Our open-source quarterly digital magazine that serves as a medium to share research findings and voices from the art education sector. Read Issue 02 here! Read Issue 01 here! Issue 02- December 2023 After an encouraging response for Art Speaks Issue 01 , we are thrilled to share the second issue with everyone! Art Speaks is an open-source quarterly digital magazine by Saturday Art Class, created to address the need for a platform that voices the collective efforts being carried out by diverse organizations and stakeholders in the realm of social-emotional learning and arts in education. In this issue, we've curated a mix of thoughtful and insightful articles that cover various views around the vast canvas of arts and education. We're excited for you to dive in, relish the articles and share it within your network! Inside our 2nd issue! NOTE FROM OUR EDITOR Our Co-Founder and Chief Design Officer Chhavi Khandelwal dedicates our issue 2 "Narratives of Visual Art" to our community that is collectively shaping millions of lives positively through the medium of arts. ARTICLES No Art is Bad Art by Jade Fernandez and Vibhor This article by Vibhor and Jade Fernandez, sheds light on the organisation, Slam Out Loud ’s approach aimed towards dispelling the notion that art must conform to specific standards. Through real stories, it emphasizes the importance of unlearning perfection, fostering an environment where every form of expression is valid. What do educators think about arts? by Akash Gaikwad and Dharmesh Moleshri Embracing a belief that "we are all artists" the article brings forth the experiences of educators who have been facilitating visual arts, highlighting their journeys with art. CONVERSATIONS Art and it's Undeniable Capacity to Change the Heart by Maahi Shah Supported by Maithili Redkar Delves into evolving views of art in different professions, from culinary arts to medicine. Maahi, highlights the significance of arts in the personal and professional lives of individuals. Amplifying Voices for Social Justice through Art by Sivani Rajani and Priyal Patki Supported by Maithili Redkar & Mitali Dixit A special feature that follows the journeys of young people whose art journey started with Saturday Art Class. They are now a part of the organisation, Nazaria Collective , where they use varied art forms such as photography, visual art, zine making, poetry to express themselves. DISCOVER The Aravani Art Project by Kristine Rodricks The spotlight on the Aravani Art Project by Kristine Rodricks emphasizes the significance of community and public art for expression on vital causes. Our children participated in a workshop, designed on this premise and experienced the power of art as a tool for social impact. WORKSHOP Art Beyond Paper and Crayons: by Rukhmini Bhatia and Tanushree Patel Exploring Lorenzo Vitturi’s Artistic Approach, discover the importance of exposing children to diverse artistic expressions. Don't miss out on the easy-to-do art plan inspired by Lorenzo Vitturi' s workshop that you can try with your children at home or in the classroom! Download your copy now!

Introducing our unique visual arts curriculum that takes every child on a journey to various artists and art forms across the world! The Saturday Art Class curriculum is designed as a combination of visual art-based milestones and various topics that helps children build exposure to the outside world as well as develop the following outcomes: Communication Critical Thinking Collaboration Joy Imagination Perseverance Our curriculum topics ensure that children can understand themselves and are exposed to the world around them; along with inculcating skills of imagination and self-expression ! The curriculum encompasses grade-appropriate art milestones and art objectives that children can achieve through the art class plans. The curriculum is designed from Preschool 1 to Grade 8 (age group 2 to 14 years) Indian Art Children explore art from various parts of India and explore the work of Indian artists. Our art class plans under this theme focus on contemporary and former Indian artists and art forms. Through the development of a strong sense and knowledge of Indian art, this theme of our curriculum aids in building a positive perspective of cultural identity and self-esteem within children. Global Art Children are exposed to a wider range of artists who use different forms and techniques. This topic will focus on art and artists from across the world both from the present and the past. It is through the development of a strong sense and knowledge of global arts that children can build a holistic perspective about themselves and the world. Craft Students explore the use of various materials to create things like collages, origami, and other craft-related activities. The art class plans under this theme will focus on craft-related activities that refine the children's motor skills and put an emphasis on children using their imagination and creating activities related to craft work. Self-expression and imagination-based activities Students are provided with prompts in the form of inquiry-based questions . These questions are designed in a way that compels them to use their imagination and express themselves in their own unique manner. Students are able to think about different situations and will express what they imagine bringing them to life through self-expression. Through the development of their imagination and self-expression, we build creativity in children.

