Session Description

This session will introduce the folk art form of the Warli tribal people who live in Maharashtra, India. It will also engage the audience in a Warli art workshop where they can learn to create a beautiful piece of Warli art.

What will educators learn and be able to do at the end of the session?

Objectives: 

• To recognize and analyze art from various cultures and styles. 
• To introduce the Indian folk art form of Warli Art in a hands-on activity.
• To generate collaborations and discussions about folk art forms of the world with fellow educators.
• To establish cross curricular connections with mathematics, social studies, English in elementary grades.
• To sensitize the world about the fragility of the social, environmental and economic fabric of indigenous populations; thereby indirectly aligning with the UN Sustainable Development Goal 8, which aims to promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all.
• To integrate the over arching theme of the presenter's school, 'Route to Roots,’ and act upon it.

Goals:

• The audience will participate  in a Warli art workshop where they can learn to  create a beautiful piece of Warli art. 
• They will understand and be sensitive to the current plight of the artists and the community.

Additional Session Information

As an art educator, the presenter's efforts have always been to sensitize and promote the folk art forms of my country among the students. Each academic session, the presenter gives the students a hands on experience to create a folk art work, whether it is a wall mounted picture or a place mat or even a simple card or bookmark. It is vital that they are taught to absorb the rich cultural roots from which they grow. It teaches them humility and perseverance, apart from a good understanding of the depth of our cultural roots. As a representative of India, it would be the presenter's privilege to become an ambassador of a folk art form and spread the roots of my culture beyond the shores of India. 

Art transcends boundaries and connects people.

The roots of Indian Art are the myriad folk and tribal art forms spread across the length and breadth of the diverse landscape, dating back centuries. They are still preserved and practiced in the regions where they originated. These folk art forms are the foundations on which our rich culture rests and are the warps and wefts of the fabric of our traditional design. Today the art forms have percolated, absorbed and assimilated in popular culture, fashion, interior design, etc. and reflect our unique identity. 

However, there is an unfortunate reality that is also associated with it. The indigenous artists are not enjoying the benefits of the popularity of the art form itself and are a marginalized and neglected lot, which stands out as a stark contradiction, to say the least. Development has resulted in uprooting of their surrounding environment and causing immense hardships to their daily existence.

As an art educator, the presenter's efforts have always been to sensitize and promote the folk art forms of my country among the students. Each academic session, the presenter gives the students a hands on experience to create a folk art work, whether it is a wall mounted picture or a place mat or even a simple card or bookmark. It is vital that they are taught to absorb the rich cultural roots from which they grow. It teaches them humility and perseverance, apart from a good understanding of the depth of our cultural roots. As a representative of India, it would be the presenter's privilege to become an ambassador of a folk art form and spread the roots of my culture beyond the shores of India. 

Interactive Activity: 

a) To introduce the folk art form of the Warli tribal people who live in Maharashtra, India. 

b) To engage the audience in a Warli art workshop where they can learn to create a beautiful piece of Warli art. 

Information about Warli Art:

The Warli tribe is one of the largest in India, located outside of Mumbai. Despite being close to one of the largest cities in India, the Warli reject much of contemporary culture. The style of Warli painting is thought to date back as early  as 10th century A.D.The Warli culture is centered around the concept of Mother Nature and elements of nature are often focal points depicted in Warli painting. Farming is their main way of life and a large source of food for the tribe. They greatly respect nature and wildlife for the resources that they provide for life. Warli artists use their clay huts as the backdrop for their paintings, similar to how ancient people used cave walls as their canvases.

These rudimentary wall paintings use a set of basic geometric shapes: a circle, a triangle, and a square. These shapes are symbolic of different elements of nature. The circle and the triangle come from their observation of nature. The circle represents the sun and the moon, while the triangle is derived from mountains and pointed trees. In contrast, the square appears to be a human invention, indicating a sacred enclosure or a piece of land. The Warli only paint with a white pigment made from a mixture of rice paste and water, with gum as a binder. A bamboo stick is chewed at the end to give it the texture of a paintbrush.

Warli Painting is traditional knowledge and cultural intellectual property preserved across generations. Understanding the urgent need for intellectual property rights, the tribal non-profit organization Adivasi Yuva Seva Sangh helped to register Warli painting with a geographical indication under the intellectual property rights act. Various efforts are in progress for strengthening sustainable economy of the Warli with social entrepreneurship.

[ source: Wikipedia]