Chiba, Moe,
Moe Chiba is presently Chief of Culture Unit at UNESCO Jakarta office for Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia and Timor Leste since 2018. She joined UNESCO HQ in 2000 and began her career in the Division of Creative Industry and subsequently in the Division of Cultural Policies in charge of developing a new international convention of UNESCO on the diversity of cultural content and artistic expressions. After moving to UNESCO New Delhi office for South Asia in 2006 where poverty remains a rampant national issue, her focus has shifted on mainstreaming culture into development process. Some of her main areas of work then include heritage-based urban development, culture for rural livelihood and participation of persons with disabilities in cultural life.  Moving to Jakarta, she continues her passion for culture-based development, and coordinates projects such as disaster risk reduction of heritage, promotion of youth entrepreneurs around heritage sites, and cultural landscape management.

Chowdhury, Ruhee Das,
Chowdhury, Ruhee Das, Assistant Professor, National Institute of Fashion Technology, Kolkatta, has hands on experience in industry as a designer. Keenly interested in surface techniques on textiles she started learning embroidery at the age of eight. Her interests have deepened and she has now mastered over 100 stitches ranging from Indian to international ones. As one of the final contestants for the Lakme Fashion House, she studied Fashion at NIFT. She is currently researching traditional needle crafts and working on a book on Kantha.

Clifford, Ruth,
Ruth Clifford is currently a PhD candidate at Nottingham Trent University (NTU). She was awarded a 3-year Vice Chancellor’s scholarship in 2014 to pursue her research into design and business education for artisans in India, with a specific focus on handloom weaving. She studied Textiles at Manchester Metropolitan University, gaining a BA Hons in 2006 and an MA in 2012. Her MA work with ajrakh printers in Kachchh district, Gujarat, earned her the Textile Society Critical Writing Award in 2012 and was published in Text, vol. 40.  During her MA fieldwork she was introduced to Kala Raksha Vidhyalaya (KRV), a non-governmental organisation in Kachchh that offers design and business education to artisans - the project along with The Handloom School (THS) in Maheshwar, Madhya Pradesh became the focus of her PhD research. Through case studies of Somaiya Kala Vidya (which evolved out of KRV) and THS she analysed the different strategies employed to nurture innovation in the handloom sector and to make weaving a viable occupation economically, as well as in terms of individual aspiration. She submitted her thesis in September 2018. Ruth Clifford teaches part-time at NTU on a core undergraduate module, Design Culture and Context. She also writes a blog on her experiences of visiting craft communities, as well as interviews and reviews.

Craft Revival Trust,
At the Craft Revival Trust, we believe that access to knowledge through mapping and documentation is the basis of safeguarding the intangible heritage of crafts, textiles, folk and tribal arts and the oral knowledge systems that support them. Launched in 1999, the web portal www.craftrevival.org, contains a constantly expanding Encyclopedia featuring information on the makers, the techniques, processes and vocabulary of the intangible cultural heritage of South Asia. The encyclopedia also provides a listing of museums and organisations dedicated to the conservation and promotion of this sector, case studies of prior experiments in cultural and socio-economic development, a bibliography, and a glossary of terms, useful links, amongst many other features (see links above and on right). Today, www.craftrevival.org is the largest available archive of its kind both online and otherwise.

Crites, Mitchell Abdul Karim,
Mitchell S. Crites, an American art historian, has lived, researched and worked in India and across the Islamic world for more than forty-five years.  His primary focus has been the revival of traditional South Asian and Islamic arts and crafts.   Over the years, he has coordinated a number of prestigious art and architectural projects including the palatial mansions of Sir James Goldsmith in Mexico and Shri Lakshmi Mittal in London as well as the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi and the restoration of the historic Jal Mahal Water Palace in Jaipur.   These projects have given work to more than eight thousand master artists, carvers, inlay artisans and calligraphers. Crites writes and lectures regularly on the revival of traditional arts and crafts. He also serves as senior cultural advisor to the Turquoise Mountain Institute in Kabul for the revival of traditional Afghan arts and crafts.

D’Costa, Annabelle,
In June 2020, Annabelle quit her corporate job to find her calling, and pursue more seriously her passion for working in the social sector. In a search to find the sweet spot where she could start her journey to this new world without hitting too many bumps, she chanced upon India Fellow, a not-for-profit social leadership program that trains socially conscious leaders for tomorrow. As an India Fellow, Annabelle is placed with Khamir, a crafts-based organisation in Bhuj, Kutch, Gujarat, that serves as a platform for the promotion of traditional handicrafts and allied cultural practices, the processes involved in their creation, and the preservation of Kutch’s culture, communities and local environment. Annabelle is working with the team to understand the social framework, to provide local and marginalised artisans with forward linkages as well as skill development opportunities, and at the same time get a deeper understanding into the issues that plague the handicrafts sector at large. She is helping the team build a strong online presence through mediums such as e-commerce and social media, which have become the need of the hour with COVID-19 paving the way for the omni-digital consumer.

