Book Talk: Artisans by Design with Judy Frater
In Person and Virtual, Tuesday, December 9, 2025, 1-2 p.m. EDT
Hanging, India, 20th century. The Textile Museum Collection 1973.14.4. Gift of Ronald Harvey Goodman.
Join author and former Textile Museum curator Judy Frater for a presentation and discussion of her 2024 book, Artisans by Design: An Odyssey of Education for Textile Artisans in India.
In Artisans by Design, Frater chronicles her journey in developing the first design school for artisans in India. Spanning 50 years, the story weaves together vignettes of individual artisans with the author’s own experience. Through this dialogue, readers gain insights into craft, cultural heritage and the creativity of traditional artisans in the contemporary world.
About Judy Frater
Ashoka Fellow Judy Frater spent three decades living with artisans in Kutch. She founded the Kala Raksha Trust and Museum, as well as India’s first design school for artisans, Kala Raksha Vidhyalaya, which she later transformed into Somaiya Kala Vidya. Frater has received numerous honors, including the Sir Misha Black Medal for Design Education, the Crafts Council of India Kamla Award and the Designers of India Design Guru Award. A former associate curator at The Textile Museum and author of Threads of Identity and The Art of the Dyer in Kutch, Frater writes and lectures widely on craft.
How to Participate
This program will be in a hybrid format. You can join us in person at the museum or watch the livestream online. Please register in advance and choose how you would like to participate. We will email virtual attendees a link and instructions for joining via Zoom. When you register, you can also request to receive a reminder email one day before the program with the link included.
Additional Information
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