Blueprint

Both art and storytelling are powerful tools of self-realization. In this studio, through a series of participatory, hands-on, and interactive activities, I would like to address the way in which the two can be combined to learn, express, and unlearn our biases. Open-mindedness through the arts with a sense of emotive responsibility will be the the philosophical underpinning of this studio. The main objectives are to tell a story with responsibility; to understand how history is a tool for imagination; and to explore the ways in which stories can be a powerful tool for constructing identity. The studio will be evenly split between creative prompts (exercises and presentations that inspire creative thinking) and studio time (studio workshops and work towards final project). The final product of the studio will be a short children’s book that the students conceptualize, illustrate and design which explores the themes of perspective, imagination, and identity-formation.

Raghava KK

Artist

Raghava KK, named by CNN as one of the ten most fascinating people the world is yet to know of, is a multi-disciplinary artist, working in genres as disparate as painting, film, installation, multimedia, performance, and his own wedding.

Raghava began as a cartoonist in 1997 with leading Indian publications. His work conceptually grapples with the construct of identity, gender and sexuality, and the absence of interpersonal context in today’s world of online identity performance.

In February 2010, Raghava gave an 18-minute talk at the world-renowned TED Conference (Technology, Entertainment, Design) in Long Beach, CA along with director James Cameron, musician Sheryl Crow, playwright Eve Ensler, Bill Gates, and mathematician Benoit Mandelbrot. He has lectured at the Ecole Des Beaux-Arts, Carnegie-Mellon University, Stern School (NYU), the New Hampshire Institute of Art, and other universities around the world. He believes that sharing his work through speaking has helped him to learn and unlearn from the world, challenging his preconceived notions and biases and allowing him grow as both artist and individual.

Raghava presently lives and works between Brooklyn, NY and Bangalore, India.

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Raghava KK