Issue 01- July 2023 DOWNLOAD NOW! Through the power of visual art and expression, Art Speaks emerges as a platform voicing the crucial need to integrate visual art and social-emotional learning in the educational system. Our inaugural issue unifies collective efforts in the art education ecosystem, presenting diverse experiences and voices relevant to individuals and organizations promoting sustainable art integration in education. Explore thought-provoking articles, insightful interviews, and captivating stories of impact, highlighting art's influence on meaningful learning experiences. Together, we foster a collective voice that resonates, prioritizing art education and catalyzing a harmonious chorus of change, where art truly speaks! Inside our inaugural issue! FOREWORD BY RATI FORBES In a remarkable contribution, Rati Forbes pens an inspiring foreword for Art Speaks' inaugural issue. Her words acknowledge and delve into the need for a platform that voices the collective efforts being carried out by diverse organizations in social emotional learning and arts in education ARTICLES Classrooms as spaces of joy by Tanushree Patel This article explores how visual arts create joyful learning spaces, nurturing critical thinking and collaboration in children, while enhancing emotional intelligence and holistic development. A creative approach towards education by Rukhmini Bhatia The author shares insights from her journey as Program Lead at Saturday Art Class, highlighting the need for a creative and systemic approach to bridge gaps and integrate social-emotional-learning and art education in mainstream systems of education. Visual arts education at grassroot level in India by Tanushree Patel This article addresses current challenges and needs in the education system, emphasizing the need of safe spaces for children. Illustrating the existing strengths as a potent foundation. Enabling creative experiences for children in education by Keerthi Sharma This article brings experiences of working with children in art classes and highlights how the structure of the art class plans plays an essential part in aiding children's creativity and imagination. CONVERSATIONS With Sriram Ayer Founder and CEO of NalandaWay- Sriram Ayer, shares about his convictions on art as a catalyst to nurture hope, resilience, and courage in children and gets candid about his journey in the sector. DISCOVER Unveiling Badri Narayan’s artistic journey Spotlighting Padma Shree Artist Badri Narayan, a treasure trove of wonder and stories. The article explores his self-taught journey, contributions to Modern art rooted in Indian art, and why he's indispensable for arts education. Download your copy now!

Awards Cognitive Inc. Prize Penn-GSE Business Plan Competition, 2024 Runner-up, Social Impact President's Innovation Challenge at Harvard Innovation Lab, 2024 Media Features Voices | University of Oxford Addressing the complex challenges of childhood in India with art-based learning Harvard Innovation Labs Celebrating AAPI Innovators and Entrepreneurs at Harvard The Indian Express | Newspaper An exhibition aimed at integrating art in low–income schools, a first in Pune Mid-day | Newspaper How art makes low-income kids future ready Harvard Innovation Labs Bridging India’s Art Education Gap Glific | Case Study Saturday Art Class’s journey into leveraging Whatsapp Chatbot to scale Our Voices & Stories Harvard Podcast Art of Education: How Saturday Art Class is Shaping India’s Next Generation TEDxNMIMS How can the arts change you? Our Why The Nudge TEDxISME Cultivating Minds Through Art InnovatED Manasi Mehan | TFI Cohort'18 End of Year Exhibition 4.0 2023 TEDxYouth@NMS Relief and Recovery during COVID-19 Load More

Pioneering in-depth study into inferring student outcomes, best practices and insights from classrooms achieved through engagement in visual arts in our current context. We aim to identify best practices and gather insights and narratives from our classrooms that can inform how visual arts & SEL can be a crucial medium to build lifelong learning skills and agency to thrive in children. To study this in-depth, we intervened with students from a local government school by providing them regular access to Visual arts and SEL from Grades 1-8 Know more about Our Research Approach with Art Labs Research Reports Opportunities for exposure through excursions Book a Smile India invited us for a unique art workshop led by renowned Italian artist Lorenzo Vitturi as a part of the Olympics In Reel Life Festival by the Film Heritage Foundation. Through Art labs we took 5 children for this workshop where they gathered materials from the ground - waste, leaves, feathers, and more - to create unique collages. Lorenzo captured and guided the children to click portraits, merging everything together to create artwork from their imagination. The result? Extraordinary masterpieces! We partnered with to Coexist by Alia Bhatt. A platform created that highlights and works towards the issues of animal and ecological welfare. Our children worked their magic as these mini-planeteers shared their love for animals and nature through art! They made posters that they would put up in their communities during Diwali to prevent burning firecrackers.

