Events & Exhibitions

Exhibition of Eco Conscious collections

Date-16, 17 & 18th July 2015

A philosophy that celebrates collective creativity. An idea that believes each one of us has that spark to color life and world in our own strokes...

From hand-painted T-shirts to a flourishing souk of creative madness in textile and accessories to many posters for many campaigns have been designed by the organization, many T-shirts with slogans for NGO's and social movements have taken birth in their studios..

Wood carving and Bamboo cane craft by E'thaan

E’thaan was started in April 2004 by Ritu Varuni and the late Bharati Chadha. It is a Lotha Naga Indian word for something `new’. It stands for creative contemporary Indian design rooted in traditional skills but infused with a new spirit.

Wood carving is an old tradition in many tribal communities of Nagaland. The product designs that have been developed with Nungshi Renba and Alem Longkumer, young skilled craftsmen from the Ao community of Nagaland, combine both wood carving and bamboo-cane work in the same product and explore a combination of different textures and finishes while retaining a distinctly Naga flavour.

The ongoing work by the organization helps create sustainable livelihoods for these communities.

Alka Sharma,a textile designer by profession and the lady behind "Aavaran" started this project after she identified that the unique block printing and dyeing process (Dabu & Phetia) practiced by the local village dwellers of Chippo ka Akola, district Chittorgarh, was diminishing. She started the work on this keeping in mind the sustainable development of the deprived tribal communities and the empowerment of women of this region.

Coppre is a social enterprise which is a culmination of a sustainable livelihood project started in 2011.

It reflects the legacy of metal craftspeople. It is the outcome of a creative collaboration with the Tambat metal craftspeople, to evolve and design a contemporary range of copper products that cater to the present while retaining the heritage of the craft process.

The organisation works with the Craftspeople, by contemporising their products for the current sensibilities thereby making the old relevant in the new....

Based out of New delhi, ‘Artisau’ is a design label by Simran Chaudhry that emphasises the wisdom in dressing simple.The clothes are carefully hand stitched and detailed, integrating the ancient Indian practices of sewing and darning into details of importance. Made of only natural fabrics, hand woven in various parts of the country.

"Jaipur Bloc- First Eco Friendly Textile Park "

Sanganer Block Printing Industry was initially a home based craft using natural colours. However, with the introduction of chemical dyes in early 60s the industry lost the tradition of natural dyeing. The use of chemical dyes resulted in considerable discharge of untreated effluents into the eco-system.

Jaipur Intergrated Texcraft Park Private Limited (JITPPL) was incorporated on the 27th of February, 2006, to take forward the MISSION STATEMENT i.e. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND RESPONSIBLE PRODUCTION.

The idea generated when the traditional block printing industry of Sanganer, Jaipur received a setback due to unsustainable practices in dyeing and washing. This idea was approved by a group of exporters formed a consortium called ‘COTEX’ formed in 1997. The lead of this project was taken by Mr Vikram Joshi, Pritam Singh and Rahul Duggal.

Special talk by Vikram Joshi

"Jaipur Bloc- First Eco Friendly Textile Park "

Sanganer Block Printing Industry was initially a home based craft using natural colours. However, with the introduction of chemical dyes in early 60s the industry lost the tradition of natural dyeing. The use of chemical dyes resulted in considerable discharge of untreated effluents into the eco-system.

Jaipur Intergrated Texcraft Park Private Limited (JITPPL) was incorporated on the 27th of February, 2006, to take forward the MISSION STATEMENT i.e. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND RESPONSIBLE PRODUCTION.

The idea generated when the traditional block printing industry of Sanganer, Jaipur received a setback due to unsustainable practices in dyeing and washing. This idea was approved by a group of exporters formed a consortium called ‘COTEX’ formed in 1997. The lead of this project was taken by Mr Vikram Joshi, Pritam Singh and Rahul Duggal.

Puppets and Puppeteers-

Tholu Bommalata literally means the dance of leather puppets (tholu – leather, bommalata – puppet dance).

Tholu Bommalata is the shadow puppet theater tradition of Andhra Pradesh state of India. The performers are wandering entertainers and peddlers that pass through an Indian village during the course of a year- offering to sing ballads, tell fortunes, sell amulets, perform acrobatics, charm snakes, weave fishnets, do tattoos, mend pots. It is an ancient custom by which – for centuries before radio, movies, and television- the knowledge of Hindu epics and local folk tales, not to mention news, spread to the most remote corner of the subcontinent.

A two day exhibition and Demonstration by Craft Canvas and Artisans Cottage was put together to educate people and showcase contemporary versions of lamps and leather puppets made by artisans Raghavendra and Madhu Babu.

Demonstration of the technique followed by a talk by the artisan. @ artisanscottage, 18th-19th April, 2014.

