Join author Judy Frater for a conversation about her new book, Artisans by Design: An Odyssey of Education for Textile Artisans in India. Artisans by Design chronicles the journey of developing the first design school for artisans in India and fifteen years of artisans learning design. Spanning 50 years, the story is told in vignettes of artisans who were part of the journey, intertwined with the author’s story. Through this dialogue, the reader experiences the design school's past, method, reason, and impact on traditional artisans in the contemporary world. Judy will share insights into tradition, craft, and the creativity of traditional artisans. She will provide textile aficionados and people concerned with sustainability an authentic, fresh approach to development, illuminate sustainability as cultural heritage, and present development as human centered. Copies of Artisans by Design will be for sale in Shop Mingei. Judy Frater's book signing will take place directly after her talk for those who have purchased a book ahead of time.
Judy Frater believes that value is the key to sustainability. An Ashoka Fellow, she lived in Kutch 30 years, where she founded Kala Raksha Trust and Museum, and Kala Raksha Vidhyalaya, the first design school for artisans. She later reinvented the school as Somaiya Kala Vidya. She has been honored with the Sir Misha Black Medal for Design Education, the Crafts Council of India Kamla award, the Designers of India Design Guru Award and more.
Previously Associate Curator at The Textile Museum, author of Artisans by Design: An Odyssey of Education for Textile Artisan in India, Threads of Identity: Embroidery and Adornment of the Nomadic Rabaris, and The Art of the Dyer in Kutch, she currently teaches the values of hand craft through direct personal experiences. This program is presented in conjunction with the exhibition Blue Gold: The Art and Science of Indigo
Photo Caption: Artist Meghiben Meriya with Author Judy Frater. Photograph by Nevada Wier.