Privacy & Data Protections Policy We, at Saturday Art Class, value your privacy and treat all information regarding any transaction you engage in as highly confidential. Saturday Art Class is committed to providing privacy for our web site visitors as well as recipients of our email messages. Saturday Art Class promotes the tenets of opt-in email and privacy among our partners and employees. We are continuously evaluating our internal procedures and technology to ensure privacy at all levels in our organization. This policy (“Privacy Policy”) will elaborate on the personal data or information that the organization collects and the usage and sharing of such data when you visit the Website or use the services of the organization. This Privacy Policy will also elaborate on the measures that we take to protect the security of the data collected. Reach out to us at info@saturdayartclass.com for purposes of updating your contact information, removing your name from our mailing lists, or for general enquiries related to our privacy practices. Information We Collect and How We Use It We will not use or disclose (share, sell or divulge) any of your personal information to third parties unless we have been authorized by you, or are required or authorized to do so by law. We may use your personal information: a) for purposes related to our research, planning, program development and management; b) for purposes connected with the operation, administration, development or enhancement of the our services and the Website; and c) where we suspect that fraud or unlawful activity has been, is being or may be engaged in. d) for the sake of record building & internal purposes only. 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If visitors reject a cookie, they may still use our site; however, they may not be able to log in, or access all areas of our site. (Cookies are text files our website places in your computer’s browser to store your preferences.) Information We Share Saturday Art Class does not sell, rent, trade or otherwise disclose personal information about our Website visitors (nor our offline donors), except as described herein. We share information provided by our Website visitors with service providers that we have retained to perform services on our behalf ― for example, to process donations, send direct mails, emailers, greeting cards, making phone calls, and others. We may share your information like phone numbers, email address, etc. with these agencies so that they can perform these activities efficiently. These service providers are not authorized by us to use or disclose the information except as necessary to perform services on our behalf or to comply with legal requirements. 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The Foundation has the necessary security mechanisms in place and only designated employees have access to your personal information. We maintain administrative, technical and physical safeguards to protect against unauthorized disclosure, use, alteration or destruction of the personal information in our possession. All online transactions are done on a secure server. You’ll know that you’re in a secure area of our Website when a “lock” icon appears on your screen and the “http” portion of our URL address changes to “https.” The “s” stands for “secure.” Choice/Opt-out For e-newsletter subscribers, when we take contacts from our team’s Google contact list and send the newsletter, we are not taking people’s permission to use their email address. In every form that we get filled for the subscription, we ask people to tick a mark to ‘agree to our terms and conditions’ which involves a term for using their email address to send the e-newsletter.. So, anyone engaging with us automatically receives our e-newsletter and in case one doesn’t want it, they can unsubscribe by clicking on unsubscribe. Users of our site will always be notified if their information is being collected by any outside parties. We do this to ensure our users can make an informed choice as to whether they should proceed with services that require an outside party, or not. Third party agreement This site works with third party services that collect anonymous traffic data at this site. Notification of changes If we change our privacy policy, we will post these changes to ensure that our users are always aware of what information we collect, how we use it, and under what circumstances, if any, we disclose it. If at any point we decide to use personally identifiable information in a manner different from that stated at the time it was collected, we will notify users by way of an email at the last address provided and/or by prominently posting notice of the changes on our website. Users will have a choice as to whether or not we use their information in this different manner. We will use information in accordance with the privacy policy under which information was collected. Any such changes may affect our use and sharing of personal information that you provided to us before our notification to you of the changes. If you do not wish to permit changes in our collection, use, or sharing of personal information that you have provided to us before the effective date of such changes, you must notify us before that effective date. 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Our vision at Saturday Art Class is to create a world where every child is inspired to create with confidence Adding He(art) to education Our vision is to create a world where every child is inspired to create with confidence Our mission is to work with and within the system to implement visual art and SEL programs to build skills to thrive in children. Click here to see how we do it! Know more about the work we do

