Somaiya Kala Vidya Class of 2021
PROJECT REPORT
January – 2021
“It is my father’s dream of doing natural dyeing that I want to carry forward” Sohail Junas Khatri Class of 2020
A Note on Names
A key goal of Somaiya Kala Vidya’s education for artisans’ programs is to bring visibility to unrecognized artisans. Our students and graduates, faculty and workshop participants are proud and happy to be recognized and have consented to have their names shared.
Somaiya Kala Vidya is an institution for traditional artisans of Kutch, India. Combining over fifty years' experience of Somaiya Vidyavihar University with fourteen years of design education for artisans, it offers sustained, coherent programs in design and business to provide effective, relevant, and practical education. SKV honors and incorporates existing traditions. Its advisors are Master Artisans. Its faculty are professional educators. SKV offers workshops to the world and courses in craft traditions taught by artisan designers. Artisan-to-Artisan Outreach programs and Co-Design Collaborations demonstrate the importance of education for artisans and generate motivation to build a movement of Design Craft.
EDUCATION FOR ARTISANS
DESIGN FOR ARTISANS COURSE 2019
Education for artisans is SKV's reason for being. This academic year started with two classes for the design course running simultaneously. The men’s class has ten students and the women’s class has seven students. The classes of 2020 began their design education journey with orientation workshops on 26th and 27th of December respectively.
Assignments – Keeping the Momentum Up
Considering the current pandemic situation, and the constraint that a design course could not be taught via online media. We decided this would be the apt time to motivate the students and introduce them to a new set of assignments that would lead to a final online exhibition for sales. The assignments were taken by Anahita Ginwala and Shwetha Shettar for the women’s class and Lokesh Ghai for the Men’s class. Two of the three faculty have already taken physical classes with the students making it easier for them to interact and receive feedback. The assignments were organized in the months of January – April. Our students were also affected by the second wave of pandemic that hit the country. We are slowly trying to restart the work and hope to host the exhibition soon.
SKV Advisors Meeting
SKV Advisors are eminent master artisans from each individual craft that is represented at SKV. We held an online Zoom meeting to update, take feedback/suggestions for the ongoing class. In the meeting it was decided to conceive another younger body of graduate advisors to assist in the functioning of the institute. These graduate advisors will also be trained to take up the role of advisors at a later stage as and when required.
SKV Graduate Advisors Meeting
SKV Graduate Advisors are graduates of the Somaiya Kala Vidya and are well versed with their own traditions and the nuances of design and the terminology used. The body was formed to assist the staff at SKV to advise on the course, admissions and on the current needs of the graduates. We held our first meeting amidst the second wave that hit the country to understand how the institute could help the graduates in any way possible. We hope that this body would grow and evolve to be a pillar of support for our future endeavors.
SKV – The Somaiya School Collaboration
SKV organized introduction to Bandhani workshops for the students of The Somaiya School. We did three workshops with an average class size of twenty each on the 14th, 16th and 20th of December. The workshops were well received and our permanent local faculty Mukhtarbhai really enjoyed them. We are working on building more such workshops for the students in other crafts. SKV administration is working on building a curriculum to offer as a source of sustainability for the organization, to generate revenue and help the graduates promote their work and generate income.
SKV Online Workshops
Somaiya Kala Vidya, an institute of education for artisans in the desert region of Kutch, India, offers One Day Workshops in various traditional crafts, focusing on the traditional essence and individual innovations of contemporary craft traditions of Kutch, for design and textile enthusiasts. The studios are all independently operated by master traditional artisans who have graduated from the design course. Due to COVID-19, we piloted the workshop online where we tried to cultivate a similar hand-on-experience for the participants. The workshops held scope for getting in-depth knowledge of Bandhani and Batik and covered various aspects like origin, community, survival, markets, and others.
The participants were provided with a list of materials that they sourced to try out Bandhani under the online guidance of the artisan designers. The workshop included 16 participants from around the country. After the success with the Pilot, we are hoping to do more such workshops with people across the world.
SKV – Internships and Volunteers
Somaiya kala Vidya opened to interns and volunteers this year. We hosted one intern from The Naropa Fellowship. Due to the pandemic situation the three-month internship happened remotely. Kinley Choden worked on two verticals, one was on how to build a better English-speaking curriculum for the artisans. She interacted with the current students and local faculty to understand the current challenges. The second vertical was to build a marketing plan for the sustainability courses offered by SKV. Kinley also shared our vision with the Royal Textile Museum in Bhutan. Post Pandemic we will be working on a collaboration for an outreach program with them in Bhutan.
SKV in the month of June launched a remote volunteering opportunity for students and interested participants to gain insights into the working of SKV. We got close to 12 applications out of whom we selected three applicants to work with. Through the volunteers we will be collating data around the current needs of the graduates and assist in any way possible.
INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
The construction of our new campus which began on the 3rd of February 2020 is taking shape. The first phase of the same is expected to complete in Mid-August 2021. The rest of the course for this class will restart in the new campus.
STAFF AND ALUMNI NEWS
SKV in association with Connect India – Hong Kong is organizing an online exhibition in the month of October – November. Thirteen of our Alumni participated in the collaboration making a sale of products worth
Adilbhai Khatri won the Next Gen Entrepreneur Award from AIACA New Delhi. Adilbhai Khatri and Pachanbhai Vankar will also be exhibiting in the upcoming International Folk Art Market from 7th of July to 11th of July in Santa Fe.
Since its inception, SKV has been raising awareness and value for artisans' traditional knowledge and skills by conducting workshops and courses taught by artisan designer faculty. In November 2017 SKV launched Open Studio Tours in Bhujodi and Ajrakhpur. Proceeds from both workshops and Open Studio tours support SKV programs, ensuring financial as well as cultural sustainability. The workshops, courses and open studio tours are cancelled/postponed until further notice amidst the current COVID-19 pandemic situation. The Online One Day Workshops are still running.
For more information contact kalavidya@somaiya.org.
SKV IN PRINT, OUTLOUD AND ONLINE
Browse the SKV website.
Learn more about our work on our facebookpage.
For a discussion on issues of art and artisan, follow Judy Frater's blog Find SKV on Instagram!
