Projects
Artreach India
Artreach India is an organisation working with artists and art-educators to provide long term foundational art education to children, young people and women from marginalised communities where there is little to no access, and great need for art as an educational and transformative tool. We work with contemporary and traditional artists and partner with child care institutions, day care and learning centres, community libraries, schools, NGOs working with children and women, art institutions, foundations and museums across India.
The Shekhawati Project
Shiv Lal Foundation partnered with The Shekhawati Project, a non-for-profit organisation created in 2016, based in Paris (France) which aims to integrate Indian and European approaches to the preservation of the #frescoes, and to raise awareness of urban management issues through showcasing local conservation sites. The Project acts on two main areas: interdisciplinary conservation workshops employing international students and graduates in architecture and conservation; and help the local community to advocate for sensible re-use of buildings and revival of local skills, in a holistic approach that integrates heritage monuments into modern life needs.
Masi Artist
Shiv Lal Foundation supported Artist, Masi from Mahabalipuram. He was born in a family of artists in Chennai and acquired the art of painting and sculpting from his father, late Mr. L.Shanmuga Sundaram a senior and well renowned artist. Artist Masi learned wood carving in Andhra Pradesh and over a period of 10 years mastered the art of painting and sculpting. In the year 1994, he set up his gallery in Mamallapuram, now known as Mahabalipuram. People — artists, students, art collectors, sculptors visit his gallery from all over the world. Many of them not only buy his artwork but also seek training from him. He is soon planning to publish his book explaining brush and pallet knife work to people.
Protsahan Distribution Drive
Shiv Lal Foundation collaborated with Protsahan India Foundation — a non-profit working towards empowering girls with education and healthcare, and organized a distribution drive during the Covid - 19 pandemic. Shiv Lal Foundation distributed stationery, reading material, and books at Protsahan. The books were sourced from Pratham NGO — one of the largest nonprofits in the country which is working towards democratizing access to books so that every child can discover the joy of reading. Masks and sanitary products were also distributed to help girls at Protsahan.
Supporting Artist Tara Balgopal
A crowdfunding campaign was organized in the year 2017 to support the then 82 years old dance veteran, Tara Balgopal. She was a famous performer of the country's most noted dance forms - Kathak, Bharatanatyam, and Kathakali. She was once India's pride and after her performance in Parliament in 1960, a postal stamp, dedicated to her, was issued. She also held a respectable post of reader in English at Delhi University's Rajdhani College and became the first Indian teacher to conduct UG courses on All India Radio in 1963. She was living in absolute poverty and anonymity, slowly passing her days on charity. Shiv Lal Foundation attempted to make her life a little easier by organizing a crowdfunding campaign and making donations.
Skill Enhancement and Livelihood Promotion of Women
Shiv Lal Foundation supported the Action Center For Transformation (ACT) in Bhondsi village of Gurugram district, Haryana to organize a skill development and livelihood promotion of women in the village. This project aimed for training and capacity building of women clusters in the village by conducting skill development workshops on paper upcycling, handcrafting and producing eco-friendly handicrafts. This project also aimed to empower the beneficiaries by helping them learn how to make the products and understand how to market them. The skill development training workshops were conducted over a period of six months. The program helped foster confidence and creativity and women. It also directly added to their monthly income and improved their standards of living.
Rural Dastak - A Clarion Call by Young Minds
Shiv Lal Foundation partnered with ELNA - Experiential Learning with Nature Based Activity to introduce an interactive educational program that facilitated the honing of life skills of students from standards 6th - 8th in the Government Inter School, Bandhwadi, Gurugram. Through this program students were introduced to a social theme and taught to write stories The stories were then converted to a nukkad nataks, which were enacted by the students themselves. This was a three months program that focused on developing communication skills of students. The program led to developing self awareness and interpersonal skills of the students, helped build their confidence and taught them how to learn and work collaboratively. It also helped teachers better understand the students and improved the language skills of the students.
