Women utilize the Museum to study their most valuable resource- traditions, extending their capacity to develop new work with cultural integrity and compete successfully in international market
With spiraling inflation, village women of Kutch need to earn. Utilizing traditions they can earn at better than manual labour wages. The museum resources increase awareness and value for the artisans’ own cultures and mobilize their ability to create viable work in an increasingly competitive market. As Raniben says, “The difference between what we used to make for sale and what we make now is night and day. Now, I think when I work.”
Women artisans study examples of their own textile traditions. They utilize patterns, colors, techniques that may have been lost to create new work for contemporary markets, combining their most valuable resources- cultural heritage and creativity.
The museum serves over 1,500 artisans and their families, providing them with an inexhaustible resource to retain the vibrancy of tradition and earn skilled artisan wages. Heritage is perpetuated and incomes increase.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
