Afterlife of Research: An Interactive Session with Chhavi Jain

Join us on May 24th from 3-4pm as we host Chhavi Jain, who will be giving an interactive session on Indigenous art and storytelling in India and the United States from a curatorial purview.

Abstract:

Curation brings art into an organized space. This has been structured upon Western colonial terminologies and logics that oftentimes do not translate, be it for the citizens of Narragansett nation Indigenous to Rhode Island, United States, or for the Adivasi community of the Gond Pardhans in Madhya Pradesh, India. Chhavi's work thinks through creative ecosystems in Indigenous art as it navigates the markets, to create curatorial vocabularies and work with people who are in the business of making art, while laying emphasis on Indigenous self-representation and the need for care within the art industry. Chhavi's thesis begins with a Prologue that recounts a personal historical account of the author’s family elders: Displacement from Sialkot during the Partition of India and their subsequent migration to Delhi. It sets the tone for the following chapters to exemplify legacies, habits and stories as embodied. They persist despite any borders [of the nation-state].

About the author:

Chhavi Jain is a Fine Arts Consultant and a global professional in the fields of curation, writing and research. She specializes in the Indigenous, contemporary and diasporic contexts of art and storytelling. She has consulted with organizations such as the RISD Museum and Studio Loba LLC in Rhode Island, and Anant Art Gallery, Inherited Arts Forum, Yatra Books (publishing house) and Teamwork Arts Pvt. Ltd (production house) in New Delhi.

Jain has two Master’s degrees in English Literature and Global Arts and Cultures from Delhi University and Rhode Island School of Design, respectively, her academic and professional work is oriented towards amplifying marginalized voices and creating equitable and inclusive avenues within the art & culture industry. She has received a number of grants and awards such as the Graduate Commons Grant, SPUR Fund and RISD Merit Fellowship (to pursue a Master’s degree at the School). Her writings have been published in various newsletters, journals and magazines such as, volume. 1, Art&Deal, Anant Art Gallery and All About Book Publishing.

During the event, Chhavi will be discussing her thesis and a collaborative book project called "Becoming Tree". She will also have some bookmarks and wordfinders for customers to take home.

We can't wait to see you there!!!