Complex changes are happening in the world around us. Naturally changes in our idea of what constitutes art and art practice needs to be constantly re-visited, re-assessed and re-oriented. However, this doesn't always happen. Often institutions built to take it forward in one period becomes a dead weight drawing it back at a later period, therefore, special efforts need to be made from time to time to examine the issues that plague the system and search for a way forward.
This cannot be efficiently done in the absence of any pan-Indian data and we had none to begin with. A few years back following an art education conclave in Goa, FIAE was formed and it was decided to undertake such a basic survey covering as many art colleges in India as possible. As a part of this we have collected factual information of nearly 80 art colleges in India. A part of the present seminar will be devoted to presenting the findings of this survey. While the survey brings the state-of-the-art schools into the public domain in a clearer manner, information alone is not sufficient to make the changes we need to bring about.
We need to engage and come up with corrective possibilities, course corrections and future visions. Most professionals working in art schools and allied areas should already have an intuitive understanding of the issues. We don't need a single template but maintain plurality and regional accents without losing the sight of the national and the international discourses. The second and more considerable part of the seminar will be devoted to an exchange of ideas between people who have thought through some of the issues and developed a vision of their own about future possibilities in art education.
A wider perspective and planning across interactive sectors will be necessary to make any planning for the future effective. With this in mind, we hope to bring together a small group of experts from art education, museums and public art platforms, art administrators and fundraisers to participate and exchange notes. We shall also invite principals and other senior teachers of the art schools surveyed to participate in the deliberations at the seminar.
Also See: Program | Report| Photo Gallery | Videos
Photo Gallery
