Judy Frater introduced Artisans by Design: An Odyssey of Education for Textile Artisans in India (Schiffer, 2024), which chronicles the journey of developing the first design school for artisans in India and fifteen years of artisans learning design. Judy also read excerpts from the book. The story is told in vignettes of artisans who were part of the journey. Two artisan designers featured in the book, Adil Khatri and Pachan Siju, shared the stage and discussed their understanding of traditions and the value of cultural heritage, and their experiences of contemporary markets and innovation. The audience will be encouraged to join in to explore the impacts and implications of formal design education.

Artist Bio:

Judy Frater (she/her) is an Ashoka Fellow steeped in the world of contemporary textile artisans of Kutch, Gujarat, India. Residing in Kutch for 30 years, she co-founded and operated Kala Raksha, a cooperative for women embroiderers; established the Kala Raksha Textile Museum; founded Kala Raksha Vidhyalaya, the first design school for traditional artisans; and reinvented the school as Somaiya Kala Vidya. She received the Sir Misha Black Medal for Distinguished Services to Design Education, the Crafts Council of India Kamla award, the George B. Walter’36 Service to Society Award, the New Delhi Rotary Distinguished Service Award, and the Association of Designers of India Design Guru Award. Prior to residing in India, Judy was Associate Curator of Eastern Hemisphere Collections at The Textile Museum. She authored the award-winning book Threads of Identity: Embroidery and Adornment of the Nomadic Rabaris (1995) and The Art of the Dyer in Kutch (2021). Her third book, Artisans by Design: An Odyssey of Education for Textile Artisans in India, will be published in October 2024. In 2022, Judy was the Interdisciplinary Artist in Residence at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.  Since 2022 she has led annual artisan tours in Kutch.