Rooted in Collaboration: Institutions, Infrastructures and Interventions in Craft

According to the Business of Handmade report published by 200 Million Artisans in 2021, there are 200 million livelihoods that are directly or indirectly linked to the artisan sector; with 50% of them involving women. Additionally, amongst the 5600+ micro, small and medium enterprise (MSMEs) clusters within the country, over 3000 constitute craft-based organizations working directly with artisans. The ecology of craft in India is a complex web of all these players - the artisans and artisan communities, entrepreneurs, designers, fashion houses, non-profit institutions, educational organisations, craft-led commercial enterprises. India’s formal craft-led enterprises play a crucial role in developing entrepreneurial solutions to bridge the gap between the formal and informal craft-led economies - making collective work essential for creating a sustainable frameworks for craft and vernacular artistic traditions in India.

The second panel in our ongoing In Practice: New Vocabularies for Craft series takes its cue from our exhibition mul mathi // from the roots, which spotlights a successful collaboration between Maria Grazia Chiuri (Creative Director of Dior's women's collections) and the House of Dior; Karishma Swali and the Chanakya School of Craft; and celebrated artists Manu and Madhvi Parekh. In 2021, the Chanakya School of Craft and Chanakya Atelier collaborated with Dior for the commission of a series of monumental textile artworks by the Parekhs, which were presented at the spring-summer 2022 haute-couture presentation in Paris. These works have been interpreted in craft by Karishma Swali, who leads Chanakya, and handcrafted by artisans from the Chanakya ateliers and schools. Curated by Asia Society India as a postscript to the original collaboration, mul mathi // from the roots presents these 22 textiles along with the archival material that went into the making in an exhibition form in India for the first time. 

The exhibition celebrates our artisanal legacies and is an homage to the Parekhs practice which has been rooted in the vernacular, but it also compels us to think critically about the histories of craft-based practice and potential of collaboration and patronage in creating infrastructures of autonomy for the crafts sector in India. How is "craft" situated in a broader history of arts and culture in India? Who are the key stakeholders that make up the ecology of craft in India and what are their individual and collective responsibilities? There seems to be a spotlight on indigenous arts from India at the moment - what has prompted this limelight and what does it mean for the future of artisanal communities? In collaborative work, are artisans seen as equal creative partners? What are some challenges faced by the sector and how can institutions play a role in mediating them? How can we harness the power of NGOs, design houses and emerging businesses from within the country when it comes to supporting craft? 

Join our panelists Jesmina Zeliang, founder of Heirloom Naga; Vishpala Hundekari, the founder of Eki Beki and co-founder of Creative Dignity; and Sudheer Rajbhar, founder of Chamar Studio, as they take a deeper dive towards understanding some of these questions and exploring the collective role of both non-profit and for-profit institutions in supporting, sustaining and building advocacy for craft-based communities. The focus of this discussion is not on the role of the makers; instead, it aims to deliberate on the benefits and struggles of other stakeholders in creating this collaborative bridge and how it can potentially augment livelihoods and foster creative empowerment within our artisan communities. The panel discussion will be moderated by Radha Mahendru, Director- Strategic Initiatives and Development at Asia Society India Centre.

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This in-person panel discussion is the second programme of In Practice: New Vocabularies for Craft, a long-term series that brings together art-makers, entrepreneurs, collectors, designers, and other stakeholders from the crafts and vernacular arts sector, in India and South Asia. The aim of the series is to act as a platform where we can collectively question and build awareness about the myriad contexts of craft and vernacular artistic traditions within a contemporary context.

Venue: Snowball Studios Private Limited, No.4 Mohatta Bhavan compound Gandhi nagar lane, Dr Elijah Moses Rd, opp. 10, Worli, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400018

Date: 19 April 2023, Wednesday 

Registration Time: 6:00 pm

Event Time: 6:30 - 8:00 pm 

Note: We request you to be seated by 6:15pm for the panel discussion; due to limited space, the seating will be on first-come-first-serve basis. 

SPEAKERS

Jesmina Zeliang is based out of the culturally vibrant state of Nagaland and has invested 3 decades in the handmade sector. She has persistently pioneered Naga Textiles & other crafts to the international markets by being acutely  attuned to trends and  market intelligence . She has upskilled , partnered and worked with thousands of artisans over the decades from Nagaland & neighbouring states. She works primarily with home based women weavers and derives great satisfaction in being able to provide them continuity of work , while also empowering them from within the sanctums of their own homes. Making use of traditional practises, she has been instrumental in promoting, preserving and continuing these cultural legacies and is determined to empower and honour the hands of the artisans. 

Recognising her efforts, she has been awarded by several notable entities like The Crafts Council of India , JSW Foundation, Ficci Flo North East Chapter, Government of Nagaland , Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts. She has  been recognised as a woman inspiring India by UNDP India.

She is also the only woman in the Committee of Administration in the apex body of Indian Exporters, Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts and is the Convenor for North East India. As an Executive Member in the Handicrafts and Carpet Sector Skill Council, she actively participates in skilling & training programs.She is also an IVLP alumni of the US Government. 

Vishpala Naik Hundekari has studied Architecture from VNIT, Nagpur & Furniture Design from National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. Her exposure to the rich heritage of Indian arts & crafts, as a child has shaped her later life as a design professional.

She is the founder of Ekibeki, a hybrid -social- enterprise that aims to preserve, rejuvenate and grow our rich craft heritage and create livelihoods for artisans. Ekibeki does this by creating aspirational high quality contemporary products using traditional crafts and establishing market linkages to create a sustainable ecosystem and a virtuous growth cycle for craft clusters. She is also a co-creator of Creative Dignity, a nationwide movement started during the Covid-19 pandemic 

Vishpala is a regular speaker at schools, colleges and corporate events on Indian crafts and Design.

Sudheer Rajbhar is the founder of Chamar Studio, a designer boutique which melds business with sustainability and Dalit pride. Born and brought up in the slums of Mumbai, Sudheer studied has a Bachelors in Fine Arts, and curated a show titled We Are Here Because You Are There, giving credit to artist’s assistants from the chamar (leather workers) community. He also founded the Bangalore based Chamar Foundation, which works to educate leather workers across the country about alternative materials and create sustainable employment opportunities for them. Reclaimed Tote was the Foundation's first project wherein, leading Indian designers collaborated with these artisans to create recycled bags.

Radha Mahendru is the Director, Strategic Initiatives and Development at the Asia Society India Centre. She has vast experience in arts management, curating and programming. For the last ten years, she has worked with cultural organizations, furthering their mandate through conceptualising and executing their public programmes, exhibitions, and special events and has lead fundraising initiatives, collaborations and partnerships for grassroots and global art-based initiatives.

She was the senior programmes manager and curator at Khoj International Artists Association till 2019 and a curatorial member of the Norient Film Festival, Switzerland, Abr Circle and Art Chain India.

An alumnus of Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology, Bangalore, she is the co-author of The Horizon is An Imaginary Line, an ethnographic graphic novel about a young Somali woman’s encounter as a refugee in India.