The Khel Mel Gond workshop at the Crafts Museum brought together fifteen children (ages 8 to 11) from different economic backgrounds. In four workshops held over two weekends they learnt about Gond people and their art and worked with a Gond artist from Madhya Pradesh to make their own Gond paintings. Each session was a lively combination of getting to know each other, learning and hands on creative activity.The participating children were: Abdul, Anmol, Amaya, Anoushka, Chaya, Jazzy, Kaya, Milind, Moni, Pooja, Rahil, Rani, Rohit, Sourabh, Vipul. The workshop was conceived by Khel Mel and hosted by the Crafts Museum. It was led by Gariba Singh Tekam and Naira Jansen.
Getting to know each other
Lots of games and activities encouraged the children to feel comfortable together and to get know each other. We broke the ice with a movement game that got everybody saying hello and namaste to each other. The next day children made portraits of each other, which, when revealed elicited giggles and laughs. The third workshop began with a treasure hunt. Pairs of children ran around the museum looking for a terracotta figure, a detail from the warli mural, a section from the Bastar gates and so on. The final workshop kicked off with a lively game of Chinese Whispers.
Lots of games and activities encouraged the children to feel comfortable together and to get know each other. We broke the ice with a movement game that got everybody saying hello and namaste to each other. The next day children made portraits of each other, which, when revealed elicited giggles and laughs. The third workshop began with a treasure hunt. Pairs of children ran around the museum looking for a terracotta figure, a detail from the warli mural, a section from the Bastar gates and so on. The final workshop kicked off with a lively game of Chinese Whispers.
Learning about the Gond people and their art
Learning directly from Gariba was a vivid experience for the children. This learning was supported by many other activities: an AV presentation with photographs taken in and around Patangarh and many images of Gond art by different artists; readings from “The Nightlife of Trees” and the “London Jungle Book”; lots of observing, thinking and wondering while looking at Gond paintings on canvas and paper. We made an impromptu gallery, propping up large brightly coloured Gond canvases against trees in our workshop area. Children were encouraged to explore their thoughts and feelings about the works and they became storytellers imagining stories about the paintings.
Learning directly from Gariba was a vivid experience for the children. This learning was supported by many other activities: an AV presentation with photographs taken in and around Patangarh and many images of Gond art by different artists; readings from “The Nightlife of Trees” and the “London Jungle Book”; lots of observing, thinking and wondering while looking at Gond paintings on canvas and paper. We made an impromptu gallery, propping up large brightly coloured Gond canvases against trees in our workshop area. Children were encouraged to explore their thoughts and feelings about the works and they became storytellers imagining stories about the paintings.