February 2012
16 posts
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"I've learned that no matter what happens..." →
“I’ve learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life goes on, and it will be better tomorrow. I’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas Tree lights. I’ve learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you’ll miss them when they’re gone from your...
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Patterns!
All found in India. Top left: shoes made by Congolese artisans being sold in the international section of the Surajkund Mela in New Delhi; Top right: floor of Mayank Kaul’s fab design studio near Saket, New Delhi; Bottom: Marble wall motif from a palace in Rajasthan.
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#ThingsILikeAboutIndia
#34. That no matter how full you are, you can still somehow find room when your friend’s Aunt offers a third helping of paratha.
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Domus: Articulating a vision for design in India →
A design report from New Delhi by Mayank Mansingh Kaul.
(via Ishan Khosla)
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“If we are to achieve a richer culture, rich in contrasting values, we must...”
– Margaret Mead
(via Oana Radulescu)
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WatchThe process of making sanitary napkins in an Indian Village. These six women go to work every day to make sanitary napkins for girls and women in their communities. Such a small tool for empowerment, but this allows girls to go to school and women to go to work the whole month, instead of missing out to tend to their monthly condition. Monja, Khartun, Nitel, and Shanti… you inspire me....
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A meeting with the Indian Institute of Craft &...
What: Indian Institute of Craft and Design
IICD was initiated by the Rajasthani government with the mission to “evolve a sustained program of growth and development of both crafts sector and craftsmen in an integrated manner. They focus on generating requisite knowledge, upgrading relevant skills and to fostering right attitudes in order to develop high quality, motivated human resource and...
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Jamawar: Kashmiri embroidery
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High heels, bangles, and rickshaws. #delhilife
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#ThingsILikeAboutIndia
#57. That women like this exist here.
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Judy Frater, artisan advocate and rockstar →
Last February, I had the great privilege of spending a couple weeks with the pioneering craft advocate and co-founder of Kala Raksha, Judy Frater. Judy is a rare find of a person in the world. She not only thinks with her brilliant mind, but her huge heart, and is more open about those things she thinks about than anyone I know. She’s lived in Kutch for more than 20 years working with...
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Event (NYC): Artisan Demos →
ASIA SOCIETY NYC, February 16-17, 12:30 - 4:00 pm
Block printing by Deepak Kumar Chhipa and Zardozi embroidery by Mohammad Shamim
Block printing uses traditional Mughal motifs of flowering vines that are carved into wooden blocks, so that the pattern protrudes from the wooden block, they are then coated with ink, and pressed firmly onto cloth, originally used to create costumes for the...
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#ThingsILikeAboutIndia
#1. That it’s totally normal for a random person to approach another random person in a local coffee shop to promote the launch of his/her new website, ask them to sign up, and want feedback asap. #entrepreneurialspirit
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“Self-interest is but the survival of the animal in us. Humanity only begins for...”
– Henri Frederic Amiel (from the lovely Zim Ugochukwu’s latest blog post titled Questions for Humanity, which is worth the read.)
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Infographic: All Poverty is Not Created Equal
This beautiful infographic conceived by Design Impact and designed by Cincinnati based designer, Donovan Preddy, illustrates the differences in “poverty” between the US and India. Here is the blog post that explains their thought process. Interesting…
Download, print, and share the High-Res PDF here.
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January 2012
14 posts
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FT.com article: Saris from France? →
In recent news: the luxury French brand Hermès has started producing and selling Saris in India for more than £5,500, and it has not made some Indians very happy.
In this recent Financial Times article, [Indian designer, Deepika] Govind speaks reverentially about difficult weaves such as the Patan patola (a reversible weave that appears luminous on both sides); the Bagh prints of Madhya...
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Tilonia! Rajasthan!
I just reached the Barefoot College in the village of Tilonia and I am so freakin’ excited! This is my first official visit to Rajasthan, the capital of Indian craft. Sadly, I arrived at night and can barely see the nose in front of me, so I’m headed to sleep so I can wake up ASAP and discover the awesomeness that awaits me.
Barefoot College has their hands (or “feet,” I...
