21 Dec 2009
8 Dec 2009
An arts education initiative
(By Nalini S Malaviya)
It cannot be denied that arts education in our country requires the necessary impetus in order to facilitate a more holistic environment for learning. Most schools follow the archaic system of having one or two classes of ‘music’ or ‘drawing’ in a week, however these are stand alone sessions that are not really integrated with the process of learning. The integration of arts education at the school level is a matter of grave concern and to address this issue, an arts education conference is being organized by the Goethe-Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan, Bangalore and the India Foundation for the Arts (IFA) later this week on 11 - 12th of December.
It cannot be denied that arts education in our country requires the necessary impetus in order to facilitate a more holistic environment for learning. Most schools follow the archaic system of having one or two classes of ‘music’ or ‘drawing’ in a week, however these are stand alone sessions that are not really integrated with the process of learning. The integration of arts education at the school level is a matter of grave concern and to address this issue, an arts education conference is being organized by the Goethe-Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan, Bangalore and the India Foundation for the Arts (IFA) later this week on 11 - 12th of December.
In the recent past, the film Taare Zameen Par, helped dramatically in creating awareness about the importance of arts in the process of learning. Although, the film highlighted the role of arts in facilitating learning in children with special needs, in fact, music, fine arts, theatre, puppetry and other creative practices are important tools that assist in the overall development of a child. And, with a little bit of an effort these can be adopted as part of the curricula in a conventional schooling system.
In the background note released by the IFA, according to the Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity, Paris in 2001, ‘Culture and the arts, in their broadest sense, are a critical mediatory force in the quest for understanding, empathy and dialogue between divergent thoughts, dogmas, ideologies and world-views.” This conference is an extension of Kali-Kalisu project that deals with the empowerment of school teachers through arts pedagogy training workshops, and through it the organizers hope to articulate frameworks and directions for arts education in the country. Some of the topics that will be discussed include the current legislative scenario and arts education, the structures of the arts education, arts and early childhood education, language, poetry and creativity, puppetry, music and movement arts.
In my opinion, an initiative such as this will not only help in creating the basis for supporting arts education, but also in creating wider awareness that will help in the actualization of various proposals that focus on the holistic development of every child. Legislations, children’s rights and bills, and proposals to ease pressures of examinations are all steps towards the right direction, but these have to be combined with a broader approach that stresses on the role of arts in providing quality education.
(Published in Bangalore Mirror)
7 Dec 2009
The fine art of collecting
(By Nalini S Malaviya)
Now, that once more there is an interest in art, there are people who are looking at art either as a financial investment or as a collectible. To begin an art collection it is important to identify the motives behind it. One of the main reasons why people collect art is that they are passionate about it.
There are collectors who buy representative art from various periods or they focus on a specific school, style of painting, era or artist. Again, it is important to be clear whether the collection is going to be a private one or if it could be put on public display at a later date. It is also essential to realize that an art collection, unlike one comprising of smaller collectibles needs a lot of space, and special care in terms of lighting and maintenance.
Once you have identified the kind of collection that you are looking at building, you can begin by making a list of artists or works that you wish to acquire. In fact, there are some people who might begin collecting in a small way and then get so passionate about it that they decide to convert it into a more organized and larger collection. There are some people who prefer to collect only modern art or contemporary works, or old prints or only new media works. Sometimes, the choice of the collector is governed by considerations such as budget, available space, and time required to dedicate to such an activity.
Whatever the reason behind collecting, the process of buying art can be an exciting and rewarding one. However, there will be times, when one is forced to overlook personal tastes in favor of more intelligent choices, which would benefit the entire collection as a whole.
When one is collecting art, irrespective of the initial investment, the overall value of the collection is bound to go up with time. Therefore, it is important that you do the necessary research and take the time to build one that will be significant in terms of historical content and also its financial worth.
(Published in Financial Times)
23 Nov 2009
Understanding art prices
(By Nalini S Malaviya)
Now that the art market is beginning to look up, there is a lot of interest in understanding the intricacies of the market. The pricing of artworks has been a component that often requires a greater understanding of the market dynamics in order to analyze it. And, even then it may not appear entirely rational, as it is not completely deterministic or quantifiable.
Many people fail to comprehend the logic behind art prices and their upward movement due to its multivariate nature, there are a certain amount of elements that influence it. Also, it is important realize that there is a difference between the commercial price of an artwork and its value. The price of an artwork is determined by physical attributes such as market conditions whereas the value is its perceived worth or a subjective opinion of the viewer.
Typically, the price of an artwork depends upon the medium and size of the work, previous price points, its rarity and the artist. Art prices in the primary market are driven essentially by the artist and the gallery, whereas prices in the secondary market are often driven by demand. For instance, in an auction there is a reserve price which is estimated for a given piece of work prior to the auction, and its subsequent sale price could be much higher, sometimes in multiples of the reserve price. The sale price is driven up by the demand and may be a result of competitive bidding.
It has also become common to estimate prices of an artwork based on per-square-inch / foot or centimeter. And, some auction houses tend to follow this system of computation as a basis. However, there are no standard formulae to evaluate the price or value of an artwork, and hence the discrepancies that are seen in the market.
As a buyer it would be wise to crosscheck comparative prices before making a decision, but at the end of the day, if there is a particular piece of art that you wish to own, be prepared to pay for it.
(Published in Financial Times)
Now that the art market is beginning to look up, there is a lot of interest in understanding the intricacies of the market. The pricing of artworks has been a component that often requires a greater understanding of the market dynamics in order to analyze it. And, even then it may not appear entirely rational, as it is not completely deterministic or quantifiable.
Many people fail to comprehend the logic behind art prices and their upward movement due to its multivariate nature, there are a certain amount of elements that influence it. Also, it is important realize that there is a difference between the commercial price of an artwork and its value. The price of an artwork is determined by physical attributes such as market conditions whereas the value is its perceived worth or a subjective opinion of the viewer.
Typically, the price of an artwork depends upon the medium and size of the work, previous price points, its rarity and the artist. Art prices in the primary market are driven essentially by the artist and the gallery, whereas prices in the secondary market are often driven by demand. For instance, in an auction there is a reserve price which is estimated for a given piece of work prior to the auction, and its subsequent sale price could be much higher, sometimes in multiples of the reserve price. The sale price is driven up by the demand and may be a result of competitive bidding.
It has also become common to estimate prices of an artwork based on per-square-inch / foot or centimeter. And, some auction houses tend to follow this system of computation as a basis. However, there are no standard formulae to evaluate the price or value of an artwork, and hence the discrepancies that are seen in the market.
As a buyer it would be wise to crosscheck comparative prices before making a decision, but at the end of the day, if there is a particular piece of art that you wish to own, be prepared to pay for it.
(Published in Financial Times)
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