garbed dancers perform in a makeshift theatre to a soundtrack of gamelan music, the brass orchestra of Southeast Asia. Though not without the ubiquitous presence of Elle: Decor and Martha Stewart: Thailand in stands for the distribution of these two widely known decoration and crafts magazines, the NAP fair focuses on local talent. Handmade, one of a kind and gorgeous or adorable works of art (as the case may be for the large number of toy dolls), all sit on display for ogling, photo-happy passersby and customers, including young metropolitan Bangkokians and their families who made the trek north for the NAP festival and to enjoy all Chiang Mai has to offer. During this special week artists, artisans, and shop owners crowd the street with temporary booths, where as usual a considerable outpouring of hilltribe fabrics unique to northern Thailand find their way. An insider now, I know these same brightly patterned cloths can be found most of the time and for cheaper prices in the smaller markets. I'm volunteering for Studio Naenna Textile Gallery for a few evenings of the fair. It's fun to chat with everyone and help guests try on our silk and cotton scarves. The temporary stands cozy up to the usual establishments, whose doors are swung open and welcoming everyone to have a peek at their wares. We invite people to take pictures of the displays and it's just like anywhere else where you see people taking silly pictures with cameras! I can't stop looking at everything and it's overwhelming! A scrumptuous bag of Irish baked goods here, a gingerly placed arrangement of handmade Japanese ceramics there, a sinfully soft handwoven cotton shawl to the left, a set of silk floor cushions to the right. I want to try everything. I fell in love with an acrylic based dyptich of a Wororot Market scene by a Thai artist. Too late though, since it sold at that point for 400,000 THB. Featuring contemporary genre scenes in cartoonish characters from the most typical "Thai" market I've been to in Chiang Mai. Sino-French pop and sharply contrasting Americana inspired sculpture and textiles are attractive now, especially quilts and floral patterns like multi-colored french toile. Though Thailand has gained a penchant for materialism especially in the abundance of fake couture, the NAP fair demonstrates how Chiang Mai fashion and creativity treads a line between brand names and homegrown crafts. The colors and lines are modern and there's a sense of humor in so much of the design- it's fresh! The global variety you can find in a city as laid back, unassuming, and neighborhoody as Chiang Mai is pleasing. There is something for everyone at NAP, which continues across the main street into an open parking lot called the Think Park, usually harbored by a single cafe. This week instead numerous food stalls hug an area of bistro tables and chairs shadowed by sunbrellas in the daylight and overlooked by a musical performance at night. Enjoy gelato, pizza, or a bowl of kow soi, the delicious northern Thai dish. Made with yellow curry, dry yellow noodles, and your choice of chicken, beef, pork, or tofu, one can add any combination of the following condiments at hand at all times; a squirt of lime, a dash of chili-pepper, and spoonfuls of hot pepper sauce, brown sugar, and fish oil. These are essential ingredients on the Thai dining table that I've come to take for granted. Definitely not on the menu at home!
In addition to the aforementioned arts and dishes, other things you won't find at most arts fairs but are here in Chiang Mai: A gallery of clever, elephant inspired caricatures and sculptures promoting elephant protection, hilltribe purses and bags with red pom poms and bright patterns, and contemporary paintings including anger-infused depictions of yellow shirts and red shirts representing the present political power struggle in Thailand and in Chiang Mai, referred to by some as "red-shirt country." These paintings play quite a different tone than the rest of the fair, and are surprising to me in a city where people are known to actively repress emotions of discontent most of the time. My favorite booth here isn't selling much, but is advertising educational programs instead. The Sangdee Art Gallery is a thriving community art space cum late-night live music and bar scene cum contemporary art gallery. Love it! Not too surprisingly, there is a Pennsylvania connection. ;) A Lancaster native is gallery director! And other members are bi-continental travelers from NYC too. Invited me to party the first night, drinks on the house!
My visit to the Bank of Thailand Coin & Textile Museum required a 15 minute trip north on the Chotana highway. I'm glad I took the plunge riding there on my newly rented motorbike. Inside are brightly lit displays in a pale hard wood interior and matching glass cases. Useful labels in Thai and in English in most places appear alongside well-placed arrangements of coins in piles like small treasure troves. Curator Khun Daeng introduced me to the history of the museum that Queen Sirikit opened in 2000. Celebrating the ten year anniversary, the museum presently showcases the best of its numismatic and textile collections. I'm sorry to say that I couldn't take any pictures inside this gorgeous little museum. The Director kindly introduced himself and invited me to future programs. 
Text panels clearly explain the relationship between currency, textiles, and clothing. Fabric was exchanged often in ancient barter systems, and was used through the early stages of the transition to real currency. With the introduction of the paper bill came new purses, wallets, pockets and new fashion trends to meet the needs of carrying a new form of currency. In the galleries, a few bright white mannequins artistically sculpted out of what looks like papier mache look great adorned with shimmering fabric. The Thai textiles are well-chosen to represent a good variety of forms, techniques and both secular and religious pieces. Clear textual information explains their significance in a straightforward manner. 
A rich variety of other Southeast Asian textiles is represented from the twentieth century and earlier, and I'll only name a few here: From Cambodia, fine silk ikat skirts of deep purple and warm gold colors laden with figural content. From Thailand, long rectangular blue and white religious banners called tungs, dominated by a geometric framework and woven for merit-making. From Burma, skirt cloths with the distinguishable swirling wavy pattern called luntaya achieng, native green and orange color combinations or pink and gold as British colonists preferred the latter-masterfully achieved by the hands of several weavers in a seven layer weave structure. From India, patola sari inspired brocades historically popular in Southeast Asian courts. Labels explain the motifs and pieces of costumes. Queen Sirikit's influence on fashion is outlined too; specifically, HRH lead a project to establish traditionally-inspired Thai costumes for special occasions. I'm looking for images now to illustrate the pieces of the museum, which will be a nice seguey into describing the main elements of native Thai costume within the early twentieth century. These days, it appears the average Thai incorporates one or two pieces of traditional pieces into their daily wear if at all, while others enjoy dressing entirely in Thai clothing. More to come on my visit! 
