CREATIVE STOPS
CLAYING THOUGHTS POTTERY STUDIO
Pottery can be an expensive and tricky hobby, but it’s incredible to see a lump of clay turn into a work of art. Noida-based Pooja Verma’s eco-friendly pottery studio is a cosy place to de-stress while learning the art using hand-building techniques. The 39-year-old’s customised clay modelling workshops offer a wealth of different processes that give children and adults the opportunity to create unique, tangible and functional artworks to take home. "The fact that you can pursue this art form anytime, anywhere and without any specialised tools or moulds is a boon for children," says Verma. You can start by learning how to shape the clay and
graduate to tile-based sculptures using only a toothpick, a sponge and a rolling pin. COST Starts at Rs 350 for childern and Rs 600 for adults AT Sector 21, Jalvayu Vihar, Noida BLOG clayingthoughts.blogspot.in
HIDDEN GEM ART LIFE STUDIO
Ahaven for art lovers, Art Life Gallery in Noida might be one of this area’s best kept secrets. This five-year-old art gallery has brought some fascinating art works to this side of town. “The Art Life Gallery is a labour of love. When we were making our house in Noida, we thought we might go to some nearby art gallery to decorate the walls but to our utter surprise, there was none that impressed us. Then my sister Pratibha Agarwal and I decided to open an art gallery in Noida,” says Priti Bajaj, 50, owner of the gallery. This journalist-turned gallery owner decided to branch into this field after years of lifestyle reporting. “As a journalist, I noticed that art was only relegated to page 3. So, I promised myself that whenever I get a chance to work for art, I will make sure it gets the space it deserves,” she says adding, “art is now the mission of our life.” The gallery puts up folk and tribal art, photographs, drawings, sketches, water-colours, oleographs, sculptures, wood works and everything that catches the artist's fancy. They also try and promote artists coming from the fringes of the society. Be it physically or monetarily. The gallery recently concluded an art show by 23-year-old Amrit Khurana who autistic.
AT C Block, Sector 44, Noida
KIRAN NADAR MUSEUM OF ART
The average Noida resident today is a busy professional, be it a lawyer, a doctor, an engineer or an IT guy. But people here definitely have a taste for art and are ready to pay big bucks for it. With a couple of art galleries having closed their doors for good in the last few years in Noida, there is finally good news for painters and art enthusiasts in this part of the country. The Kiran Nadar Museum of art has been working relentlessly to bridge the gap between art and public since 2010. The museum boasts of a rare and unique collection that is difficult to emulate. With one museum in Noida and the other in Saket, KNMA at present houses around 4,500 artworks by more than 300 artists. Kiran Nadar, the founder and chairperson, says, “Though the idea of opening a private art museum occurred with the intention of sharing my art collection with the larger public, I was also acutely aware of the dearth of institutional spaces that could bring visibility to modern and contemporary art from India and the subcontinent.” The Noida space has outreach programmes and workshops that are specially designed for children and senior citizens. The workshops are conducted throughout the year in the form of 10 days summer camp in the month of May and June. The museum also screens films and educational documentaries like I am Kalam and Stanley ka Dabba, which are followed by lively dialogues and discussions.
AT KNMA Noida, Plot 3-A, Sector 126
DETAILS knma.in
“I promised to myself that whenever I get a chance to work for art, I will make sure it gets the space it deserves” PRITI BAJAJ, OWNER, ART LIFE GALLERY