Handcrafted collections by 13 NGO'S from across india.

Special Wood toy making workshop by BEER SINGH, 21st-22nd February, 2014.

Indian National Trust for Art & Cultural Heritage (INTACH),established in 1984, is a premier national level institution dedicated to the conservation and promotion of Indian culture.

The INTACH J&K Chapter works towards promoting the craft heritage of local Kashmiri communities. In partnership with AIACA, the livelihood project includes developing and upgrading craft skills and creating sustainable and appropriate market and financial access linkages for rural Kashmiri communities.

Abshar Husain is a master craftsman hailing from a traditional wood block carvers family in Uttar Pradesh. With the rise in popularity of screen printed fabrics, hand-carved blocks used to hand-print traditional Indian fabric are at a risk of extinction. Husain has overcome this threat by applying his skills to handicraft products for functional and decorative use. His product range now includes an array of masterfully carved home decor products.

NEEV Herbal Handmade Soaps is a small scale unit registered under Khadi Village Industries Commission, located in Hurlung village, Jamshedpur, Jharkhand.

The Trust works in the rural areas and slums around Jamshedpur in the domains of education, livelihood development and agriculture. It facilitates 15 Self Help Groups (including one of Sabar Tribe) of women who are being trained in different skills through Skill Development Initiatives.

They ensure that all the raw materials required for making the soaps and other cosmetic products are grown and processed in their villages.

VARNAM is a social enterprise that works with the Channapatna artisans to revive the 200year old toy craft thereby creating home decor, jewelry & toys.

All proceeds from sale of Varnam products are routed back to designing and funding more products from these artisans . The endeavour is also to keep them employed so that they don't leave their traditional crafts for industry/factory 'jobs'.

This is the story of Copper.

The story of an ancient metal that shines like gold but also ages to a dull green.

The story of a hand-beaten metal craft, fine-honed to perfection.

The story of the hands of the maker, striking and beating the copper sheets into shape, passing on the legacy from one generation to another.

And the endeavour to keep this story alive.

Aavaran is the marketing identity created by the Centre of the Study of Values (COS-V) for the Dabu and Phetia blockprinting artisans of the hamlet of Chippo ka Akola near Udaipur, Rajasthan.

Under the CSR program of Vedanta, COS-V provides marketing support, stitching and embroidery training to the women artisans in the region.

Kids having a blast at the wooden toy making working by Beer Singh, an artisan who hails from the state of Uttar Pradesh in India.

'When you wear a maheshwari sari, you're wearing history.'

The story of the Maheshwari fabric is as romantic as the sari itself. When you wear a Maheshwari sari, you're wearing history. Because in its every weft there is as much of the 1,500-year tradition and the story of a maharani, as much as in its warp are its gossamer threads.

A dwindling tradition revived by the REHWA Society, founded 35 years ago by Richard Shivajirao Holkar - the scion of Maheshwar's Holkar family to revitalize the weaving industry and improve the lives of the women weavers by providing them employment, housing, healthcare and education.

Today, over 1,500 looms are owned by villagers of the fortress town of Maheshwar in Madhya Pradesh. The weavers continue to be predominantly women. In the inner courtyard of the Maharani Ahilya Bai Holkar's qila or fort, under the old neem trees and in the airy rooms of the ancient Mughal style fort, the sound of the busy shuttles melts into the soothing breezes from the Narmada.

Photos courtesy: Nevil Zaveri

A fun filled evening with Richard Holkar, on the day of the preview of “Dhoop Chaon” by REHWA'.

Design Flea is an yearly event held at Artisan’s Cottage to showcase the work of young and talented designers working in the craft sector from across the country. As a part of the two day event we showcase art, artefacts, textiles, home, accessories, lifestyle products, fashion etc.

Besides food from the cafe to cater to the mood, there was a pottery workshop organised for anyone enthusiastic enough to try their hands on the potters wheel.

A demonstration of Ply Split Folk Braiding by Erroll Pires, a senior retired faculty from NID was the highlight of the event. He eagerly teaches anyone who is enthusiastic enough to learn and save this nomadic lifestyle craft in the face of continuing urbanisation.

Erroll Pires, a senior retired faculty from NID, who has been blessed in his life to be passionately dedicated to follow his life’s work in preserving the ancient craft of ply-split braiding will be demonstrating ply-splitting braiding to whoever is enthusiastic enough to learn and save this nomadic lifestyle craft in the face of continuing urbanization.

Image courtesy- Tales along the way

Hands on pottery workshop by Neelma @ Design Flea

An eco-fair by Grade 8 students of Mahatama Gandhi International School.

Australian Textile Design students from UNSW get an insight into Kalamkari hand painting by Jayanti Bhai Chitara from vasna @ artisanscottage.

3rd Februray, 2014

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more.

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more.

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more.