Creative and Wellbeing in Education - Inaugural Ecosystem Gathering (26th April, 2025 | Parle Platina Centre) Agenda 26th April, 2025 SYMPOSIUM 2025 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM Parle Platina Centre, Ville Parle Join the waitlist! Wellbeing through Creative Expression in Education Time Session 9:00 am - 10:15 am Creative Kickoff - Doors Open to Inspiration Registration & Welcome Refreshments Ecosystem Showcase Stalls Art Installation Showcase The day begins with a warm welcome! Sip on your morning brew, mingle with fellow changemakers, and explore interactive art displays and ecosystem stalls. Don’t miss the vibrant children’s art exhibition showcasing collaborations with renowned artists. Plus, pick up your symposium zine to guide your creative journey throughout the day! Starting the Conversation - Welcoming the Creative Revolution 10:15 am - 10:30 am Opening Address Keynote Address Speakers: Amita Chauhan, SVP India | Louisa Zondo, Ricky Rick foundation | Deepika Mogilishetty, Ek Step foundation | Anis Barnet, Community Arts Network Foundation | Manasi Mehan, Saturday Art Class We’re setting the stage for transformation. Join us for an opening address by our collaborators, inviting you to explore how arts and wellbeing can reshape the future of education. Our supporter of creative education will join the conversation as she shares insights on the impact of art in education, especially for underserved children. Get ready for an inspiring start to the day as we set the tone for a creative revolution in classrooms. A Vision Unveiled - The Power of Art 10:30 am - 11:00 am Inauguration and Opening Address Impact Evaluation Report Launch Speakers: Brinda Upadhyaya, Upadhyaya foundation | Payal Jain, Populi Join us as we unveil the SArC Impact Report. Discover the findings on how arts and SEL foster long-term wellbeing in students, with a focus on building an evidence-based approach to creative education. Get insights from the experiences on ground on designing reflective tools, qualitative insights, and the state of evidence within our ecosystem. Beyond Metrics - Reimagining the Future of Arts Education 11:00 am - 12:00 pm Panel Discussion Speakers: Bina Shah, Harish & Bina Shah Foundation | Deepika Mogilishetty, EkStep Foundation | Jyothi Vynatheya Oberoi, Dalberg | Suchetha Bhat, Dream a Dream | Sandeep Rai, The Circle India (Moderator) Join changemakers for a conversation on how we can go beyond traditional teaching to foster holistic impact of arts education. This discussion will explore creative evaluation, storytelling, and funding strategies that drive meaningful change in classrooms. Our Vision, Our World 12:00 pm - 12:30 pm 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm Art Work Presentation Facilitator: Saturday Art Class While the day filled with conversations and insights unfolds, we have something interesting brewing at the backdrop of the Symposium. This unique session will give voices to some of our delegates whose voices are often unheard. Building Bridges - Lunch With Purpose Lunch & Networking Enjoy lunch while engaging in conversation about the future of creativity in education. Participate in our 'Get to Know Your Neighbour activity to deepen connections and foster new collaborations. Different Voices, Shared Futures: Creativity and Wellbeing at the He(art) of Learning 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm Panel Discussion Speakers: State Government Education Department Representative (Name disclosed closer to the date) | Balasaheb Kanke, Shankarwadi MPS | Mehek Shaikh, Youth Artist and Facilitator | Suchitra Shinde, Udaan India Foundation | Ikpreet Singh, Ek Step Foundation (Moderator) This one-of-a-kind panel brings together a diverse range of voices - a student-turned-youth artist associated with SArC since the age of 7, an academic educator championing art education, a visionary principal who helped lay SArC’s foundation, a government official advancing arts-based programmes, and an ecosystem changemaker driving collective action. Together, they’ll explore why integrating arts and wellbeing in education is no longer a luxury, but a necessity. How do we move from ‘nice to have’ to ‘must have’? Shaping a future where every classroom nurtures the whole child? 2:30 pm - 2:45 pm A Creative Recharge Movement-Based Activity Facilitator: Manzil Mystics Join us for a fun, interactive activity designed to re-energize the group. Through movement and creative expression, we’ll celebrate the power of togetherness and creativity. 2:45 pm - 4:00 pm Dive into the Ecosystem - Workshops & Research Dives Hands-On Workshops Research Presentations Presenters: ARISA | MANN Foundation | Nazaria Art Collective | Dream A Dream Choose your adventure! Engage in a hands-on workshop where you can explore your creativity. Alternatively, attend research presentations that uncover how creative expression is driving change in education and wellbeing. 4:00 pm - 4:15 pm Creative Pause - A Moment to Reflect Tea & Mingle Recharge with a warm cup of tea or coffee, catch up with fellow changemakers, and spark new ideas for collaboration in a relaxed environment. Unlocking Potential - Funding the Future of Arts Education 4:15 pm - 5:15 pm Panel Discussion Speakers: Bina Joshi, Forbes Marshall | Prabhir Correa, Waterfield Advisors | Ekta Sheth-Balya, Dentsu Good | Swati Apte, The Arts Quotient | Maharshi Vaishnav, Motilal Oswal Foundation (Moderator) Join funders, philanthropists, and sector leaders in a powerful discussion on how strategic funding can transform the landscape of arts and wellbeing education in India. Art-in-Action - What’s Next for Art and Wellbeing? 5:15 pm - 5:30 pm Closing Remarks & Reflections Facilitators: Collective of Art Education Organizations (The Circle India) | Saturday Art Class We’ll close the day with reflections on the insights gained and actionable steps toward continuing the work of integrating arts and wellbeing into education systems nationwide. 5:30 pm - 6:00 pm Final Connections - The Creative Send-Off Networking & Tea Before you leave, make sure to explore new ideas with fellow changemakers, and take the last opportunity to spark potential collaborations. Don’t forget to fill in your zine! *The agenda is subject to change. Register to join the waitlist now! For any support please reach out at dharmeshm@saturdayartclass.com , where our team members can further assist you. Join the waitlist!

