Seventeen-year-old Shaivi Golyan, an award-winning international artist, is working towards securing the future of India’s rich arts and crafts history.
In a world being taken over by machines and AI, Shaivi strives to preserve the essence of humanity connected with the art-making process. Arts and crafts in any form– whether it be block printing, weaving, or metal work– are fundamental to understanding India’s rich history. However, it is predicted that these crafts will lose favor in the face of modern technologies and changing demand. Nevertheless, there may still be hope since this inspiring social entrepreneur and artist has taken the reins!
Shaivi has founded the ART (Arts Revitalization and Teaching) Initiative for Students of India, a social initiative that brings a robust art education to underfunded and government schools in India and saves the heritage of India from an untimely death. “The way I understood my Indian heritage was through traditional practices of Jaipuri crafts,” says Shaivi, “to be able to secure the future of these legacies, it is absolutely crucial that we educate coming generations about the history and the execution of these arts and crafts to be able to keep, what I believe to be the best part of India, alive.”
After graduating from The Hotchkiss School in Connecticut, USA, Shaivi decided to return to Jaipur, her birthplace, to found this initiative as a way to pay respects to and show gratitude towards the legacy Indian arts for being the starting place for her career in fine arts. As she spends a year in The Pink City prior to returning to higher education, Shaivi builds a road towards the future of India’s heritage.
In regards to the problems plaguing India’s art-free education system, Shaivi shares, “After some research, I found that there are two main problems: lack of awareness, and lack of funding.” She elaborates, “after conversing with the administration of north-west Indian public schools, I found that an art education hasn’t been considered important, as compared to STEM fields, by the administration. Additionally, government funds aren’t allocated in a way that an art program can keep running in the long run.”
So, the ART Initiative for Students of India’s plan focuses on three main aspects. Firstly, they made the schools’ administration and students aware of the numerous job opportunities available in the Indian arts and crafts industry. Secondly, they work closely with a school’s faculty to identify an art teacher who can carry out an art curriculum developed by the ART Initiative for Students of India. Thirdly, to ensure the permanent establishment of an art education at schools, the ART Initiative has created an innovative business model. “We gain initial funding for these programs through a government grant, as well as crowdfunding on Ketto. Then, artwork created by students during ART Initiative’s program is printed on products such as T-shirts, coffee mugs, dairies, etc and is sold on our website. All of the profits we obtain from these sales are invested back into the students’ art education. In this way, the programs set up by the ART Initiative have the ability to support their respective futures,” Shaivi explains.
“Now that students have access to an art education, they have the opportunity and exposure to join India’s community of artists and artisans. This is how the ART Initiative for Students of Indian plans to help keep art communities in India alive in coming times.”
After executing successful programs at branches of Adarsh Vidya Mandir in Jaipur, and reaching 60+ students, the ART Initiative for Students of India’s plan is spreading through more government schools throughout Jaipur.
It is Shaivi’s hope for this program to reach even beyond Jaipur!
“To support the ART Initiative for Students of India, I hope people would consider donating to our fund on Ketto and/or buying beautiful products from our website!” Shaivi says.
– Officers Times Bureau
