Heart for Art is a Public Charitable Trust that promotes the traditional Arts & Crafts of India.
We at Heart for Art, work towards bringing you products from the best artisans of India, who passionately create them! We create partnerships to find space for art and craft in private and public spaces and help craftsmen get back their pride and improve their living conditions. Our endeavor is to provide these products in the best traditions of artisanal masterpieces, yet adapted to contemporary lifestyles and sensibilities.
The Heart for Art Turtle Logo
Turtles are frequently depicted in popular culture as easygoing, patient, and wise creatures. Due to their long lifespan, slow movement, sturdiness, and wrinkled appearance, they are an emblem of longevity and stability in many cultures around the world. Turtles are regularly incorporated into human culture, with painters, photographers, poets, songwriters, and sculptors using them as subjects. They have an important role in mythologies around the world, and are often implicated in creation myths regarding the origin of the Earth.
In Hindu mythology the world is thought to rest on the backs of four elephants who stand on the shell of a turtle. In Hinduism, Akupara is a tortoise who carries the world on his back, upholding the Earth and the sea.
One of the Avatars of Vishnu is the giant turtle Kurma.
The Heart for Art logo represents the wisdom, longevity and ingenuity of Indian Handicraft traditions and the patience required to bring back its past glory!!
We provide sustained livelihoods to rural artisans through following programs:
Artisanal Workshops
We conduct these workshops in major cities like Pune, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and more. These workshops not only help the urban crowd to get reintroduced to the rich heritage but give the artisans exposure and perspective of the urban market.
Commissioned Projects
We specialize in creating customized stone and bronze sculptures, as well as a variety of traditional crafts including Bidriware, Tambat, Cane Work, Basketry, Black Pottery, Durries, and more. Our team will work closely with you to bring your unique design, size, and finish preferences to life.
Corporate Patrons
Corporate CSR programs can participate in our program for a structured and long-term engagement – by adopting a Art & Craft group for a minimum period of 3 years. In this, we will run a 6 point program of helping your company engage and support the Rural Artisans of a particular Craft Cluster.
Handcrafted Products
Heart for Art Trust continues to help artisans while Indic Inspirations helps create new products and increase market opportunities for India’s artisans through UNIQUE Gifting & Souvenir products – for Consumers and for Corporates – including NRIs, Foreign and Domestic – Business and Leisure Travellers.
Our Memorable Milestones & Achievements
Heart for Art launches Art & Craft Tours with Black Swan Journeys
March 2017
- India’s exquisite craftsmanship and techniques are a reflection of our ancient history and times. However, unfortunately with time, we succumbed to the glamour of western culture and left the crafts community of India to struggle in the shadows.
- Heart for Art Trust with the help of a travel agent tries to bridge the yawning gap between the country’s crafts community and the urban denizen. With our hands-on craft and art tours we want to unearth the cultural intricacies that provide a place its identity.
- We are announcing our first three craft tours covering Tamil Nadu –> Puducherry, Gujarat –> Kutch and West Bengal –> Odisha which include over fifteen unique types of arts and crafts in each tour. The tours will include workshops and interactions with local artisans.
- These curated tours provide an unmatched opportunity for all art connoisseurs and amateurs, history buffs and knowledge seekers, to understand the different ethnologies, craft techniques and the native landscapes that influence the craft and its ecosystem.
Recognition for the Heart for Art's Social Impact !
October 2016
Award for Heart for Art’s work at the Yellow Ribbon NGO Fair – at the hands of Celebrity Actor, Tabu! Speaking on the occasion, Tabu said: “India as a country has abundance of cultural heritage. The diversity be it in the form a rare painting styles or exquisite handcrafted shawls to sarees and a range of other products is wide spread. But the irony is that some of this craftsmanship which goes back a few hundred years is dying. In this age of communication and technology there is a need to bring our heritage, art and artisans on the global platform. Heart for Art is doing just that !! ”
Bestowed with the DEWANG MEHTA National Award
September 2017
A proud moment …Our Founder Trustee Mrs. Padmaja Jalihal received the prestigious “NGO LEADERSHIP AWARD” Presented by Dewang Mehta National Awards on 26th September, 2017 at Indira Group of Institutes, Pune. The Dewang Mehta National Awards celebrates their 25th Silver Jubilee year in 2017. Recognition for our efforts to increase rural livelihoods has brought in more pride and motivation to everyone onboard, at Heart for Art (HFA). The accomplishments by its leaders always motivates the organisation as a whole to soar high and achieve more. This award has added more feathers to HFA’s crown of achievements. We at HFA hope to see more such milestones to cross, in our journey to success.
Bestowed with the DEWANG MEHTA National Award
February 2018
Heart for Art Trust’s work and impact recognised at the World CSR Day Awards – “Purposeful Purpose” – award being received by Trustee Padmaja Bendigiri Jalihal at the Taj Lands on Sunday, 18th Feb
Award presented by Babatomiwa Adesida Pvt. Sector & Philanthropy Engagement Consultant, Sustainable Development Goals Fund, United Nations