Staying Connected #25 | Hear ye Hear ye | December 21, 2023
In this edition of Staying Connected, we showcase two projects implemented by us that created podcasts that engage with diverse histories - of medicine, and of Christian Art in India. These podcasts highlight how the creative use of audiovisual media can lead to engagements welcoming newer interactions, expanding access, and forging relationships with audiences, while also telling us about the advent and evolution of different cultures and practices; and offering a glimpse into institutional histories.
The newsletter also brings to you recordings of conversations with artists on IFA implemented projects and grants from the past few months, the new projects implemented by us, our Annual Report from 2022-23, open calls for proposals and resources from conferences we held last year.
Plug in your headphones and listen to two podcasts created by Project Coordinators under the Archives and Museums programme, that engage with the collections of two museums in India.
Altar of Time is a series that explores Indian Christian myth, ritual, craft and lives through the collection of the Museum of Christian Art (MoCA) in the Convent of Santa Monica in Old Goa. Listen to the first episode here.
This project was made possible with part-support from Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan New Delhi and Parijat Foundation.
Rooh is a series on the history of medicine in South Asia, created by Akash Srinivas and his collaborator Durga Kale, for a project, in collaboration with the SL Bhatia History of Medicine Museum, Library and Archives. The first episode offers a sneak peek into the museum exhibits and materials.
This project was made possible with part-support from Parijat Foundation.
Project Showcase@IFA
Project Showcase@IFA is a series of monthly presentations to showcase, discuss, and engage audiences with the diverse projects we support and implement across programmes. Watch and listen to four such conversations held between July and November 2023 on varied themes, from the politics behind public statues in Bangalore to examining a well-known song to create a lecture performance.
The ‘Public’ in Public Art: Exploring Spatial Politics of a City was a session with Salila P Vanka, S Madhuri Rao and Ravi Kumar Kashi, that discussed how public sculptures and statues in Bangalore reflect the city’s social, cultural, political and spatial milieu.
Salila Prasad Vanka was the Project Coordinator of the Foundation Project implemented by IFA under the Project 560 programme, made possible with support from Sony Pictures Entertainment Fund.
Facing History and Ourselves: A Conversation on Citizenship and Exclusions was a session between Subasri Krishnan and Tarun Bhartiya which attempted to unpack the historical impact of geopolitical events and political manipulations in Assam in the disruption and fragmentation of people's lives in the state, dehumanising them into mere legal categories of ‘refugee’, ‘illegal migrants’ and ‘citizens’.
Subasri Krishnan was the Project Coordinator of a Foundation Project implemented by IFA under the Archives and Museums programme, in collaboration with People’s Archive of Rural India, made possible with part-support from Goethe-Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan New Delhi.
Spaces for Practice was a conversation between Vikram Iyengar, Debashree Bhattacharya, Srijaa Kundu and Srijaini Ghosh’ that discussed safe spaces for thinking through discursive questions on choreographic practices and experiencing new ways of making movement arts.
Vikram Iyengar was the Project Coordinator of the Foundation Project implemented by IFA under the Arts Practice programme, made possible with support from Sony Pictures Entertainment Fund.
Anatomy of a Song was a lecture performance by Suvani Suri and Amarnath Praful in which they attempted to understand how a song could have an anatomical operation performed on it, focusing on We Shall Overcome, a song identifiable and in the collective memory of people running across geographies, locations, languages, and experiences.
Suvani Suri was the Project Coordinator of the Foundation Project implemented by IFA under the Arts Practice programme, made possible with support from Sony Pictures Entertainment Fund.
In a special showcase conducted offline, Mala Pradeep Sinha and her collaborator Suchitra Balasubrahmanyan showcased their project at The Park, Bangalore in August 2023.
Titled In His Own Right: The Life and Work of Maneklal Gajjar, the project researched into materials from Maneklal’s incredible archive of his designs, correspondences with clients, books of accounts, photographs and films to offer the audience a glimpse into his work and the shaping of his aesthetic and social persona. The event was open to all and had Sign Language interpretation.
Mala Pradeep Sinha received a grant from IFA under the Arts Research programme, made possible with support from Parijat Foundation.
