Living Traditions en

The term, specific to the discussion of Indian art and culture, relates to issues about the continuity of traditions. It was felt that the British administration and educational system in India were undermining the art and craft system in the country, which had had a continuity of development. Soon after independence, a number of government institutions and museums dedicated to rural arts and crafts emerged in India. Modern artists in the urban contexts also invested considerable attention to the contexts, techniques, and forms of traditional art practices. This engagement brought new questions on how to define tradition in the 20th century; how to reconcile the relationship between modern and traditional art; how to support a sustainable environment for traditional arts; and how these disappearing art forms might be preserved. Artists in Baroda were particularly interested in these questions, which translated into various institutional initiatives, Fine Art Fairs, research projects, and artist exchanges and workshops with artisans from rural contexts.