Workshops that offer a safe and supportive environment for individuals of all ages to express themselves creatively through visual art and social-emotional learning-based activities. If you would like us to host an Art - a -Day Reach out to us here! Art-a-Day is our short-term engagement program offering art workshops that aim to give participants of all age groups an immersive and joyful experience while creating awareness of the need for Visual Arts and Socio-emotional Learning (SEL). We have organised art engagements in diverse spaces, including museums, art festivals, and various organisations. To date, we have organised workshops for 37 partners, engaging 3000+ participants in unique art experiences. Our workshops, inspired by artists and art forms, made art accessible for both adults and children. At the launch of Museum of Solution in December 2023, we organized a paper sculpture workshop where children reflected on space design and what it makes them feel. Exploring that spaces can be designed beyond mere boxes, they re-imagined and crafted sculptures of their favourite places using paper sculpting techniques. Their designs were reflective of their own interpretations of a playground, bedroom, or the city they call home. We facilitated a portrait workshop for young children attending the festival. They reflected on their personalities and how objects or symbols can be used to creatively represent them. Participants created fun whimsical self-portraits to express who they are as individuals. We organised workshops for SVP India’s Mumbai and Pune chapter where artist Henri Matisse and his iconic ‘Drawing with Scissors’ style was explored. In the immersive workshop, participants crafted paper collages about significant moments of their lives. We also sensitized them about the need of creativity, social emotional learning and arts in main stream education. For Pride Month, we facilitated a youth workshop that explored gender norms and representations through the medium of movie posters and how they shape our understanding of identity and sexuality. The youth re-created movie posters by creating a collage with imagery from old magazines and represented stories that were more gender equal, inclusive and stories from reality.

Our 2024-25 Annual Report is now live! We invite you to read our Annual Report 2024-25. Read the full report here! Annual Reports 2023-24 Download 2020-21 Download 2022-23 Download 2019-20 Download 2021-22 Download 2018-19 Download Download 2024-25 Annual Report Here!

"The arts are about the qualities of human experiences. Through music, dance, visual arts, drama, and the rest, we give form to our feelings and thoughts about ourselves, and how we experience the world around us." -Sir Ken Robinson Our Current Reality Today in India, the National Education Policy, 2020, recommends a holistic & art integration approach in education, but the reality on ground is, 300 out of 400 schools in Metropolis city of Mumbai do not have an art teacher. Nationwide availability remains uncertain. Educators are expected to conduct art class, but lack tools & support hindering their ability in classrooms. There is absence of visual art & SEL curriculum that focuses on mindset building & fostering wellbeing. What happens to a child because of these problems? A child within such a system, experiences the lack of an outlet to voice out what they truly want in their education journey. They are not exposed to working with tools and methods that feed into creative thinking, imagination and collaboration. They often grow up to experience low levels of confidence, struggle with communication, building and maintaining healthy relationships & collectively problem solving. This deprivation of holistic and creative learning, hampers their journey as a student in the education system. How does it also affect an educator? Educators feel helpless not knowing how they can create safe and joyful spaces of learning for their students. This is due to the lack of contextualized resources and training in order to cater to student's current needs. Educators also feel overburdened by numerous responsibilities and find themselves unable to learn and grow This restricts them from adopting and practicing innovative learning methodologies. Our Solution To bridge the gap of art education, we implement policy recommendations for holistic learning through visual arts & SEL education, partnering with state governments, educational institutions & grassroot non-profits. Visual Art & SEL Curriculum development Research & Development in visual arts & SEL education Teacher Training, with real-time technology support Stakeholder Engagement & Awareness workshops Our relevance in the National Education Policy 2020 The National Education Policy lists several benefits of a higher-quality education system that promotes multidisciplinary learning. It highlights the need for setting up an education system that promotes the holistic scientific and creative development of individuals. The Saturday Art Class School Curriculum and our model approach for our flagship programs directly contributes to the National Education Policy and addresses various components of the policy, specifically talking about bringing arts into our schools. Following are some key statements that align with 'Our Why' : 4.7 As a part of the thrust on experiential learning , art-integrated education will be embedded in classroom transactions not only for creating joyful classrooms, but also for imbibing the Indian ethos through integration of Indian art and culture in the teaching and learning process at every level. 22.3. The arts form a major medium for imparting culture. The arts - besides strengthening cultural identity, awareness, and uplifting societies - are well known to enhance cognitive and creative abilities in individuals and increase individual happiness.

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