Gond Folk Art online workshop, beginners level with Apex Public School , Sopore, Baramulla
The online workshop on Monday (31-01-2022) that saw participation from students (class 2 to class 8) of Apex Public School Sopore began as another effort of JK Arts Foundation to inspire and motivate school children to understand and enjoy art, both as "viewers" and "makers''. The students watched the Beginner's Level Gond Art instruction video with calm enjoyment, and had a good time understanding and imitating the artist in it. They participated enthusiastically in what they perceived as a drawing, painting, and artistic pursuit. The students enjoyed the delicate task of producing art and actively sought participation in similar activities in the future.
The cooperative and friendly students exhibited a high level of enjoyment throughout the workshop and were happy for the break from their usual routine, the chance to engage directly with the art making process and test their creative abilities. Each student spoke with vigour and enthusiasm, when questioned about their experience with the “Unleash Your Inner Artist Program” of JK Arts Foundation designed to harness the transformational power of the arts to inspire and discover the inner artist in every child. “It was an amazing experience and of course I would love to be involved again in other art-related activities being offered by the JK Arts Foundation,” said one of the participants.
The teacher in charge of the workshop expressed her desire to continue encouraging the students for carrying out art-related activities with JK Arts Foundation in the future as well. “I am very happy that my students enjoyed learning the Gond art form, and emerged better prepared for the fun learning activity that promoted self-motivation, aspiration and that allowed them to learn how to create and engage on a different level,” she said.
The place where the Apex Public School is located is known as Sopore, a town in the Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir, India. The place, also known as the Apple Town, is famous for being the biggest economic hub for Kashmir. It is the largest wholesale fruit market in Kashmir, and the second-largest in Asia after Azadpur in Delhi.
The Gond art of Gond tribe that has its origin in Madhya Pradesh, and derived its name from the word ‘Kond’, meaning “green mountain” is considered to be primarily from Madhya Pradesh, it is also popular in regions like Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha. The Gond art and paintings are very popular as these folk artworks are put on display in various international exhibitions.
Dating back to more than 1400 years ago, the Gond tribe has painted and carved art on the walls of caves that all belong to the Mesolithic Period. The Gonds believe that viewing good images brings in good luck. The painting and other forms of expressive art are a popular and traditional practice among them which is why they paint motifs, tattoos, and images on the floors and walls of their houses. Their paintings pass on historical knowledge and teachings of their community.
The JK Arts Foundation conducts online art workshops to ensure that parents take time, especially during the pandemic when people are asked to stay at home, to be with their children to participate in interactive and fun learning activities they both can enjoy performing. It is worth mentioning that, by making the most of the advanced and ubiquitous video conferencing technology, the JK Arts Foundation provides easy and free access to digital resources for teaching and learning art education.