Kalamkari Workshop

Participants will learn to create a simple Kalamkari piece, which they can take home and hang in their homes. The workshop aims for participants to understand the significant skill that goes into making Kalamkari textiles and think critically about the history of temple art, as something that is both “traditional” and “modern.”

• Presentation on the history of Kalamkari: 20-30 mins
• Demonstration & creation of Kalamkari piece: 1.5 hours

Although the workshop is free, the facilitator would appreciate folks who can afford it to donate $30 to $50 to cover the cost of materials and supplies.

Please RSVP

More about the art of Kalamkari: Kalamkari comes from two Persian words qalam (pen) and kari (craftsmanship), which translates to drawing with a pen. The textile craft travelled to India about 3000 years ago, and settled in the temple town of Sri Kalahasti. A free-hand painted textile form using a bamboo pen and natural dyes, Kalamkari undergoes 23 steps of process.

More about he facilitator: Nikita Shah is a multidisciplinary artist and educator at the convergence of fashion, art, and culture. Nikita’s soul’s calling is for the world to rediscover Kalamkari. Through various invasions and colonization, Kalamkari has turned into a textile craft for products such as fashion and lifestyle. But the origin of Kalamkari has been to document stories. Nikita interprets the root of this traditional textile and narrates modern-day activism of gender identity, mental health, geopolitics, and home through her art.

Find more Nikita’s bio: https://www.un-title.com/about Other Workshops: https://www.un-title.com/workshops

For any questions, you can reach out to Nikita at nikita.untitle@gmail.com.