Andaman Art Museum

Krabi, Thailand is a place that's not lacking in culture, that's for sure. Just this past year the city held a Biennale hosting a citywide art exhibition from local and international artists alike.

Although the event has ended, more and more artwork keeps sprouting up everywhere like flowers in Springtime. A wonderful collection can be found in the Andaman Art Museum at Krabi's Andaman Cultural Center.

Located in the center of downtown, the Andaman Cultural Center plays host to Krabi's infamous Bead Muesum, but it is also home to one of the finer collections of homegrown art in the city. The exquisite art & sculpture gallery can be found under the newly renovated roofs of Krabi's very own Andaman Art Museum.

A majority of the paintings and sculptures have a very Thai-feel with subject matter focusing on nearby scenery and/or landmarks. There are some very unique and personal pieces as well, and enough variety to keep the visit from becoming monotonous.. which is great if, like me, you have young ones in tow.

What's also nice is that it is air-conditioned, which offered a welcome respite from the midday summer heat. The museum is comprised of a main three story section, and work was being done to expand a second and third exhibition area as well.

I have been here before, sans kids, and It was refreshing to see that they keep a healthy practice of keeping the museum fresh for return visitors by rotating new works in on a regular basis. They also frequently host temporary exhibitions, and during our latest visit they were in the process of clearing a room for a photography exhibition.

All in all, If you are looking for a short midday excursion to escape the heat and do something a bit different, I can recommend a visit to the free-to-enter Andaman Art Museum. It doesn't take much time to appreciate the work that the local artists have put up on display, and there is a small gift shop in the front. Plus it's attached to Krabi's Bead Museum which is also really cool! Two-for-one!