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Gandhi's weapon was a spinning wheel
Gandhi’s revolution was about establishing self-sufficiency, peace, and dignity as a means to ending oppression against and creating opportunity for the poor, women, and the most vulnerable of India. And oddly enough, the spinning wheel (or charkha) was the symbol of that socio-economic freedom.
The majority of the country lived (and still lives) in rural areas (72%, according to the 2001...
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Designer Ishan Khosla mentions the Rubina Pilot in... →
One of the designers we’ve been talking with during the Pilot project is Ishan Khosla. He’s a Delhi based graphic designer incorporating traditional artisans into his design process. He was written up in the online Indian magazine, Your Story, and mentions the Rubina project. Thanks, Ishan!
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Event: Women Changing India →
This looks pretty damn cool. My former client, Barnard College, is putting on its 4th annual symposium here in Mumbai on March 16th, honoring women that are making a positive impact in India. Registration opens soon… stay tuned!
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And the Rubina Pilot Project begins...
I’m now settled in India which means that the Rubina Pilot Project has officially started!
What is the Rubina Pilot Project, you ask? Well, I’m here working to recruit the first round of designers + artisans to make unique, limited-edition accessory and home goods products for the online shop set to launch next summer after I return to Brooklyn. The designers and artisans are...
December 2011
7 posts
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WatchMerry Christmas! Here’s a fun little video to start off the Christmas week made by some of my favorite people! Hope you enjoy and have a FABULOUS holiday season everybody! (by Polly and Collin)
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India: Unbox Fellowships →
UnBox Fellowships provide an opportunity for chosen fellows to travel and work across a diverse selection of projects hosted in different parts of India. Anchored and led by domain experts, selected projects for 2012 include understanding sustainable lifestyles in Auroville, collaborating with craft groups in Rajasthan, sourcing fashion inspirations in the local textile traditions of...
Social or Cultural Entrepreneurship: An Argument... →
Cultural entrepreneurs, who often rely heavily on new media tools such as Twitter and Kickstarter, use persuasive communications and peer influence to shift attitudes, beliefs, and behavior and, in doing so, change the world for the better.
Think of cultural entrepreneurship as social entrepreneurship’s little sister. Social entrepreneurship has gotten considerable attention in the last decade...
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Trends: Embroidery-happy Hollywood →
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A Fab Sale: Domestic Aesthetic, eco-friendly home... →
My friend Diane of Domestic Aesthetic is having a sale on Fab.com. The spice block is made with reclaimed wood and is really gorgeous. This is a great deal!
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A Celebration of Global Entrepreneurship: The... →
Hope to see you there!
November 2011
11 posts
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Project Launch: A Gaggle of Tees →
Ashley and Sahar of Designing Hope (and fellow Pratt Incubator members) have launched their latest project: A Gaggle of Tees! From Ashley: “The shirts are based around the idea that different groups of animals have funny names – a murder of crows, a parliament of owls, a sleuth of bears, a business of ferrets, etc. And decided we wanted to use Gaggle of Tees to give back, so we found...
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Hey, women social entrepreneurs: Need funding?
Apply to the Pipeline Pitch Summit! Pipeline, the fellowship that trains women philanthropists to become investors, is now accepting applications for their 2012 Pitch Summit. This is an opportunity for a woman entrepreneur to win US$50,000 to fund their venture.
The Pipeline Fellowship will host four Pipeline Fellowship Pitch Summits in Spring 2012: one in Boston (February 24, 2012) and three...
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WatchWho knew? All the pure colorful happiness you need in life is in a skateboard swing.
(by jessi arrington)
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“A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer,
it sings because it has a song.”
– Maya Angelou, author and poet
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...But Does It Float →
…is a beautifully curated art website which has become my daily break-time obsession. I especially like the site’s micro view, which breaks each artist and work out with a clever, arty title. “Nothing is more powerful than an idea whose time has come” (Sculptures by Anish Kapoor; Title: Victor Hugo)
History’s Shadow (Photographs of museum x-rays by David...
October 2011
7 posts
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All That Authenticity May Be Getting Old -... →
printeresting:
Americans, fickly as ever, tire of the handmade.