On 20 th of April, 2023, the Faculty of Fashion & Design, SGT University visited the National Craft Museum by All India Handicraft Board, located at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi which falls under the purview of the Ministry of Textiles. The visit was attended by 30 students along with few faculty members
and Dean.
In 1956, the now-defunct All India Handicrafts Board founded the Crafts Museum. The region was intended to be an ethnographic place where craftsmen from all parts of India would come in to work towards the preservation of various traditional arts and crafts, and it was established in over a period of 30 years beginning in the 1950s and 1960s via the efforts of “Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay.” Today the museum holds over 35,000 rare and distinctive pieces reflecting the continuing tradition of Indian craftsmen through painting, embroidery, textiles, various crafts of clay, stone and wood etc. all housed in a building. Apart from the collection, the museum houses research and documentation facilities, a reference library, a conservation laboratory, a photo laboratory and an auditorium.
The main objective of this visit was to educate students about various Indian art and craft forms including paintings, sculptures, textiles, and artefacts; to demonstrate how artificial and natural light are used in interior spaces; to explain them the various regional traditional and vernacular building styles found in India; to understand material culture and how it changes over time and to educate students about the use of natural colours and dyes.
Students explored various art forms from all over India. They got the knowledge of different cultures and traditions and art works from different regions. They also gained an understanding of the spaces and layouts along with the use of light which would prove beneficial in their upcoming design related projects.
