Anmol Vellani, Executive Director, India Foundation for the Arts
What festivals have you funded in the last few years?
None – we do not fund festivals as a whole but have supported some modules that would be relevant to our programmes. For instance we funded some modules of the Theatre for Young Audiences conference in New Delhi. We may support seminars which are part of a festival that enable participants to engage with themes that are related to IFA’s programmes.
What festivals have you funded in the last few years?
None – we do not fund festivals as a whole but have supported some modules that would be relevant to our programmes. For instance we funded some modules of the Theatre for Young Audiences conference in New Delhi. We may support seminars which are part of a festival that enable participants to engage with themes that are related to IFA’s programmes.
We also engage with festival authorities to introduce them to the individual works that we have supported. We also have our own New Performance Festival every two years in different cities as part of which we curate four-to-five productions that have emerged from our grants under the New Performance programme.
What is the level of funding and what types of support do you offer?
We do not fund festivals because we believe there is enough funding available from the various levels of the government – national, state and municipal – as well as corporate sponsorship. Bilateral agencies and other external funders also provide support. There is a new scheme being introduced by the government for funding of large-scale arts festivals.
IFA is the only independent grant-making organization in India working exclusively to support the arts and we focus our attention on areas that are less visible and less likely to be supported by others – such as arts education in schools, curatorship, risk-taking art.
How does funding impact curatorial practice of festivals?
Funding at the moment is not available for festivals to take well-informed curatorial decisions because funding for pre-festival R&D activities is not available generally. Funding is made available only for the execution of the festivals but not at the research stage.
The new government scheme for funding festivals focuses on mega-festivals. It treats large festival as a magnified version of a small fest, which is problematic. In this case as in others, the government is unwilling to take risks or provide support at an early idea or inception stage.
What is your opinion about the festival scene in India – what role are they playing in the community and why are they so popular?
There is more money in the economy at the moment to support festivals. Supporting festivals is popular because they offer large participation and give greater mileage.
The government has also learned from the Jaipur Literature Festival that such festivals have a positive impact on the local and national economies.
Festivals play multiple roles in the community. They allow artists to get a broader audience, interact with other artists and build networks with other festival producers.
In the city, art and culture is not something with which people regularly engage, so festivals offer a compelling forum that draws people. The success of the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival is telling in this respect.
The KGAF started with the heritage precinct idea and draws attention to the neighbourhood. Such festivals bring the community together.
What is the cultural and historical context within which arts festivals in India operate?
We have a very long history of village festivals, which create the space for rituals and allow for mythology to flourish. Arts festivals in urban locations are of more recent origin. One of the oldest is the music season in Chennai, which began in the 1920s or 1930s. Today it runs for two months with innumerable sabhas presenting concerts, lec-dems and seminars round the clock.
Urban arts festivals change their complexion over time as they grow and respond to the rapidly changing urban landscape. Being of relatively recent origin, they are in the process of creating their own traditions and forms. For instance, the idea of ‘neighbourhood’ did not exist earlier – the Bandra and Kala Ghoda festivals respond to these new urban constructs.
How are India’s art festivals like to evolve or grow in the future?
I believe that city festivals will grow. With increasing support, festivals will also travel to other cities and network with other festivals – for instance, earlier editions of the Prithvi Theatre Festival and Thespo have travelled to other cities. Festivals in all areas of the arts, and particularly city-wide and multidisciplinary festivals, will grow.
We do not fund festivals because we believe there is enough funding available from the various levels of the government – national, state and municipal – as well as corporate sponsorship. Bilateral agencies and other external funders also provide support. There is a new scheme being introduced by the government for funding of large-scale arts festivals.
IFA is the only independent grant-making organization in India working exclusively to support the arts and we focus our attention on areas that are less visible and less likely to be supported by others – such as arts education in schools, curatorship, risk-taking art.
How does funding impact curatorial practice of festivals?
Funding at the moment is not available for festivals to take well-informed curatorial decisions because funding for pre-festival R&D activities is not available generally. Funding is made available only for the execution of the festivals but not at the research stage.
The new government scheme for funding festivals focuses on mega-festivals. It treats large festival as a magnified version of a small fest, which is problematic. In this case as in others, the government is unwilling to take risks or provide support at an early idea or inception stage.
What is your opinion about the festival scene in India – what role are they playing in the community and why are they so popular?
There is more money in the economy at the moment to support festivals. Supporting festivals is popular because they offer large participation and give greater mileage.
The government has also learned from the Jaipur Literature Festival that such festivals have a positive impact on the local and national economies.
Festivals play multiple roles in the community. They allow artists to get a broader audience, interact with other artists and build networks with other festival producers.
In the city, art and culture is not something with which people regularly engage, so festivals offer a compelling forum that draws people. The success of the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival is telling in this respect.
The KGAF started with the heritage precinct idea and draws attention to the neighbourhood. Such festivals bring the community together.
What is the cultural and historical context within which arts festivals in India operate?
We have a very long history of village festivals, which create the space for rituals and allow for mythology to flourish. Arts festivals in urban locations are of more recent origin. One of the oldest is the music season in Chennai, which began in the 1920s or 1930s. Today it runs for two months with innumerable sabhas presenting concerts, lec-dems and seminars round the clock.
Urban arts festivals change their complexion over time as they grow and respond to the rapidly changing urban landscape. Being of relatively recent origin, they are in the process of creating their own traditions and forms. For instance, the idea of ‘neighbourhood’ did not exist earlier – the Bandra and Kala Ghoda festivals respond to these new urban constructs.
How are India’s art festivals like to evolve or grow in the future?
I believe that city festivals will grow. With increasing support, festivals will also travel to other cities and network with other festivals – for instance, earlier editions of the Prithvi Theatre Festival and Thespo have travelled to other cities. Festivals in all areas of the arts, and particularly city-wide and multidisciplinary festivals, will grow.
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