On 6 July 2018, SKV began a YouTube channel.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnbxdYIe8v36eDHqmdEiFsg/featured?view_as=subscriber
We have 9 videos on our channel, all providing important insights on craft in Kutch today. Please do look for updates on our convocation here.
SKV is on Trip Advisor, and our Open Studio Tours are the first and only Airbnb Experiencein Kutch!
DESIGN CRAFT Association
Design Craft Association was formed to foster a community of artisan designers and offer them a presence and a platform. It provides artisan designers with a great opportunity to present their brands, under their own labels.
SKV is working with Design Craft to build an online space for exhibition and sales for the graduates. This would assist them during the current pandemic as the avenues for sales has dwindled.
You can meet Design Craft artisans on the SKV website. We welcome you to log onto www.somaiya-kalavidya.org. Under Design Craft you will find a map, and a link Design Craft Members that will take you toprofiles of each artisan designer. We password-protected the profiles. You will have to register to view them, but it is an easy procedure.
SKV GOVERNING COUNCIL AND ADVISORS
SKV's Governing Council includes Shri Samir Somaiya, Amritaben Somaiya, Lt. Gen Jagbir Singh, Mitenbhai Sachade, Judy Frater, Anjana Somany, Lokesh Ghai, and Irfan Anwar Khatri.
The institute is also advised by a team of visionary Master Artisans, who guide us in honouring and nurturing textile traditions: Gulam Hussain Umar -bandhani artist, Bhuj; Ali Mohammed Isha -bandhani artist, Bhuj; Umar Farouk Khatri- bandhani artist, Bhadli; Dr. Ismail Mohammed Khatri – Ajrakh artist, Ajrakhpur; and Shyamji Vishramji Siju- weaver, Bhujodi.
THANKS TO GLOBAL GIVING!
On 13 March 2017 SKV posted a project on GlobalGiving. GlobalGiving makes donation easy. To kick off our project,
in March 2017 we met a challenge by raising US$ 6,563 from 43 donors. Today, 116 donors have raised $18,065—more than enough to fund an entire class of our sincere and talented artisan students. This greatly encourages Somaiya Kala Vidya and increases our visibility immensely.
Thank you, GlobalGiving.
LOOKING AHEAD
The classes of 2020-2021 will be resumed as soon as the situation eases down. We are planning to follow all safety protocols for as and when the institute resumes operations. Amidst the ongoing Pandemic, the artisan designers have shown great courage, grit, and determination, they have made us realize that the true test of an education is in times like this. During the second wave the artisan communities formed local action teams and pooled in resources to help each other out. The pandemic had been tough and a few of us lost someone very close to us. We hope to come out stronger together and provide an even better platform to educate artisans in the context that is necessary for them.
Keeping that in mind, the team at SKV is also planning a few workshops both for the alumni and the students, that would make them better prepared for situations in which we currently find us in. We hope for a better future but at the same time are preparing, planning for whatever the future has to offer.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.” Margaret Mead
Somaiya Kala Vidya Class of 2020
PROJECT REPORT
January – 2021
“This is the future of my home, my child and my life,” - Priyankaben, Student Class of 2020-2021
A Note on Names
A key goal of Somaiya Kala Vidya’s education for artisans’ programs is to bring visibility to unrecognized artisans. Our students and graduates, faculty and workshop participants are proud and happy to be recognized and have consented to have their names shared.
Somaiya Kala Vidya is an institution for traditional artisans of Kutch, India. Combining over fifty years' experience of Somaiya Vidyavihar University with fourteen years of design education for artisans, it offers sustained, coherent programs in design and business to provide effective, relevant and practical education. SKV honours and incorporates existing traditions. Its advisors are Master Artisans. Its faculty are professional educators. SKV offers workshops to the world and courses in craft traditions taught by artisan designers. Artisan-to-Artisan Outreach programs and Co-Design Collaborations demonstrate the importance of education for artisans and generate motivation to build a movement of Design Craft.
EDUCATION FOR ARTISANS
DESIGN FOR ARTISANS COURSE 2019
Education for artisans is SKV's reason for being. This academic year started with two classes for the design course running simultaneously. The men’s class has ten students and the women’s class has seven students. The classes of 2020 began their design education journey with orientation workshops on 26th and 27th of December respectively.
Photography and Videography Workshop
Considering the current pandemic situation, and the increase of influx in digital media, we decided this would be the apt time to educate and introduce our students to basics of photography and Videography. The workshop was taken by Anahita Ginwala for the women’s class and Lokesh Ghai for the Men’s class. Both the faculty have already taken physical classes with the students making it easier for them to interact and receive feedback. The workshop was organized in the months of August – September. The final videos were shared through our social media platforms. The students have also started their own social media accounts post the workshop and are using it not only to promote and share but also to connect to potential customers.
Governing Council Meeting
The Governing Council was revived on the 25th of November 2020. The meeting was very insightful and was attended by Samir S. Somaiya – in Chair, Judy Frater, Lokesh Ghai, Amrita S. Somaiya Lt. Gen. Jagbir Singh, Nishit Sangomla, Miten Sachade, Anjana Somany Dr Rajasekharan Pillai, Faraz Kagalwalla. In the meeting considering the current circumstances, it was decided to postpone the physical classes until vaccination was available for COVID-19 or until May 2020 when our new campus with better facilities and amenities would be ready. This would give the SKV ample space and resources to follow COVID guidelines for the restart of the physical sessions.
Keeping the Momentum up
A new set of assignments leading to a final online exhibition organized by Somaiya KalaVidya, for the students were conceived. For the women’s class, Anahita Ginwala and Shwetha Shettar would be taking the sessions and for the Men’s class, Lokesh Ghai would be taking the sessions. The assignments for the women’s class began on the 23rd of December 2020 and for the Men’s class would begin on the 9th of January 2021. We will update the same in our next report. Keep watching this space for some exciting developments
IKSULA-ETSY Partnership and Workshop for Alumni
Somaiya Kala Vidya collaborated with IKSULA partners from Etsy to do a workshop for assisting the artisans to understand online platforms available for sales. The curriculum covered the basics of online selling to supply chain management and shipping. The IKSULA team also assisted the interested participants with onboarding on Etsy.com. Twenty-five of our graduates were interested in the project and we did the workshop with ten selected Alumni as a pilot. It was a very enriching experience for the Alumni and for the team.
INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
The construction of our new campus which began on the 3rd of February 2020 is taking shape. The first phase of the same is to expected to complete in mid-may 2021. The rest of the course for this class will restart on the new campus.
STAFF AND ALUMNI NEWS
SKV in association with the Inner Wheel Club of Women – Bombay participated in an online exhibition in the month of November. Seven of our Alumni participated in the event generating sales of INR 49,450/-. Artisan First online exhibition garnered good support and also helped us getting sales close to INR 50,000/-.
Divyashree Dubey who joined us on the first of March 2020 as the program coordinator resigned on the first of October 2020 to pursue higher studies. Avantika Gandhi has joined in her place from the first of November 2020. Avantika is a graduate of the Indian Institute of Craft and Design Jaipur and is an SBI YFI Fellow 2019-2020.
Since its inception, SKV has been raising awareness and value for artisans' traditional knowledge and skills by conducting workshops and courses taught by artisan designer faculty. In November 2017 SKV launched Open Studio Tours in Bhujodi and Ajrakhpur. Proceeds from both workshops and Open Studio tours support SKV programs, insuring financial as well as cultural sustainability. The workshops, courses and open studio tours are cancelled/postponed until further notice amidst the current COVID-19 pandemic situation.
For more information contact kalavidya@somaiya.org.
SKV IN PRINT, OUTLOUD AND ONLINE
Browse the SKV website.
Learn more about our work on our facebook page.
For a discussion on issues of art and artisan, follow Judy Frater's blog Find SKV on Instagram!
On 6 July 2018, SKV began a YouTube channel.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnbxdYIe8v36eDHqmdEiFsg/featured?view_as=subscriber
We have 9 videos on our channel, all providing important insights on craft in Kutch today. Please do look for updates on our convocation here.
SKV is on Trip Advisor, and our Open Studio Tours are the first and only Airbnb Experiencein Kutch!
DESIGN CRAFT Association
Design Craft Association was formed to foster a community of artisan designers and offer them a presence and a platform. It provides artisan designers with a great opportunity to present their brands, under their own labels.
You can meet Design Craft artisans on the SKV website. We welcome you to log onto www.somaiya-kalavidya.org. Under Design Craft you will find a map and a link Design Craft Members that will take you toprofiles of each artisan designer. We password-protected the profiles. You will have to register to view them, but it is an easy procedure.
SKV GOVERNING COUNCIL AND ADVISORS
SKV's Governing Council includes Shri Samir Somaiya, Amritaben Somaiya, Lt. Gen Jagbir Singh, Mitenbhai Sachade, Judy Frater, Anjana Somany, Lokesh Ghai, and Irfan Anwar Khatri.
The institute is also advised by a team of visionary Master Artisans, who guide us in honouring and nurturing textile traditions: Gulam Hussain Umar -bandhani artist, Bhuj; Ali Mohammed Isha -bandhani artist, Bhuj; Umar Farouk Khatri- bandhani artist, Bhadli; Dr Ismail Mohammed Khatri – Ajrakh artist, Ajrakhpur; and Shyamji Vishramji Siju- weaver, Bhujodi.
THANKS TO GLOBAL GIVING!
On 13 March 2017 SKV posted a project on GlobalGiving. GlobalGiving makes donation easy. To kick off our project, in March 2017 we met a challenge by raising US$ 6,563 from 43 donors. Today, 116 donors have raised $17,985—more than enough to fund an entire class of our sincere and talented artisan students. This greatly encourages Somaiya Kala Vidya and increases our visibility immensely.
Thank you, GlobalGiving.
LOOKING AHEAD
The classes of 2020-2021 will be resumed as soon as the situation eases down. We are planning to follow all safety protocols for as and when the institute resumes operations. Amidst the ongoing Pandemic, the artisan designers have shown great courage, grit, and determination, they have made us realize that the true test of an education is in times like this. Many of the graduates supported their staff throughout the pandemic both emotionally and financially. They used the time to get back to the drawing board, analyze the situation and make plans and designs for the difficult days ahead.
Keeping that in mind, the team at SKV is also planning a few workshops both for the alumni and the students, that would make them better prepared for situations in which we currently find us in. We hope for a better future but at the same time are preparing, planning for whatever the future has to offer.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.” Margaret Mead
Somaiya Kala Vidya Class of 2020
PROJECT REPORT
17 March 2019- 16 June 2020
“It is my father’s dream of doing natural dyeing that I want to carry forward” Sohail Junas Khatri Class of 2020
A Note on Names
A key goal of Somaiya Kala Vidya’s education for artisans’ programs is to bring visibility to unrecognized artisans. Our students and graduates, faculty and workshop participants are proud and happy to be recognized and have consented to have their names shared.
Somaiya Kala Vidya is an institution for traditional artisans of Kutch, India. Combining over fifty years' experience of Somaiya Vidyavihar University with fourteen years of design education for artisans, it offers sustained, coherent programs in design and business to provide effective, relevant and practical education. SKV honours and incorporates existing traditions. Its advisors are Master Artisans. Its faculty are professional educators. SKV offers workshops to the world and courses in craft traditions taught by artisan designers. Artisan-to-Artisan Outreach programs and Co-Design Collaborations demonstrate the importance of education for artisans and generate motivation to build a movement of Design Craft.
EDUCATION FOR ARTISANS
DESIGN FOR ARTISANS COURSE 2019
Education for artisans is SKV's reason for being. This academic year started with two classes for the design course running simultaneously. The men’s class has ten students and the women’s class has seven students. The classes of 2020 began their design education journey with orientation workshops on 26th and 27th of December respectively.
Course 3- Market Orientation
Anahita Ginwala completed her course for the women’s class on 21st of March 2020. After learning how they can vary their work, the students will learn why? For whom? The centrepiece of the course is a three-day field trip to Ahmedabad city to visit a range of shops and craft lovers’ homes. They will then learn to analyze their observations and think about cost and perceived value. To orient the class, the respective faculty had them cook a meal for themselves, and the staff. They then had to cost the meal- including the huge number of leftovers. Thinking of planning and costing for other than their livelihood work enabled them to easily understand how they might have streamlined the task.
