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This is a special space – one where the team of teachers, staff, children, alumni, partners and customers use their colours, shiny sequins and pompoms to talk about their art ideas, stories, triumphs as well as challenges. This is the voice of Art for Akanksha.

Jarrett J. Krosoczka: How a boy became an artist

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Learning Space
Jarrett J. Krosoczka: How a boy became an artist

This video has the journey of how a boy who became an artist/Jarrett J. Krosoczka/Ted Talks

What does it mean to embrace art?
Is it possible to consider Art as your career?
What roles does a teacher okay in a child’s life?

Teachers are certainly the life-changer for many students and in many ways shape a child’s attitude towards discovering and pursuing what he/ she loves. This video talks about never giving up and continuing to love what you do or do what you love.?

Link – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_k0ywFgMpFk

Teaching art or teaching to think like an artist? | Cindy Foley | TEDxColumbus

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This video as an educator will push us to take a pause and think about these big questions.

– How do we teach art to our children, do we teach them art and the techniques or do we teach them to think like an artist?
– In art how can some things can be so concrete and why do we look for the concrete response?
– why there is a disconnect between creativity and art education?
What is teaching for creativity is?

Go through it and take a time out to revisit the way we teach art?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcFRfJb2ONk

Learning Space

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A journey through the mind of an artist/ Dustin Yellin/ Ted Talks/ 2016

Does Art have limitations?
Does Art follow the equation of 2+2 = 4?
Does the imagination have to be predefined?
Have you ever thought about thinking the impossible? Have you ever had any unique/strange/weird ideas for creating art?

This video truly inspires me to think about what is unthinkable. To say that Art doesn’t have any boundaries.

What do you think is the biggest source of inspiration to create unique, out-of-the-box art forms?

link – https://youtu.be/LN820hIQ17Q

Donate art supplies for intermediate art exam

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It’s that time of the year when you get a chance to do a little bit to support our talented artists in school. 312 students from 9 Akanksha run schools are giving the elementary or intermediate art exam in the next few months. They need good quality art supplies to help them enhance their skills.

These state run art exams are critical for students who want to pursue any kind of career connected to art and are like entrance exams for some of the top art colleges in the state.

Last year of the 189 students who took the exams, 30% got A and B grades which is really good. 60% got a C grade which will give them the chance to apply to an art college and that’s all we really want – that our students have options to pick the careers that they are most passionate about.

The art team supports art teachers and school teams in all the extra classes and times that students need to crack this exam. What we struggle with is getting the art supplies as they are expensive. The last two years have been incredible in how so many of our supporters have helped so generously. We hope you continue to do so.

https://www.donatekart.com/Akanksha/Akanksha_Back2School2019#about-campaign

Kathakali Mask by 6th Grade

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This 6th grade class under Anjali’s incredible facilitation saw students create Kathakali masks and they are beautiful. What these pictures do not show you is how much else students learnt – working as a team, roles of each individual, leadership skills, planning, brainstorming, conflict management, collaboration, decision making… It’s not just art, is a little slice of life… ‘We learned how to make the most beautiful and the attractive kathakali mask, how dance is done and also about their culture which is so beautiful. They don’t wear a mask they do makeup to look like Kathakali dancers. Our kathakali mask was different from the original one, to make our mask look good we have used a lot of decorative materials.’ Somaiya 12 years old says on behalf of her team.

When art is more than art.

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When art is more than art. It’s a way to heal, to understand, to reflect, to connect, to love, to emote, to rejoice… To be a little more you… A little more true…
This piece of art was all of that… Saw an old class reunite even if in small numbers… they came together for each other, to be with an old teacher, to do what brought us together – art.

Come to the Akanksha annual days in Pune 4 Feb and Bombay 8 Feb to see what the alumni put together…

 ‘Life is like this – dark and messy but there’s light. You have to believe that.’

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Raju, an Akanksha alumnus, began art when he was just 8 years old through the weekend art classes at Akanksha. He stood out right from the start for his drive to get it right, to be different and to be meticulous in everything he did. He came in class with all his troubles and very often retreated within himself but he knew it was a space he owned. Whatever may be happening elsewhere, in his art class, he was the king.

Raju shares anecdotes from his childhood and journey as a mischievous child to a responsible adult whose career in art today defines his destiny.

“Before I joined Akanksha, I was careless and very naughty. I didn’t listen to anyone and drove my teachers up the wall! So one fine day, I simply decided to stop going to school! My parents were not happy with my decision. My friend Appuraja, who was an Akanksha student, approached my family and got me enrolled into Akanksha. Thanks to the didis and bhaiyas there, the Municipal school that I used to go to, agreed to take me back.”

