One of the primary aims of The Guild of Designers and Artists is to ensure that India’s rich artistic heritage does not remain confined to museums or coffee-table books, but becomes a living, breathing part of our contemporary lives.

As part of the Design & Innovation Summit, we conducted a hands-on Gond Art workshop for an audience of over 300 designers, architects, and creative professionals from diverse design disciplines. The intention behind this workshop was simple yet deeply purposeful – to create awareness, respect, and relevance for one of India’s most profound tribal art forms.

The session went beyond theory. Participants were invited to experience Gond art through direct engagement with the process – dots, lines, rhythm, repetition, and storytelling. As hands moved instinctively across paper, something beautiful unfolded. Many realised that Gond art is not just a visual expression, but also a meditative practice, offering inner calm, focus, and presence – something we often seek but rarely find in our fast-paced professional lives.

The workshop was designed to help designers understand:

• How Gond art is created by the artist
• The cultural depth and philosophy behind the art form
• How such crafts can be respectfully integrated into interiors, hospitality, corporate, and everyday design spaces
• Why supporting living artists and crafts is a responsibility, not a trend

What was most heartening was to see seasoned professionals—architects, interior designers, and product designers—letting go, slowing down, and reconnecting with the joy of creating by hand.

This workshop was not about making everyone an artist. It was about building empathy, awareness, and reverence for craft, and encouraging the design fraternity to see traditional art not as mere ornamentation, but as a meaningful, contemporary design language.

If even a few designers walk away choosing to collaborate with artists, honour their work, and carry these traditions forward, then the purpose has been served.

Because when design meets culture with respect, it creates a timeless impact.