India Habitat Centre Habitat Library & Resource Centre

IHC Walk: May 17, 2009 10:00 a!"!

Crafts Museum (National Handicrafts and Handloom Museum)

Pragati Maidan Bhairon Road New Delhi 110 001 Tel !1"11"#$$%1&&%' #$$%1()1 *a+ !1"11"#$$%1,1, -"mail nhhm./snl0net 1e2 htt3 ''nationalcraftsmuseum0nic0in'
Timings

Crafts Demonstrations 4 Crafts Museum 5ho3 10 a0m0 to ,0$0 30m0 6dministration 4 7i2rar8 !0$0 a0m0 to , 30m0 Closed da8s and Holida8s -+hi2ition 9alleries remain closed on Monda8s0 Crafts Demonstrations remain o3en on all da8s0 The :illage Com3le+ is closed from 1st ;ul8 to $0th 5e3tem2er< and li/e crafts demonstrations are held on reduced scale during this 3eriod0 The Museum remains closed on the following da8s Re3u2lic Da8< Holi< =nde3endence Da8< Diwali< and 9andhi ;a8anti0 -ntr8 No entr8 fee is charged

I#$R%&'C$I%# The institution of the museum, aimed at housing objects of antiquity, is of Western origin. Indians themselves did not have a tradition of setting up museums of

fragmented sculptures, rusted swords and out-of-context paintings. ro!en images were immersed in holy water, worn-out objects were left to decay and merge with the very earth from which they were created. It is due to this continuous process of abandonment of the old and reproduction of the new that the traditions of craftsmanship have formidably survived in India. "s India adopted the readymade Western archaeological museum concept in the traditions of craftsmanship have formidably survived in India. "s India adopted the readymade Western archaeological museum concept in the nineteenth century, it missed out on the fact that, unli!e the West, the #past# and #present# were not so severely divided in its case, and it therefore failed to give adequate importance in its museums to the evolving context of its culture - the living practices of rituals$ festivals$ wee!ly mar!ets$ picture-shows of itinerant storytellers$ the materials, techniques and tools of artisans$ the cultural changes and the attitude towards the past and the contemporary tradition as such. It is this overloo! dimension of Indian culture, which is emphasi%ed in the concept of the &rafts 'useum. (oon after the independence of India, various projects and schemes for preservation and development of handicrafts were envisaged in the )irst and (econd )ive *ear +lans. The establishment of a &rafts 'useum was an integral part of this policy. The core collection of the &rafts 'useum was put together in the ,-./s and 0/s to serve as reference material for the craftsmen whose hereditary traditions were fading on the face of modern industriali%ation. The low-lying museum building, most appropriate for displaying India#s rural and tribal arts, is designed by the renowned architect &harles &orrea, to act as metaphor for an Indian village street - affable, accommodative and active. " wal! across the &rafts 'useum building would be through open and semi-open passages covered with sloping, tiled roofs and lines with old carved wooden bidri wor!$ paintings$ terracotta and cane and bamboo wor!. The 'useum#s rare collections include carved wooden figures of the bhutas, fol! deities of coastal 1arnata!a$ tribal bron%es from &hhattisgarh$ carved wooden architecture of 2ujarat represented by a whole haveli 3traditional house4, jharo!ha 3balcony4 and a palatial fa5ade$ embroidered, beaded and printed wall hangings$ saris employing techniques of brocade, i!at, jamdani and tieand-dye. The above collection is displayed in five galleries as mentioned in the classified information. 'oreover, there is a reference collection, comprising about ,.,/// objects, which can be used by scholars, designers, craftsmen and interested, public for study and research. While brief captions provide basic information about the displayed objects, for further information the 'useum#s catalogue could be consulted in the 6ibrary. $H( )ILL*+( C%M,L(The 'useum#s 7illage &omplex is a remnant of a temporary exhibition on the theme of rural India, set up in ,-89 spread over an area of about four acres, the 7illage &omplex comprises ,. structures representing village dwellings, courtyards and shrines from "runachal +radesh, :imachal +radesh, 'adhya +radesh, 2ujarat, ;ajasthan, West engal, Tamil <adu, =rissa and the "ndaman > <icobar Islands. "ll the huts, courtyards and shrines are built in facsimile with regional construction

material and by the respective village masons, artisans, thatchers and carpenters. In every hut and courtyard, items of day-to-day life are displayed. 'any a bare wall of the 'useum has provided a magnificent #canvas# for visiting tribal and rural artists who have done paintings on them either by confining to their own inherited visual vocabulary or by introducing new creative experiments. CR*.$/,(R/%#/ *$ W%R0 y an informal estimate, there are more than ?/ million weavers, craftspersons and fol! artists living in India who possess inherited s!ills and by which thy earn their livelihood. In this programme, the 'useum invites about ./ craftspersons from all over the country to be in residence, providing them an opportunity to demonstrate their craft and find new mar!et opportunities. The programme has proved to be extremely popular with school children, art students, artists, designers, the craft trade and the art loving public from all over the world. @very month a new group of craftspersons is invited. R(/(*RCH *#& &%C'M(#$*$I%# The 'useum has a speciali%ed library of more than ,/,/// boo!s and periodicals pertaining to Indian arts, crafts and textiles. It is open to public for reference purposes. Ander the scheme of #;esearch and Bocumentation#, field research is commissioned with research scholars all over India to document the living arts and crafts. <early a hundred unpublished monographs have resulted from this programme. The museum also has computeri%ed documentation of the visiting craftspersons and master craftspersons and weavers with craft-wise and area-wise categori%ation. C%#/(R)*$I%# L*1%R*$%R2 " modest conservation laboratory loo!s after the preservation and conservation of the 'useum#s collection. Textile repair and binding, mounting of paintings and scrolls, repair of terracottas, wooden items and maintenance of painted wood and papiermache is comfortably handled by the 6aboratory. (&'C*$I%#*L ,R%+R*MM( Belhi-based schools, art colleges and polytechnics are regularly informed by the 'useum about the latter#s monthly activities. Thousands of school children and students of art colleges visit the 'useum for general exposure to India#s rural artistic heritage or for more practical exercises such as on the spot s!etching and painting or participating in #&reativity Wor!shops#. CR*.$/ M'/('M /H%, The museum has a full-fledged shop selling a whole range of exquisite contemporary handicrafts as well as art boo!s and decorative stationery. ;un by the :andicrafts and :andlooms @xport &orporation of India 6td., on behalf of the 'useum, the &rafts 'useum (hop has brought to the public, objects of tribal and rural arts of unique quality. The objective of the (hop is to sell original creations of the finest Indian craftspersons and not to mar!et mechanically replicated #souvenirs#. The shop also runs a small cafeteria where mini-lunch, snac!s and beverages are served. %# )I(W - &rafts Bemonstrations by master &raftspersons

- huta (culptures 2allery, )ol! > Tribal &rafts 2allery - &ultic =bjects 2allery - &ourtly &rafts 2allery - Temporary @xhibiton 2allery - ;eference &ollection of :andicrafts - Textile 2allery and ;eference &ollection - 7illage &omplex
httpCDDwww.craftrevival.orgDdetails'useums.aspE&ountry<ameFIndia>'useum&odeF//,0.G httpCDDwww.travelgodelhi.comDdelhi-museumDdelhi-craft-museum.htm httpCDDdelhigovt.nic.inDmuseum.aspH? httpCDDwww.indiasite.comDdelhiDmuseumsDcraft.html

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