The women’s class visited different marketplaces during their field visit in Ahmedabad. They visited houses of potential customers, showed their work and understood the tastes and interests of their final customer.
The final presentation was an enriching session, each student shared her story, her understanding of the market and where she would like her designs to be exhibited for sale.
Fibres and Structures Workshop
A workshop on fibres and structure was conducted by MS University Baroda, faculty member Arpitaben on the 7th of March. The workshop gave the students a brief idea of the difference between fibres and how to identify them using a microscope and burn test. For most of them, it was the first time to look through a microscope and see the fibres they work with every day at close distance.
Keeping the momentum going amidst COVID-19 pandemic
The classes were suspended until further notice amidst the current COVID-19 pandemic situation. When educational institutes around the world went online amidst the current pandemic, we did not want to do so. The craft was and is very personal and so is education, our students give one year of their valuable time to learn, gain knowledge, and grow. We wish to provide them with the same, in the contextual setting comfortable to them. SKV was able to afford to postpone the classes while adjusting the academic calendar for future academic years.
Having said that, we also did not want to lose the momentum by the students for the course. The SKV faculty who had already taught in the past sessions came up with assignments that the students could do at home and share via WhatsApp (every student has access to it).
The response has been good, considering it was the first time for both the faculty and the students. We are exploring options to build on the response and keep the momentum going. The men’s class managed to do a presentation of their market orientation class via Zoom.
OUTREACH -KUTCH TO KUMAON AND BHUJODI TO BAGALKOT
Somaiya Kala Vidya Artisan-to-Artisan outreach programs share the benefits of artisan education. Artisan Designer graduates work with artisans in less exposed areas- as a kick-start to demonstrate that innovation in traditions and design education is beneficial.
Our Outreach project Kutch to Kumaon with our partner NGO Avani began on 12th of March 2020 and ended on 20th March 2020. This was the first course in the design program for the artisan students of Avani. Rajeshbhai and Pachanbhai were the artisan designer mentors and LOkesh Ghai was the faculty moderating and assisting the group. Six women artisans took the course, we eagerly await to see the outcome of the project through their designs and products.
The planning for our flagship Outreach project Bhujodi to Bagalkot was cancelled amidst the current COVID-19 pandemic situation.
INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
The construction of our new campus which started on 3rd February 2020 was stalled amidst the nationwide lockdown in India. As the restrictions eased down, the construction has restarted keeping in mind the social distancing and hygiene rules. We hope to start our next academic year from the new campus.
STAFF AND ALUMNI NEWS
SKV did a webinar on 14th of May 2020 to put forth thoughts, ideas, and the condition of artisan designers in the time of COVID-19. The webinar was organized by Baya Design in association with “A hand for handmade” group. Adilbhai – Bandhani artisan designer, Prakashbhai – Weaver artisan designer, Irfanbhai – Ajrakh artisan designer, Mukhtarbhai – Bandhani artisan designer were the speakers and Nishit Sangomla – Director Somaiya Kala Vidya, Judy Frater – Ashoka Fellow and Co-Founder Somaiya Kala Vidya, and Shibani Jain - founder and CEO of Baya design were the moderators. The webinar was fruitful and attracted 400 registrations from across the world.
International Folk-art market auctioned a piece each of Pachanbhai and Adilbhai, both garnered support and appreciation from the audience. Pachanbhai’s stole inspired by the climate change was sold at $1200 and the stole by Adilbhai was sold at $360.
SKV in association with Bougainvillea gallery, Ahmedabad and Gormei.com is planning an online exhibition on the 27th of June 2020 under the banner Artisan First. Five artisan designers will be exhibiting their exclusive collections and designs online until the 14th of July 2020. SKV has also started promotions for individual artisan designers through our social media channels to connect them directly to the customer.
SKV WORKSHOPS, COURSES,
--AND NOW OPEN STUDIO TOURS TO THE WORLD
Since its inception, SKV has been raising awareness and value for artisans' traditional knowledge and skills by conducting workshops and courses taught by artisan designer faculty. In November 2017 SKV launched Open Studio Tours in Bhujodi and Ajrakhpur. Proceeds from both workshops and Open Studio tours support SKV programs, insuring financial as well as cultural sustainability. The workshops, courses and open studio tours are cancelled/postponed until further notice amidst the current COVID-19 pandemic situation.
For more information contact kalavidya@somaiya.org.
SKV IN PRINT, OUTLOUD AND ONLINE
Browse the SKV website.
Learn more about our work on our facebook page.
For a discussion on issues of art and artisan, follow Judy Frater's blog
Find SKV on Instagram!
On 6 July 2018, SKV began a YouTube channel.https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnbxdYIe8v36eDHqmdEiFsg/featured?view_as=subscriber
We have 10 videos on our channel, all providing important insights on craft in Kutch today. Please do look for updates on our convocation here.
SKV is on Trip Advisor, and our Open Studio Tours are the first and only Airbnb Experience in Kutch!
DESIGN CRAFT Association
Design Craft Association was formed to foster a community of artisan designers and offer them a presence and a platform. It provides artisan designers with a great opportunity to present their brands, under their own labels.
You can meet Design Craft artisans on the SKV website. We welcome you to log onto www.somaiya-kalavidya.org. Under Design Craft you will find a map and a link Design Craft Members that will take you to profiles of each artisan designer. We password-protected the profiles. You will have to register to view them, but it is an easy procedure.
SKV GOVERNING COUNCIL AND ADVISORS
SKV's Governing Council includes Shri Samir Somaiya, Amritaben Somaiya, Lt. Gen Jagbir Singh, Mitenbhai Sachade, Judy Frater, Anjana Somany, Lokesh Ghai, and Irfan Anwar Khatri.
The institute is also advised by a team of visionary Master Artisans, who guide us in honouring and nurturing textile traditions: Gulam Hussain Umar -bandhani artist, Bhuj; Ali Mohammed Isha -bandhani artist, Bhuj; Umar Farouk Khatri- bandhani artist, Bhadli; Dr Ismail Mohammed Khatri – Ajrakh artist, Ajrakhpur; and Shyamji Vishramji Siju- weaver, Bhujodi.
THANKS TO GLOBAL GIVING!
