AAA Learning & Participation co-presents roundtable discussions with India Foundation for the Arts (IFA) and the Foundation for Indian Contemporary Art (FICA) for art education practitioners from Hong Kong and India.

To collectively expand understanding of contemporary art development by sharing experiences, insights, and challenges, the discussions are an opportunity to rethink and re-evaluate the value of arts education, while cultivating a supportive network of art organisations and individuals for future collaboration. The roundtables also explore alternative learning platforms based around the practice of artists and creative practitioners.

IFA Roundtable | Wed, 18 Nov 2015, 11am–5:30pm
How can art education practitioners innovate projects, commission research, and create platforms that widen public access to, and strengthen infrastructure of, the arts in India? As a grant-making organisation that supports practice, research, and education in the arts in India, IFA brings grantees from the Karnataka region to engage in the discussion—starting with a screening of ‘Kali-Kalisu’ (‘learn and teach’ in Kannada), a multidimensional project by IFA supported by the Goethe Institute Bangalore that works with government school teachers and artist facilitators in teacher-training and grant-making modes, and extends discourses on arts education as a public engagement platform. Using the film as the point of departure, the roundtable provides participants a chance to exchange art education methods and share current challenges.

Participants:

• Arundhati Ghosh and Krishna Murthy T.N, India Foundation for the Arts (IFA)
• Susanna Chung, Learning & Participation, Asia Art Archive
• Arpita. G, visual artist
• Meeta Jain, architect
• Atreyee and Blaise Joseph, visual artists
• Gururaj. L, educator in performing arts
• Dr. Mallesh Pavagadh, educator in performing arts
• Nirmala Ravindran, actor and director
• Ashok Totnahalli, educator in performing arts
• Chitra. V, educator in performing arts

FICA Roundtable | Tue, 24 Nov 2015, 2–6pm
What kind of impact can arts organisations make in the education sector in India? How do educators define art education and affirm its value to a student’s overall development? How does art engage with the wider public and address questions concerning culture and identity? Key art education organisations in New Delhi and a select group of independent educators and artists gather to build a network dedicated to the arts in India, and reach out to diverse audiences through education.

Participants:

• Bhooma Padmanabhan and Vidya Shivadas, Foundation for Indian Contemporary Art (FICA)
• Shibani Choudhury, art educatorTapati Choudhury, artist and educator
• Susanna Chung, Learning & Participation, Asia Art Archive
• Ruchira Das, National Museum, New Delhi
• Manmeet Devgun, performance artist and art teacher
• Murari Jha, Kathuria, Public School
• Aadhya Kartikar, Shiv Nadar University
• Nilanjana Nandi, art educator
• Neha Narayan, Scottish High International School Murari Jha, Kathuria Public School
• Deeksha Nath, curator and director of Art Reach
• Anna Kumari and Utsa Hazarika, art educators at Art Reach
• Sreejata Roy and Mrithyunjoy Chatterjee, independent artists and collective REVUE
• Vicky Roy, independent photographer
• Samudra Kajal Saikia and Moumita Das, Nine School of Art

The roundtables are closed-door sessions by invitation only. Art education practitioners in India interested in participating must contact learn@aaa.org.hk by 16 Nov 2015.

The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation is the lead sponsor of Learning and Participation Programme 2015