Thursday, October 21, 2010

National Institute of Design -- October 18

This morning was our last outing in Ahmedabad as a group, to the famous National Institute of Design.  The school was founded in the 1960s by a textile merchant family, endorsed by Charles Eames, and has become the foremost centre of design training in Asia.  Some 7000 applications come in for 250 spaces within 17 disciplines from textile, furniture and housewares, to graphic design. We had a short tour of the campus, more tea, and had a talk from the current director.  What I found particularly interesting is NID's work in fostering artisan craft in remote areas for development where few other resources exist. NID is helping artisans connect to the marketplace and as such, is preserving craftwork that has been passed down through generations.  So next time you go into a shop such as Ten Thousand Villages or an Oxfam shop, look for handicrafts from Jiwaja in Rajasthan! 

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