Annual Report 2022-23 | Our Work at a Glance
Explore IFA in 2022-23, a year where we responded to new ways of understanding, facilitating, and creating spaces for artistic journeys. It contains the work we did in the year and descriptions of the 60 projects we implemented that explored a range of artistic concerns across multiple disciplines and locations. Click here to read the full Report.
Open Calls
Are you an artist, scholar, cultural practitioner hoping to apply for support from IFA?
Would you like to present your project at a conference we host?
Archives and Museums
IFA, in collaboration with Zapurza Museum of Art & Culture, is currently accepting proposals for the IFA-ZMAC Scholarly and Creative Projects
Deadline: January 24, 2024
Arts Practice: You can apply under the categories of Workshops/ Residencies/ Seminars and Arts Platforms throughout the year.
The Arts Practice programme is made possible with support from Sony Pictures Entertainment Fund.
Project 560: The Curated Artistic Engagements category under the programme also accepts proposals throughout the year.
The Project 560 programme is made possible with support from BNP Paribas India.
Arts Education
Call for Presentation Abstracts: Udaka – Learnings from Arts Education: A Regional Conference
Deadline: January 07, 2024
IFA is organising a conference in Coastal Karnataka in 2024 that aims to bring together scholars, artists, arts educators, teachers and administrators to discuss how the arts can enrich the lives of students as well as classroom teaching and learning experience. We invite presentation abstracts in Tulu, Konkani, Kannada, Byari, Malayalam and Marathi.
The regional conference organised by India Foundation for the Arts under the Arts Education programme is made possible with support from Cholamandalam Investment and Finance Company.
New Projects at IFA
We have implemented three projects under the Arts Practice and Archives and Museums programmes in the last few months. Read more about them below.
Raj Kumar Maurya (Archives and Museums) will explore the robust spice trade that was central to Kochi’s past and the poly colonial influences that informed the history of Kochi, drawing inspiration from the Muziris Papyrus scrolls, the book Hortus Malabaricus, and the map of Tabula Peutingeriana, in collaboration with Bastion Bungalow, Kochi.
Madhushree Basu (Workshops/Residencies/
Risa Halari Wahlang (Archives and Museums) will facilitate research, development and execution of a range of outreach programmes aimed at engaging students through educational and interactive experiences in Shillong, Meghalaya, in collaboration with the Ever Living Museum in Shillong.
Work with Us
We are currently looking for a Programme Officer to look after the Arts Practice programme and a part of the Project 560 programme.
Deadline: January 15, 2024
Send us your CV and cover letter at contactus@indiaifa.org with the subject line: Application for Programme Officer: Arts Practice
Read the detailed job call here
Conferences at IFA
In 2022-23, we held two conferences, one each under the Archives and Museums and the Arts Educations programme, held in Kolkata and Kalaburagi respectively. Watch the videos from proceedings at the two events and engage with conversations in the fields of arts-integrated education, history, and archives and museums.
Facing History and Ourselves: Revisiting Archives and Museums in 21st Century India
December 02 & 03, 2022 | Kolkata
The conference was made possible with support from Titan Company Limited, Kshirsagar Apte Foundation and Parijat Foundation.
Connecting the Dots – Lessons from Arts Education: A Regional Conference
February 22-24, 2023 | Kalaburagi
Read the conference report here
The Regional Conference was made possible with the support from the Cholamandalam Investment and Finance Company.
Hejjegalu
Hejjegalu ('Footsteps' in Kannada) is an annual publication reflecting on the significant impact and reach of the Kali Kalisu (Arts Education) programme at IFA. It gives an overview of this programme featuring Grantees/Project Coordinators, their projects and the larger story of arts education in India. Browse through the latest edition of Hejjegalu (2019-23) and get a sense of the projects, accompanied with rich illustrations!
The publication from 2019-23 is made possible with support from Singhal Iyer Family Foundation (SIFF).
Become a Friend of IFA
The arts open us up to the many ways of seeing, experiencing, and living, that enrich our individual and community lives. The support from our individual donors who help us to undertake the kind of projects we do, is invaluable. We invite you to become a Friend of IFA, and join a community that supports the telling of important stories and fosters connections between the artists and the public.
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