National conference on innovation in visual arts organised at Amity University 

A national Conference on Innovation in Visual Arts (NCIVA 2020) was organized virtually by Amity School of Fine Arts under the aegis of Amity Directorate of Applied Arts/Fine Arts/Performing Arts/Visual Arts. The conference focused on the theme “Education 4.0 Perspectives on Visual Arts Practice, Pedagogy & Representation” and had academician and artists from across the globe sharing their views and experiences.  

Mrs. Divya Chauhan, Chairperson, (ASFT, ASFA & ASPA) welcomed all the panelists and shared that it took a lockdown & pandemic to bring everyone together. She stressed on making most of this situation and look at the positive aspects of the present scenario. She averred that the conference would provide a learning platform to all the students with the presence of speakers from across the globe. 

Sharing her views in the inaugural address, Prof (Dr) Balvinder Shukla, Vice Chancellor, AUUP stated that aligning education to the industry requirements was the basis for introducing Education 4.0 two years back. She added that COVID-19 has brought lot of challenges and organizations & universities who had invested in technology could adept and adapt to the changing scenario to move ahead. Dr. Shukla said that Amity has always focused on integration of technology and that’s what made the university maintain academic continuity and stay connected with the rest of the world. She shared that Amity was able to organize scholarly activities & over 2000+ webinars with industry experts from across the globe with the aid of technology. She called for integrating technology and making it a part & parcel of lives to attain the impossible. She stressed on collaborating and learning for the benefit of students with Arts playing a key role in the holistic development of students as also stressed upon in the New Education Policy.  

Prof Jon Jicha, Professor Emeritus, School of Art and Design, Western Carolina University, U.S.A stated that in the present moment there is a great opportunity to use technology like Zoom to have a discussion and engage. Prof. Jicha emphasized on taking risks as an integral part of student education and advised them to observe change of language of arts. He called for a balance in work of an artist as they build narratives for the future while experiencing this monumental condition. He stressed on using technology for their benefit and using virtual platforms as communication networks.  

Mr Ashish Kulkarni, Chairman, FICCI, Animation and Gaming, New Delhi referred to the present scenario as pre and post National education policy 2020 and how students will see a welcome change especially in the creative & performing arts domain. He shared that a strong foundation has been laid in the last two decades in the Animation industry. He averred that education in the present-day context has seen a sea change with emergence of private universities & other platforms adapting to creative and performing arts in their course streams. He asked students to focus on being team players and on their foundation courses along with developing their emotional quotient to be successful in the creative industry. He shared that the animation industry holds huge job potential and called students to focus on practicing and developing their skills every day.  
Mr Diego Alonso, Founder and Director, Mondo Galleria, Madrid, Spain averred that everyone is at a crossroads right now and experiencing a growth in the digital era. He stated that with arts one gets into a world with a soul it helps to express human emotions. He shared that one cannot download experience of the soul on the phone and asked aspiring art students to explore the world & experience life to find their own voice in the world of art.  

Mr. Bose Krishnamachari, Eminent Artist & Curator, Mumbai shared his views on contemporary art practices & the importance of daily practice of art. He stated the importance of attending art residencies and how they help to develop and polish an artist. He advised students to read and attend art & cultural festivals to widen their creative outlook.  

Ms Esha Guha, Senior Vice President Concept Communication Ltd., New Delhi averred that there was a need to blend technology in the physical world to create a new world of design & everyday operations. She shared that technology has added a great deal of applicability in the world of art & how creativity has moved beyond dreams into the real world. She called upon students to think of new innovations, symbolisms, understand the consumer profile, market reality & become visual thinkers but not let technology overpower them.  

Prof. Pankaj Panwar, Principal, Kala Bhavan, Visva Bharti University, Santiniketan shared that art & design has not been given much significance since independence in the country. He averred that practicing art is a liberating experience and art cannot be boxed. He sated the importance of art is it makes an individual become sensitive to the rest of the world and appreciate the finer aspects of life.  

In his opening remarks Prof. (Dr.) Pradeep Joshi, Director General, Amity Directorate of Applied Arts/Fine Arts/ Performing Arts/ Visual Arts averred that this fourth conference looked to deliberate upon how globalization has opened the windows of collaboration in this field. He added that while Visual Arts education has successfully integrated technology in its curriculum, there is still a lot more that needs to be revisited.  

The day-long conference had deliberations on ‘Art Education and Challenges in Representation’, ‘Visual Art Practice & Aesthetic Experience’ and ‘Experiments & Explorations in Design Thinking’ and paper presentations by artists and academicians from across the country.