On 13 March 2017 SKV posted a project on GlobalGiving. GlobalGiving makes donation easy. To kick off our project, in March 2017 we met a challenge by raising US$ 6,563 from 43 donors. Today, 116 donors have raised $17,435—more than enough to fund an entire class of our sincere and talented artisan students. This greatly encourages Somaiya Kala Vidya and increases our visibility immensely. During the period December 2019 – March 2020, our project raised $1720- enough for us to support scholarships for two students.
Thank you, GlobalGiving!
LOOKING AHEAD
The classes of 2020 will be resumed as soon as the situation eases down. We are planning to follow all safety protocols for as and when the institute resumes operations. Amidst the ongoing Pandemic, the artisan designers have shown great courage, grit, and determination, they have made us realize that the true test of an education is in times like this. Many of the graduates supported their staff throughout the pandemic both emotionally and financially. They used the time to get back to the drawing board, analyze the situation and make plans and designs for the difficult days ahead.
Keeping that in mind, the team at SKV is also planning a few workshops both for the alumni and the students, that would make them better prepared for situations in which we currently find us in. We hope for a better future but at the same time are preparing, planning for whatever the future has to offer.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.”~Margaret Mead
Links:
PROJECT REPORT
18 December 2019- 16 March 2020
“The only dream I have is to promote the art of weaving” ~Ramesh Parbhat Mangariya, SKV class of 2020
ABOUT
Somaiya Kala Vidya is an institution for traditional artisans of Kutch, India. Combining over fifty years' experience of Somaiya Vidyavihar University with fourteen years of design education for artisans, it offers sustained, coherent programs in design and business to provide effective, relevant and practical education. SKV honors and incorporates existing traditions. Its advisors are Master Artisans. Its faculty are professional educators. SKV offers workshops to the world and courses in craft traditions taught by artisan designers. Artisan-to-Artisan Outreach programs and Co-Design Collaborations demonstrate the importance of education for artisans and generate motivation to build a movement of Design Craft.
EDUCATION FOR ARTISANS
DESIGN FOR ARTISANS COURSE 2019
Education for artisans is SKV's reason for being. This academic year started with two classes for the design course running simultaneously. The men’s class has ten students and the women’s class has seven students. The classes of 2020 began their design education journey with orientation workshops on 26th and 27th of December respectively. Orientation practically lets the students know that this is not a school like those they have known and breaks the ice so that they can comfortably begin with the content of the course. Program Coordinator Arun Singh along with the Director in training Nishit Sangomla and local faculty Mukhtar Khatri led the students through games that taught teamwork, time management, values, and speaking up. The learnings for both the classes were unique to the diverse group that had been selected. Common learnings were around leadership, respecting and valuing each other and their work and listening before acting.
Course – 1 Colour Sourcing from nature and heritage
Course 1, taught by Sanjukta Roy, for both the classes, was held from 30th December 2019 - 11th January 2020 and 13th – 25th January for men and women respectively. The students learned to sketch, paint, mix colours, create and understand a colour wheel. The learnings were put into practical’s through dyeing fabric and yarns in the colour wheel colours. They learned about heritage from our master artisan Advisors and sketched and painted on the Dhrabudi beach.
Course 2- Basic Design: Sourcing from Heritage and Nature
Course 2 was taught by veteran teacher Nita Thakore for the men’s class from 27th January – 8th February and by Koral Adenwala, an artist, for the women’s class from 10th – 22nd February. The students were introduced to elements of design, from dot to line to texture, learning by observing and drawing every morning, rubbing existing textures, and creating their own visual and tactile variations. The learnings were put into practicals right away giving them a better understanding of the relevance of design in their traditional textiles. The final presentations were a testimonial to the different perspectives that were built from the same teachings.
Course 3- Market Orientation
Course 3 for men was taught by SKV Visiting Faculty LOkesh Ghai, from 24th February – 7th March. Anahita Ginwala began her course for the women’s class on 9th March and will continue until 21st March. After learning how they can vary their work, the students learned why? For whom? The centrepiece of the course is a three-day field trip to Ahmedabad city to visit a range of shops and craft lovers’ homes. The students then learn to analyze their observations and think about cost and perceived value. To orient the class, the respective faculty had students cook lunch for themselves, and the staff. They then had to cost the meal- including the huge number of leftovers. Thinking of planning and costing for other than their livelihood work enabled them to easily understand how they might have streamlined the task. The men did role-play of shops and customers in preparation for their field trip.
The men’s class visited different marketplaces during their field trip to Ahmedabad. They visited houses of potential customers, showed their work and understood the tastes and interests of their final customer. The final presentation was an enriching session, each student shared his story, his understanding of the market and where he would like his designs to be exhibited for sale.
Fibres and Structures Workshop
A workshop on fibres and structure was conducted by MS University Baroda, faculty member Parthraj Puranik on the 7th of March. The workshop gave the students a brief idea of the difference between fibres and how to identify them using a microscope and burn test. For most of them, it was the first time to look through a microscope and see the fibres they work with every day close up. Sohailbhai even got the opportunity to set the microscope himself and he did a commendable job as no readjustment was done.
OUTREACH -KUTCH TO KUMAON AND BHUJODI TO BAGALKOT
Somaiya Kala Vidya Artisan-to-Artisan outreach programs share the benefits of artisan education. Artisan Designer graduates work with artisans in less exposed areas- as a kick-start to demonstrate that innovation in traditions and design education are beneficial.
The second phase of our Outreach project Kutch to Kumaon with our partner NGO Avani began on 12th of March 2020 and will end on 20th March 2020. This would be the first course in a design program for the artisan students of Avani. Rajeshbhai and Pachanbhai are the artisan designer mentors and LOkesh Ghai is the faculty moderating and assisting the group. We are happy to share that four of the women artisans who began the project in 2018 along with two new participants are taking the first course this year. Building on what we were able to achieve, the response the designs developed received from the market, we hope to have a great learning session for everyone involved with the project.
The planning for our flagship Outreach project Bhujodi to Bagalkot is underway. 15th – 20th April is the dates decided for the workshop which will focus on Organizational structuring and sustainability, in addition to developing a collection. The designs from both the projects will be exhibited in the month of September; the location is yet to be decided.
INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT & CO-DESIGN
Somaiya Kala Vidya is happy to connect with and develop other efforts in design education for artisans. We are especially happy to be at the forefront in developing co-design, a concept gaining interest in mainstream design institutes.
