Raksh Folk Arts Of India Foundation (International Indian Folk Art Gallery)
Raksh Folk Arts Of India Foundation (International Indian Folk Art Gallery) is now registered in India as a Not For Profit Non-Governmental Organization (NGO). CIN- U92490TN2023NPL158060. We aspire to take Indian Folk Arts to a global arena.
Founded in Australia as International Indian Folk Art Gallery in 2020 as a social enterprise with the support of family, friends, and volunteers. Based on its success and recognition, in August 2022, we registered the same with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission as Indian Folk Art Foundation.
As a not-for-profit organisation, our aim is to continue working with the community to shed light on endangered Indian folk arts while building a cross-cultural connection with Indian-Australian art lovers.
As a Not For Profit organisation, we see traditional Indian art as an excellent vehicle to integrate Indian communities, by
- Enhancing recognition, creating jobs and for effective participation in a wider, multi-cultural society.
- Trusted support mechanism to aid with emotional, psychological and social well-being
- Opportunity to provide the next generation with necessary cultural identity and relevance
Our Vision:
Passing Indian Folk Art To The Next Generation
Our mission
- Knowledge transfer: Capture skills to create beautiful Indian Folk Art and transfer knowledge to the next generation through free and paid training, offered through our Gurukulam, state of art online learning management system. For underprivileged artists, we help set up their own personal ” Online Gurukulam” at no additional costs.
- Dignified living: Provide an opportunity to underprivileged Indian folk artists to promote and sell their artwork for sustainable living. Free personal online gallery for all.
- Identify and recognize new talent through International Indian Folk Art Competition.
Our founding journey
However, except for a handful, the rest of them are on the verge of extinction. The once-thriving community of artists in a village is now dwindled down to a couple of families fighting to keep the art alive.
We are a small group of art lovers, on a mission to revive thousands of years old traditional and tribal arts of India or folk arts of India.
This passion quickly transformed into a major initiative to revive Indian Folk Art and Artists. This initiative has now become our mission. In 2020, we officially registered the Indian Folk Art Gallery as a business entity in Australia and investing to build the largest online platform for Indian Folk Arts and Artists globally.
It’s encouraging to see a modern variant of Tanjore paintings being acquired by art collectors, created by highly-skilled and passionate non-traditional artists. However, these modern variant use alternative materials and methodologies. Whilst it’s important to grow modern methodologies, it’s imperative we also protect traditional artists and their methodologies.
