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Admission : $5 for lecture if not a member
Details : SEATTLE TEXTILE AND RUG SOCIETY
7756 57th AV NE Seattle, WA 98115 (206) 674-8978
PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENT
KALA RAKSHA VIDHYALAYA
AN INSTITUTION OF DESIGN FOR TRADITIONAL ARTISANS
By Project Director Judy Frater, With Two Kala Raksha Artisans
AT PIONEER HALL
1642 43RD AVENUE EAST, SEATTLE
IN THE MADISON PARK NEIGHBORHOOD
SUNDAY, JULY 25th, 2010, 5:00 PM
In 1993, KALA RAKSHA was established as a registered society and trust. Kala
Raksha produces some of the most exquisitely hand embroidered and patch
worked products made in Kutch. Using only natural fibers and wherever possible
natural dyes, the Trust makes a wide range of garments, accessories and home
furnishings.
Kutch is a drought-prone area situated on the border of Pakistan in Gujarat State,
in India. The district is a unique environmental phenomenon as it is surrounded on
two sides by the salt marsh Rann and on the other two by the Gulf of Kutch and
the Arabian Sea. Consequently, Kutchis have always been culturally distinct and
enterprising. A great range of ethnic communities live in the region, most
maintaining traditional dress and crafts of many sorts, including weaving, dyeing,
printing, bandhani (tie-dye), embroidery, leather work, pottery, woodwork, and
metalwork. Originally, crafts existed integrated into local social systems. The user
of the craft was intimately known. Design was an integral part of craft, as the
artisan was designer, producer and marketer simultaneously. Designs evolved;
innovation is critical to living art. But the changes were slow and organic. In the
last few decades, these traditional crafts have undergone tremendous change. As
local villagers seek cheaper mass-produced functional wares, artisans are
compelled to find new markets. In efforts to revive quality, it has been recognized
that new design is needed to make craft sustainable. KALA RAKSHA believes that
the approach must be altered to enable the artisan to be significantly involved in
both design and craft.
Judy Frater received her M.A. from the University of Washington in
Anthropology, Museology. She worked at the Henry Art Gallery, Seattle, WA in
1986-1987 as a Researcher in the collection of India textiles and was the
Education assistant for the Festival of India exhibition at the Pacific Science
Center in 1986. From 1989 to 1992 she was the Associate Curator of Eastern
Hemisphere Collections at The Textile Museum, Washington, D.C.
She has been the Project Director of The Kala Raksha Trust Since 1993.
In October, 2005, she was awarded an Ashoka Foundation Fellowship to realize
the KALA RAKSHA VIDHYALAYA project.
In March 2009 she was also awarded the Sir Misha Black Medal for Distinguished
Services to Design Education.
The two artisans joining us are:
Harkhuben Bhojraj Rabari, an expert artisan in beadwork, embroidery and
mud relief work.
Meghiben Rupa Meriya, a fiber and patchwork artist who, in 2001 pioneered
development of the narrative art form.
You can learn more about this presentation at the Kala Raksha website:
http://www.kala-raksha.org/vidhyalaya.htm
MEETING SCHEDULE:
5:00 Mix and mingle. Announcements
5:15 KALA RAKSHA VIDHYALAYA
6:30 Show and Tell. Bring a favorite Indian textile to share with the group.
7:00 Trunk Show with items from the Kala Raksha artists
MEETING LOCATION AND DIRECTIONS:
From I-5 or 405, take 520 towards the UW. From the Eastside, exit at Lake
Washington Blvd and turn left off the bridge and right into the Arboretum.
From I-5 take the first exit from 520, Montlake Blvd. Go straight through the
light, following the main road until you take a right into the Arboretum. Go
through the Arboretum, turning left at the light at Madison St. Go about a
mile and turn right on E Blaine St. Pioneer Hall is straight ahead two blocks.
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