In our flagship Co-Design program with the University of Wisconsin Madison, a group of 10 artisan designers embarked on the fifth collaboration with UWM design students on 31 October. The project ended on 25th of January 2020 with the designed products being sent to UWM on 26th February 2020.
The Co-Design project with the Instituto Italiano Designo of Italy, with 7 artisan designers is ongoing. The Italian students will design garments and SKV artisan designers will complete the ensembles.
We are sure that education for artisans has a tremendous positive impact. But proving it to the world requires data. On 31 October we initiated a value-based impact assessment, conducted by cultural economist Dr Priyatej Kotipalli. Dr Kotipalli and team interviewed 25 graduates over seventeen days, with videography. The impact assessment is an ongoing project and we will share the same on our Youtube channel as and when the assessment report is out.
We have planned a Business and Management for Artisans workshop for the graduates of the design course from the 7th – 11th of April 2020. BMA is also a year-long post-graduate course offering from Somaiya Kala Vidya. The workshop will be taken by Nilesh Priyadarshi and the current Director in training Nishit Sangomla. We are also working with Design Craft Association members to officially register the group in order to be able to operate a business. Meetings were held in respective villages and then at the SKV Permanent Faculty’s home on the 22nd February 2020. The final meeting will take place on 23rd March 2020, in which the membership fees will be taken, an official body created along with terms and conditions for the operations of the association.
We are delighted to share that the construction of our new campus started on 3rd February 2020. The first phase of the construction should finish by the end of next financial year.
STAFF AND ALUMNI NEWS
Nishit Sangomla, joined as Director in training on 30th November 2019. Nishit is deeply interested in education for artisans and has worked with rural artisans at Barefoot College in Tilonia Rajasthan, Himalayan Blooms in Uttarakhand, and Naropa Fellowship in Ladakh. We welcome Nishitbhai and look forward to continued growth under his dynamic leadership.
On 31st January 2020, Arun Singh resigned from his job and on 2nd March 2020, Divyashree Dubey joined SKV as the new program coordinator. Divyashree also cares deeply about craft and wants to contribute to its sustainable growth. We look forward to an interesting journey together.
The class of 2019 participated in the Dastkar design fair, Delhi from the 9th – 20th of January 2020. They presented their collections for sale and got a good response from the market. Two of our Alumni got married this year. Dilipbhai, a weaver designer, who graduated in 2017 and Tulsiben, an embroidery designer, who graduated in 2014 from the BMA course got married on 30th January and 10th February respectively.
SKV WORKSHOPS, COURSES, --AND NOW OPEN STUDIO TOURS TO THE WORLD
Since its inception, SKV has been raising awareness and value for artisans' traditional knowledge and skills by conducting workshops and courses taught by artisan designer faculty. This quarter we had three single-day workshops with different artisan designers. On 23rd December Zoe Coughlan from Earthen experiences along with her mother did a workshop on Ajrakh. Preeti Parikh took an Ajrakh workshop on the 29th of December. The first thing they learned was the complexity and sophistication of a craft tradition. After that came washing, mixing materials, printing, washing, printing. Fiona Wright from the Creative Arts Safaris brought thirteen women from Australia who learned applique from three masters embroiders Sajnuben, Tulsiben and Taraben in the traditional way- by experience, with expert guidance.
In November 2017 SKV launched Open Studio Tours in Bhujodi and Ajrakhpur. We did 14 open studio tours this season with representation from USA, Singapore, Australia, England, Austria and India. Workshops are scheduled on demand. Special Open Studio Tours can also be organized. Proceeds from both workshops and Open Studio tours support SKV programs, insuring financial as well as cultural sustainability. For more information contact kalavidya@somaiya.org.
SKV IN PRINT, OUTLOUD AND ONLINE
SKV Convocation was covered by Divya Bhaskar Ahmedabad, the article was published on 15th December 2019. Our Founder – Director, Judy Frater was covered by the Kutch Mitra, a daily newspaper for the Kutch region. The article was published on 18th December 2019.
Browse the SKV website.
Learn more about our work on our facebook page.
For a discussion on issues of art and artisan, follow Judy Frater's blog
Find SKV on Instagram!
On 6 July 2018, SKV began a YouTube channel.https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnbxdYIe8v36eDHqmdEiFsg/featured?view_as=subscriber
We have 9 videos on our channel, all providing important insights on craft in Kutch today. Please do look for updates on our convocation here.
SKV is on Trip Advisor, and our Open Studio Tours are the first and only Airbnb Experience in Kutch!
We did one tour on 6th February 2020 through AirBNB and got a five-star review. There have been five enquires so far and forty – eight-page visits. We believe the bookings will pick up and are looking forward to the next season.
DESIGN CRAFT Association
Design Craft Association was formed to foster a community of artisan designers and offer them a presence and a platform. It provides artisan designers with a great opportunity to present their brands, under their own labels.
You can meet Design Craft artisans on the SKV website. We welcome you to log onto www.somaiya-kalavidya.org. Under Design Craft you will find a map and a link Design Craft Members that will take you to profiles of each artisan designer. We password-protected the profiles. You will have to register to view them, but it is an easy procedure.
2020 DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
10-12 September SKV Outreach Exhibition, Artisan-to-Artisan Design 2020
15-17 October SKV Design Student Exhibition 2020, Ahmedabad
5 December Kala Umang! 2020
SKV GOVERNING COUNCIL AND ADVISORS
SKV's Governing Council includes Shri Samir Somaiya, Amritaben Somaiya, Lt. Gen Jagbir Singh, Mitenbhai Sachade, Judy Frater, Anjana Somany, Lokesh Ghai, and Irfan Anwar Khatri.
The institute is also advised by a team of visionary Master Artisans, who guide us in honouring and nurturing textile traditions: Gulam Hussain Umar -bandhani artist, Bhuj; Ali Mohammed Isha -bandhani artist, Bhuj; Umar Farouk Khatri- bandhani artist, Bhadli; Dr Ismail Mohammed Khatri – Ajrakh artist, Ajrakhpur; and Shyamji Vishramji Siju- weaver, Bhujodi.
THANKS TO GLOBAL GIVING!
