Ban Kut Na Kham Arts and Crafts Centre

Ban Kut Na Kham Arts and Crafts Centre is a working craft village in Charoen Sin district, about 112 km from Sakon Nakhon city, where local artisans still practise the pottery, silk weaving, and wood carving that Queen Sirikit established here in 1983. Entry is free, open daily 08:00-16:30.

The centre began as a response to a practical problem rather than a tourism plan. Ban Kut Na Kham flooded every rainy season and turned dry and unworkable every summer, so farming here was unreliable. On a visit to the village, Queen Sirikit backed a reforestation project to stabilise the water table, then set up a SUPPORT Foundation arts and crafts centre alongside it — giving villagers a steadier income from craft skills rather than only farming. It’s been running since 1 May 1983, on land donated for the purpose.

Pottery is the centrepiece of a visit today. Artisans shape local red clay, sourced from the Kut Na Kham area itself, into ceramic cups, figurines, and decorative pieces, largely terracotta — the craft the centre is now best known for. The silk-weaving workshop produces cloth in traditional Isan patterns on hand looms, and wood carvers work nearby, finishing pieces that draw on regional design motifs. Visitors can watch each stage of production up close, and some visits can be arranged in advance to try the potter’s wheel with guidance from the resident craftspeople.

Everything made at the centre is sold on site, so buying here means paying the artisan directly rather than a middleman — worth knowing if supporting the craft itself matters as much as the souvenir. The pace is unhurried; this is a functioning workshop and community, not a staged demonstration for tour groups, so what you see depends on which crafts are in production that day.

Insider Tip: Call ahead (0 4270 9162) if you want to try the potter’s wheel yourself — it isn’t guaranteed on a walk-in visit, and staff need notice to set aside time and materials.

Watch out: This is a rural site with no public transport link — the 90-minute-to-two-hour drive from Sakon Nakhon on secondary roads is the only realistic way in, so budget the return trip as part of the day rather than a quick detour.

For other craft and culture stops around Sakon Nakhon, the Sakon Nakhon Cultural Centre and the Thai-So Cultural Centre both cover regional Isan traditions closer to the city.