What Fine Arts Students at Parul University Learn From 15 Master Artisans

The Vadodara Visual Art Festival, organised by the Parul Institute of Fine Arts, brings together professional artists, master artisans from across India, and student exhibitions on a single ground. The festival is not a display event. It is a teaching event. Students do not just observe artisans at work.

They participate in workshops, learn techniques that are generations old, and apply those techniques to their own practice. Parul University’s School of Fine Arts offers a creative learning environment through a range of undergraduate and postgraduate programs including Bachelor of Visual Arts in Applied Arts, Bachelor of Visual Arts – Foundation, Bachelor of Visual Arts in Painting, and Bachelor of Visual Arts in Sculpture, along with Master of Visual Arts in Art & Heritage Management, Master of Visual Arts in Applied Arts, and Master Of Visual Arts in Painting. Designed to nurture artistic talent, technical skills, and creative expression, these programs provide students with the knowledge, practical exposure, and professional foundation needed to build meaningful careers in the fields of fine arts, design, culture, and visual communication.

The university invites 15 master artisans from across India to set up a traditional artisan village called Shilpgram on the PID Ground. The purpose is direct knowledge transfer: students learn traditional art forms from the people who have practised them for generations. Each artisan teaches a specific craft, and in several cases, dedicated workshops are arranged so students can work with the artisan’s materials and methods hands-on.

Molela Terracotta: A 28th-Generation Craft From Rajasthan

An artisan from a village near Udaipur, Rajasthan, brought Molela terracotta art to the festival. His family has been working with clay for 28 generations. Originally, the family made traditional deities for temple installation. As that requirement decreased over time, they transitioned to home decor items and sculptural scenes using pure clay found in their village. Their work is now supplied to institutions including NIFT. The university arranged a dedicated workshop where Fine Arts students work directly with the artisan to learn pure terracotta clay techniques. This is a skill that is 28 generations deep, and students at Parul are learning it from the family that created it.

An artisan from Gosunda village in Chittorgarh, Rajasthan, demonstrated handmade paper that does not deteriorate for 1,000 years. The process was started by his ancestors 400 years ago when the mills in his area were shut down. The paper is made entirely from old clothes. No chemicals are used at any stage. No machines are involved. Even the embossing is done by hand. For Fine Arts students, paper is the most fundamental material they work with every day. Learning that paper can be made at home, without chemicals, from recycled clothing, and that it can last a millennium, changed how they think about their own canvas.

An artisan from Botad, Gujarat, displayed large frames, map works, and animal figures carved entirely from single pieces of old teak wood. No machines are used at any stage. Every cut, every curve, every detail is carved by hand. While modern art often relies on power tools and digital fabrication, this artisan demonstrated what can be achieved with patience and hand skill alone. Students watched the process and understood that the kind of precision required to carve a single piece of hardwood without a single machine-assisted cut demands years of practice and concentration.

An artisan from Nirona in Kutch brought traditional copper bells that were originally designed for animal necks and modified them into home decor pieces with distinct musical qualities. The university had already conducted a two-week workshop with this artisan before the festival. Students learned how to work with metal surfacing techniques and how to transform the acoustic properties of a traditional bell into a decorative sound piece. This is art that is experienced through hearing as much as through seeing.

• Sustainable Coir and Jute Decor (Bhavnagar, Gujarat): eco-friendly home decor made from waste materials. Students learned that art does not always need expensive materials. Normal household waste and natural coir can become professional products.
• Papier Mache Masks (Jaipur): masks made from paper mache and Narali wood. The connection between the university and this artisan family began during a faculty tour to Jaipur years ago, demonstrating how academic networking creates long-term craft partnerships.
• Tribal Beadwork (Chhota Udepur): tribal women supported by the Government of Gujarat collect natural seeds like Aritha, Chanothi, and Bhadraksh from forests to create eco-friendly ornaments. This is a women’s empowerment initiative that turns forest resources into a sustainable livelihood.
• Suf Embroidery (Banaskantha): a 50-year-old piece of Suf embroidery was presented that still looks new, demonstrating the durability of traditional textile techniques.

Parul University’s Faculty of Fine Arts offers students a creative space to explore their artistic talent and build a strong foundation in visual expression, design, and fine arts. With a focus on practical learning, creative development, and professional growth, the faculty helps students turn their passion for art into meaningful careers across various creative fields.

A batch of 35 foundation-year students created giant sculptures of animals and dinosaurs using an entirely eco-friendly process. They built aluminium wire armatures, wrapped them with recycled old newspapers (creating zero paper waste), shaped the structures, and painted them.

Faculty and students collaboratively produced work using natural dye colours over a three-day exhibition period. One piece stood out: an ordinary old bicycle rim was wrapped with school thread, immersed in paper pulp, and layered with dust until a unique texture emerged. Working with natural materials rather than synthetic colours presents a significant technical challenge.

Second and third-year students displayed glass works created through a demanding workshop process. Glass blowing requires heating glass on open fire until it melts, then blowing air into the molten material to create shapes. It is physically demanding, technically precise, and carries real safety considerations. The students worked as a team, with each contributing to the final pieces. The quality of their work was compared to the glass blowing tradition of Venice, Italy, one of the world’s most recognised centres for this craft. Students understood that the skills they are developing at Parul are recognised and valued internationally.

The festival also included a curated collection of original works from professional artists. Twelve portfolios of graphic prints and alternative paintings were displayed, featuring artists including Anand Nigam (Mumbai) and Anil Majmudar (Ahmedabad). Individual portfolios were valued at Rs 1.2 lakh each. Painting portfolios featuring five artists each were priced between Rs 2.5 lakh and Rs 3 lakh. Fine Arts students exhibited their own work alongside these professional pieces, allowing direct comparison and learning.