On 13 March 2017 SKV posted a project on GlobalGiving. GlobalGiving makes donation easy. To kick off our project, in March 2017 we met a challenge by raising US$ 6,563 from 43 donors. Today, 116 donors have raised $17,435—more than enough to fund an entire class of our sincere and talented artisan students. This greatly encourages Somaiya Kala Vidya and increases our visibility immensely. During the period December 2019 – March 2020, our project raised $1720- enough for us to support scholarships for two students.
Thank you, GlobalGiving!
LOOKING AHEAD
The classes of 2020 look promising. We are now halfway through the third of six courses for the class of 2020.
As awareness and concern make sustainability and co-design household words, each year more opportunities come to our growing cadre of artisan designers. Their capacity is increasing, and increasingly they are recognized. It is indisputable that design education makes a difference. Amidst the tides of change, we look forward to a great year of learning and exploration.
“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”~Mahatma Gandhi
Kala Umang! 2019
PROJECT REPORT
9 September 2019- 17 December 2019
“I never wanted my son to become a weaver, but now I will be successful, and I want him to be a weaver too”~Ramesh Bala Vankar, SKV class of 2019
A Note on Names
A key goal of Somaiya Kala Vidya’s education for artisans programs is to bring visibility to unrecognized artisans. Our students and graduates, faculty and workshop participants are proud and happy to be recognized and have consented to have their names share
Somaiya Kala Vidya is an institution for traditional artisans of Kutch, India. Combining over fifty years' experience of Somaiya Vidyavihar University with fourteen years of design education for artisans, it offers sustained, coherent programs in design and business to provide effective, relevant and practical education. SKV honors and incorporates existing traditions. Its advisors are Master Artisans. Its faculty are professional educators. SKV offers workshops to the world and courses in craft traditions taught by artisan designers. Artisan-to-Artisan Outreach programs and Co-Design Collaborations demonstrate the importance of education for artisans and generate motivation to build a movement of Design Craft.
EDUCATION FOR ARTISANS
DESIGN FOR ARTISANS COURSE 2019
Education for artisans is SKV's reason for being. The class of 2019 completed their design education journey on 14 December 2019. In this period, they held a successful exhibition in Ahmedabad, in which sales were excellent, and customers appreciated the stories behind the collections. They also presented their stories at 079| Stories in Ahmedabad on 16 October. Finally they attended a Sales Analysis workshop, and graduated in Kala Umang! 2019.
KALA UMANG! 2019
The graduation ceremony held in Bhujodi village on 14 December 2019 was presided by Anil Gupta, Professor Indian Institute of Management/ Executive Vice Chair, National Innovation Foundation. The ceremony began with Laxmi Puvar, SKV faculty reading a poem. Other speakers included Dr. Ismail Khatri, SKV Advisor, Shwetha Shettar, SKV Visiting Faculty, Krishna Velji Vankar, SKV 2018 graduate, Ramji Maheshwari, SKV 2014 BMA graduate, and Samir Somaiya, Chairman K.J. Somaiya Gujarat Trust.
All graduating students received certificates from Somaiya Kala Vidya, after which awards were presented.
The jury award for Best Collection went to Jabbar Khatri, Ajrakh printer from Ajrakhpur. Jabbarbhai also won the award for Highest Exhibition Sales. The Best Presentation award went to Ibrahim Khatri, bandhani artist from Nirona. The Most Marketable Collection award went to Ramesh Vankar, weaver from Varnora. The jury deemed two artisans Most Promising: Bharat Jepar, weaver from Varnora, and Nitin Kudecha, weaver from Bhujodi. The Faculty award for Best student went to Rizwan Soneji, bandhani artist from Tera. And this year we were excited to announce a special program initiated by Jackfruit Design. Each year they will give an order of RS 30,000 for their boutique Jackfruit on the Gangato the SKV winner of the Best Collection award.
The 2019 Fashion show was inaugurated by renowned fashion Designer Anuj Sharma, who spoke to the students about the importance of humility. The elder weavers of Bhujodi honoured Founder Director Judy Frater.
Expertly choreographed by Achla Sachdev, the fashion show entertained an audience of around 6,000, mostly members of craft communities of Kutch. More than entertaining, the show inspires artisans to believe that their work is contemporary as well as traditional, and valuable.
OUTREACH -BHUJODI TO BAGALKOT
Somaiya Kala Vidya Artisan-to-Artisan outreach programs share the benefits of artisan education. Artisan Designer graduates work with artisans in less exposed areas- as a kick-start to demonstrate that innovation in traditions, and design education are beneficial.
From 12-14 September 2019, the flagship Outreach project Bhujodi to Bagalkot exhibited new collections of Ilkal and Bhujodi saris in Hyderabad at Saptaparni. Including 2018 women graduates as well, the show – Bhujodi to Bagalkot, and More- received a warm welcome and a good response. The Bagalkot team sold out their traditional kondi style saris, proving that tradition is perennial. Kutch mentors’ Bagalkot-inspired collections were also much appreciated. The Bagalkot team participated in Kala Umang! 2019 and shared that they are finally committed to making kondi and found a way to streamline the technique to save time!
During this period we were delighted to learn that our Kutch to Kumaon project will resume. Avani partners received a grant that will fund the first course in our Outreach design curriculum. We plan to hold the course in March 2020.
INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT & CO-DESIGN
Somaiya Kala Vidya is happy to connect with and develop other efforts in design education for artisans. We are especially happy to be at the forefront in developing co-design, a concept gaining interest in mainstream design institutes.
In our flagship Co-Design program with the University of Wisconsin Madison, a group of 10 artisan designers embarked on the fifth collaboration with UWM design students on 31 October. The design phase of the project finished on 9 December, with exciting fresh designs. Each team made a collection of 6 stoles (carpets for Prashantbhai), and selected 2 for actual production.
During this period we also began a Co-Design project with the Instituto Italiano Designo of Italy, with 7 artisan designers. The Italian students will design garments and SKV artisan designers will complete the ensembles.
