Mumbai art school offers free workshops to foster engagement with art across different mediums

Artwork created by participant Siddharth Basu Roy from the first Saturday Freebies workshop on printmaking

Thinking about the different ways in which the city has inspired artists and shaped their work, it's no surprise that for Artiste360, an art school near Crawford Market, Mumbai was the theme of choice for their weekend workshops - Saturday Freebies - meant to inspire a creative flow in participants armed with a blank canvas and zero artistic background. The events are, as the name suggests, free, as a way to promote engagement with different forms of art.

Art by participant Saugata Basu Roy

Founder Tarang Jain tells us that friends and students often expressed a desire to further understand an art form and how it works, especially after attending exhibitions in the city. "Saturday Freebies and our regular programmes aim to spread awareness and knowledge about a subject and how one can create with it," she shares. She further adds that no two participants will create the same art at a workshop, highlighting the accessible nature of art to express and communicate. The workshops are free-flowing with space for exploration. "We start with blank sheets, help participants think of an idea, draw up a story and transfer that story onto paper in these two hours," Jain tells us.

Following the theme, workshops source out inspiration from daily commutes, bylane sights, main road sounds, and living through changes in the cityscape. The first workshop, teaching printmaking, was held last weekend and saw experiences placed on paper using spoons and sunboards, a simple and cost-effective way for participants to carry out printmaking methods at home. The founder adds, "There are no expectations when you walk in, but you leave having learned a lot."

Participants make prints at the first printmaking workshop

This Saturday's workshop is titled Photo Story where participants can bring in their photographs of life in the city and create their own mini photo book using mixed media and collage techniques. The school will also have photo cut-outs, in case you miss the chance to print out mobile captures before the class. The last Saturday of the month will host an acrylic painting class documenting a Mumbai landscape. Both classes will be conducted by artist and educator Jinal Sangoi. You can drop them a message to register. In the coming months, the school will continue to hold weekend workshops at nominal costs.

Tarang Jain

Artiste360, which will complete four years in January next year, was established to fill gaps in pursuing art as a hobby or a career. Apart from specialising in building portfolios for art students pursuing education at international schools, they also offer hands-on experiential programmes across mediums like comic drawing, video editing, architecture, sculpture, product design, filmmaking, photography, and more, to help youngsters develop a holistic understanding and clarity about the field. "With this platform, we also set out to create a hub for the entire family to come and create something together," Jain signs off.

On: November 19 and 26; 11 am to 1 pm
At: Ashoka Business Centre, LT Road, Crawford Market.
Log on to: @artiste360 or artiste360.com
Call: 9321684446