Courtesy of Nils Preston Schlebusch
FAR Objectives
- Preserve, promote, and exhibit traditional Rajasthani music, arts, and culture
- Provide opportunities for education and empowerment for upcoming generations
- International outreach through cultural exchange of music, dance, and crafts
Current Projects
Education
- The Merasi School, an educational collaboration with LKSS that offers a musical and academic curriculum for Merasi children
- Scholarships educating an average of seven Merasi children per year in private English and Hindi medium day schools
Fair Trade
- Community women are paid to create traditional Rajasthani folk art from recycled local materials that both preserves their local culture and creates economic opportunity
- Presently, our fair trade items are not available online. However, we encourage you to visit the following excellent shops to purchase our
latest products:
American Visionary Art Museum Gift Shop, Sideshow: Baltimore, MD
Earth and State: Media, PA
Peaceable Kingdom: Providence, RI
Artisan Development
- The Merasi Counting Book featuring the art of Indra Banu
- American Visionary Art Museum’s All Faiths Beautiful exhibit featuring the work of LKSS Director Sarwar Khan (http://www.avam.org/exhibitions/index.html)
- Keystone Bank Window Installation (Media, PA) featuring a beautiful collection of Sarwar Khan, Pinkudi Nath, and FAR/LKSS’ women’s fair trade products
- Red Mill Gallery at Vermont Studio Center featuring the work of Indra Banu and Sarwar Khan
- The Johnson Gallery at Glen Urquhart School featuring the FAR/LKSS’ women’s fair trade products
Employment
- Onsite staffing jobs for Lok Kala Sagar Sansthan (LKSS) community members
- Music and dance programs in India
International Outreach
- The Hearts with Hope Tour:
2005: LKSS/FAR brought eight community members to the United States for a two-month cultural exchange tour with performances at the Smithsonian, Portland Museum of Art, and over 35 public and private schools.
2008: Building off of the success of the first tour, LKSS/FAR brought seven community members to the United States for a two and a half month cultural exchange tour with performances at the Kennedy Center, American Visionary Art Museum, Maine College of Art, James Cohan Gallery, and 25 public and private schools. Two, 50+ venue, cultural exchanges that brought troupes of LKSS musicians and dancers to the United States. They performed at the Smithsonian, the Kennedy Center, universities, museums, and gave more than 60 educational and musical presentations at schools in the US. - Collaborations with visiting professional musicians, academics, photographers, and documentary filmmakers in onsite at LKSS in Jaisalmer