We are sure that education for artisans has a tremendous positive impact. But proving it to the world requires data. On 31 October we initiated a value-based impact assessment, conducted by cultural economist Dr. Priyatej Kotipalli. Dr. Kotipalli and team interviewed 25 graduates over seventeen days, with videography. We look forward to sharing the results on our YouTube channel. One thing that impressed him was that we have built an institution. To this end, during interviews of 2020 candidates we decided to explore holding management workshops for graduates, co-taught by our master artisan advisors. We are also working with Design Craft Association members to officially register the group in order to be able to operate a business.
STAFF AND ALUMNI NEWS
Two SKV alumni, bandhani artist Hadika Khatri and weaver Ravji Meriya received Gujarat State awards for craftsmanship. This year, Adil Khatri, bandhani artist, and Pachan Siju, weaver, and Dinesh Siju, weaver were juried into the prestigious and highly competitive International Folk Art Market| Santa Fe. Their collections were selected out of 577 applications.
On 27-28 September SKV Visiting Faculty member Shwetha Shettar represented the institute at Outlook Traveller’s Responsible Tourism Forum in Shillong and Guwahati.
Founder Director Judy Frater presented on education for artisans to Ahmedabad University on 16 September, to Auro University Surat on 24 September, and to ITTC Congress at M.S. University Baroda on 3-4 October. She was a guest lecturer at NIFT Gandhinagar on 15 October and spoke on sustainability to students of Mahatma Gandhi School Ahmedabad on 16 October. She was recognized by Conde Nast Traveller India as one of 50 champions of sustainable tourism for the SKV Open Studio tours.
After 14 years of building the design education program, Frater announced that she will retire from directorship of SKV in May 2020. She will be succeeded by Nishit Sangomla, who joined as Assistant Director on 1 December 2019. Nishit is deeply interested in education for artisans and has worked with rural artisans at Barefoot College in Tilonia Rajasthan, Himalayan Blooms in Uttarakhand, and Naropa Fellowship in Ladakh. We welcome Nishitbhai and look forward to continued growth under his dynamic leadership.
SKV WORKSHOPS, COURSES,
--AND NOW OPEN STUDIO TOURS TO THE WORLD
Since its inception, SKV has been raising awareness and value for artisans' traditional knowledge and skills by conducting workshops and courses taught by artisan designer faculty. From 4-24 November we conducted our fourth 21-day Craft Traditions course in Ajrakh hand print and natural dye. Three creative women representing 5 countries learned printing and dyeing from four master Ajrakh designers in the traditional way- by experience, with expert guidance. The first thing they learned was the complexity and sophistication of a craft tradition. After that came washing, mixing materials, printing, watching, printing. The course included a two-day session in cultural context and aesthetics, in which they visited villages of the original Nodhe and Patel clients. The course conjoined with a week-long workshop in Ajrakh and ended with a final review. The tutors’ verdict? Passed with honours! “We have had a wonderful enriching time,” one student wrote. “The sustainable textile conversations will inspire me for weeks. We are hoping to make it back together next year for more!”
In November 2017 SKV launched Open Studio Tours in Bhujodi and Ajrakhpur. We began our 2019-20 season with tours on 8 and 9 November and received our first booking through Airbnb for January. Workshops are scheduled on demand. Special Open Studio Tours can also be organized. Proceeds from both workshops and Open Studio tours support SKV programs, insuring financial as well as cultural sustainability. For more information contact kalavidya@somaiya.org.
SKV IN PRINT, OUTLOUD AND ONLINE
Browse the SKV website.
Learn more about our work on our facebook page.
For a discussion on issues of art and artisan, follow Judy Frater's blog
Find SKV on Instagram!
On 6 July 2018, SKV began a YouTube channel.https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnbxdYIe8v36eDHqmdEiFsg/featured?view_as=subscriber
We have 9 videos on our channel, all providing important insights on craft in Kutch today.
SKV is on Trip Advisor, and our Open Studio Tours are the first and only Airbnb Experience in Kutch!
DESIGN CRAFT Association
Design Craft Association was formed to foster a community of artisan designers and offer them a presence and a platform. It provides artisan designers with a great opportunity to present their brands, under their own labels.
You can meet Design Craft artisans on the SKV website. We welcome you to log onto www.somaiya-kalavidya.org. Under Design Craft you will find a map, and a link Design Craft Members that will take you to profiles of each artisan designer. We password-protected the profiles. You will have to register to view them, but it is an easy procedure.
2020 DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
10-12 September SKV Outreach Exhibition, Artisan-to-Artisan Design 2020
15-17 October SKV Design Student Exhibition 2020, Ahmedabad
5 December Kala Umang! 2020
SKV GOVERNING COUNCIL AND ADVISORS
SKV's Governing Council includes Shri Samir Somaiya, Amritaben Somaiya, Lt. Gen Jagbir Singh, Mitenbhai Sachade, Judy Frater, Anjana Somany, Lokesh Ghai, and Irfan Anwar Khatri.
The institute is also advised by a team of visionary Master Artisans, who guide us in honouring and nurturing textile traditions: Gulam Hussain Umar -bandhani artist, Bhuj; Ali Mohammed Isha -bandhani artist, Bhuj; Umar Farouk Khatri- bandhani artist, Bhadli; Dr. Ismail Mohammed Khatri – Ajrakh artist, Ajrakhpur; and Shyamji Vishramji Siju- weaver, Bhujodi.
THANKS TO GLOBAL GIVING!
On 13 March 2017 SKV posted a project on Global Giving. Global Giving makes donation easy. To kick off our project, in March 2017 we met a challenge by raising US$ 6,563 from 43 donors. Today, 108 donors have raised $15,613—more than enough to fund an entire class of our sincere and talented artisan students. This greatly encourages Somaiya Kala Vidya and increases our visibility immensely.
During the period September-December 2019, our project raised $252- enough for a co-design project with SKV and American students.
Thank you Global Giving!
LOOKING AHEAD
The class of 2019 has graduated with flying colours. They now look forward to showing their work in urban markets. In January 2020 they will participate in Dastkar’s annual Design Fair in Delhi. The capacity of artisan design graduates has surely increased. Yet the visibility of Somaiya Kala Vidya is limited, and artisans are still widely perceived as skilled technicians. We hope that our value-based impact assessment will make an impact and increase understanding of the value of craft. We look to insuring that there will be a market to value small production quality craft designed and made by artisans. Together we can insure a sustainable future for craft traditions.
“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”~Mahatma Gandhi
Links:
Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
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