“Akanksha was my home away from home. I rarely attended school, but I didn’t miss a single day at my Akanksha centre. Even though our centre timing was till 11:30 am, I would hang around till noon. My life at the centre was totally different from my experiences in school. I enjoyed every session, every activity, carefully planned by my didis and bhaiyas and was curious to know more.”

No one in class could surpass Raju’s brilliance and with the support of his teacher, he made it through a diploma in fine art through the Raheja College.

“I was passionate about art from the very beginning. And I was lucky because I was part of art class from the second day that I joined Akanksha! My school would actually misuse my talent to win prizes because I was the only child who stood first or second in all the drawing competitions. It was in Akanksha that my art was truly valued and respected. It pushed me to look at a future in this field and my didis and bhaiyas were the ones who got me into Art College and helped strengthen the foundation of my career in art. Today my work is my world! My work is enjoyment! My work has given me freedom!”

Today, at 27, Raju freelances as an Assistant Set Designer and Art Director, which he loves because it challenges him and keeps him on his toes. Things at a personal level have always been turbulent but he says that his art has kept him stable and sane. “Art has been there for me when I felt all alone and when there was no one else.”

Need we say more!

Support more children like Raju. Support art education.

Buy Raju’s art on our products at https://www.artforakanksha.org/shop-products/

#artforakanksha

 

 

Morgan Stanley celebrates volunteering day with colours!

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The team at Morgan Stanley wanted to do something special and different for their volunteering day. There were many objectives to achieve – team building, having fun along with being able to make a difference in someone’s life.

They decided to brighten up the walls of a hospital with the help of the Art for Akanksha team.

We took the theme of ‘things that make me happy and things that I’m grateful for’ and opened it out for brainstorming in both the teams and came up with an interesting list of moments that we all feel grateful for. It ranged from family, friends, sunshine to education and food and music to playing football or feeling your hair in the wind as you cycle!

We took this list of a mix of serious as well as the whimsical into simple sketches, which were painted on 35 canvases and through a serious of workshops, got over 200 employees from two of the Morgan Stanley offices to paint on them.

The workshops were simple, fun and for most of the participants really surprising. They surprised themselves and each other with what they could do with colours. And we hope that the art brightens up many hospital walls!

“I want to be known by my work.”

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A shy little child joined Akanksha at the age of eight. Her name was Sana. “Before I joined Akanksha I was scared of everything. In the school that I went to, my teachers would beat me, and insult me in front of the whole class. They would ask me why I come to school if I don’t have money. I didn’t have any friends in school either.” Sana’s aunt got them word that a new tuition class had started nearby and her mother was keen on seeing what it was all about. What was Akanksha? What could it do for her? Little Sana hardly thought about it. Her mother was supportive of the idea and when Sana went to the Akanksha centre, a new world opened up for her. A world which helped Sana become who she is today – an alumni who upholds every value that Akanksha has ever taught; a self assured, honest, diligent professional with a heart of gold and a head full of dreams; a responsible and loving daughter and sister who supports a family of seven. Sana is someone you’re not likely to forget if you’ve met her once.

“When I think of pre-Akanksha days, I get upset. Those are the only memories that I’d want to erase from my life. I remember, it was raining hard one day and I went to school without a raincoat and was wet from head to toe. The teachers told me to stay out till my clothes were dry.”

“I joined design class at a time when everything was going wrong for me and I had really low self esteem. But the more classes I attended the more I learnt about myself. I learnt that I should never laugh at anyone or pull them down. I learnt that I should always encourage people and help them grow in confidence.”

“I could neither speak nor understand English before I joined Akanksha. I could never tell the difference between today, tomorrow and yesterday! But now I interact with my clients in English, I conduct workshops at corporates with complete confidence. I love home exhibitions purely because I get a chance to talk to so many individuals. This change in me happened only because of my education. Stepping into the Akanksha centre was like stepping into heaven. I was showered with love and affection from everyone. And a lot many opportunities came my way as well.”

Sana was 18, when her family needed financial support and she had to get a job. Her familiarity with Akanksha brought her back and today Sana is an integral part of Art for Akanksha and works as an Art Associate. “Many of my friends are married, but now my parents know I am capable of earning and being independent. I have been working with the art department for many years now. It is here that I have learnt to make choices for myself.”

“Art and work have completely changed my life! It has given me the confidence to look at things differently, to find solutions to problems. Through art I’ve learnt to give a 100% to my work, at all times, keeping personal problems aside, I ensure that things get done on time. I don’t want people to know me by my name. But I want them to know me by my work.”

“In art class I came up with my own unique style of using dots. It was a phase, where I only used dots and I would get completely engrossed in them. The dot was a mirror that helped me realise my potential. I’ve tried to bring it back again! Hope you like it.”