Dalal, Prachi,
Prachi Dalal combines her experience in the fields of education, museum education, heritage management and sustainable tourism to curate unique experiences for a diverse range of audiences, from students in school settings to families and school groups in museums and visitors to arts and historic centers. She has created programs in many different capacities, as a community outreach educator at the Freer and Sackler Galleries, Smithsonian Institution (Washington, DC) and Early Childhood and Family Programs educator, Rubin Museum of Art (New York, NY), Festival Director, Erasing Borders Dance Festival (New York, NY), and educator in nature-based schools like The Orchard School (New Hampshire) and Saxtons River Montessori School (Vermont). She has also consulted with organizations including INTACH and the Somaiya Foundation on heritage management, tourism and education projects. She currently teaches 5th graders at the Ascend International School (Mumbai, India), and serves as a faculty of Art Village, an artist’s collective passionate about providing a creative space that works in harmony with nature. Her training in classical Indian dance and traditional miniature painting, as well as her interests in crafts and traditional knowledge systems, nature and the principles of sustainability and service, deeply inform her practice as an educator. Connecting communities, breaking silos and creating pathways to build understanding, and building empathy are principles that inspire her work.  

Danielle,
Danielle was born immersed in the world of fashion that she inherited from her mother Olga Piedrahita. Since she was little, she observed with eyes and hands wide open, until she made the decision to study industrial design at the Universidad de los Andes. Her natural inclination towards creation and multiple creative disciplines also lead her to look into the world of literature. With this unusual training, upon finishing her undergraduate degree she went to live in Jaipur India. There she worked with Sanjay Kasliwal from "The Gem Palace" and she found her other passion: jewellery. Since 2007 she returned to work at the "Casa Olga Piedrahita" from where she has created her action platform: Design and production of creative projects around fashion, photography and jewelry. Among the projects that she has carried out, the collaboration with the photographer Ruven Afanador for more than 7 years stands out. At his side, he has produced 3 photography workshops in co-production with the Universidad de los Andes and Jorge Tadeo Lozano, photographed great Colombian musical talents such as Carlos Vives, Aterciopelados or Chocquibtown, produced a Country Brand campaign, among many others. From the "Olga Piedrahita house" and in co-creation with the designer, they have held photography and fashion events with the work of the master Leo Matiz, or Beat Presser and collaborated with other talents, such as Rohka, Carla Fernández, Bazz de Grant, etc Her house in a living space that mutates like her own interests, which are nourished by so many talents that pass through the place. Always a wardrobe space, a crossroads between imagined fashion and so many other creative languages: illustration, cooking, art, painting, jewelry, etc. Danielle is a well-rounded creative who has the talent to be soul-in-the-heaven and down-to-earth. In the projects she does executive and creative production and in others she does textile design or styling. In the design line of her products that she treasures, she explores artisan techniques from the country and through her platform, she wants to make the client take a good look, hopefully twice, that each piece has more than one story to tell. ; country and root stories that contribute to the GLOCAL concept (Global + local).

Das, Shouryamoy,
Shouryamoy Das has been involved in a two year long study on wool value chains across the pastoral regions of India. This study was commissioned by The Centre for Pastoralism. Shouryamoy Das has also led field interventions on local wool with Khamir in Kutch and has both anchored  and supported the Desi Oon exhibitions initiated by CfP.

Dattagupta, Ishani,
Ishani Duttagupta is a journalist with The Economic Times where she specialises in immigration and the Indian diaspora.

Dhamija, Jasleen,
Dhamija, Jasleen began work with the Government of India in 1954, focussing on the revival of traditional crafts, community development and women’s employment. She then worked with the United Nations Development Programme in Iran on the first project on Rural Non Farm Employment to support the Land Reform. Jasleen has been advisor to many governments on applied art and multi-cultural creative expression. She has also taught in many universities and lectured around the world. She was visiting fellow at Canberra School of Arts, Canberra, Wollongong University and Sydney School of Art. She has organised major exhibitions including Power Cloths of the Commonwealth at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne and New Delhi. She was appointed President of Jury for Award to the Finest Textile Designers and Weavers for their Creativity in Asia and Co-Chairperson for the Handloom Development Working Group to evolve a development programme for a million handloom weavers.

Dhar, Parul Pandya,
Parul Pandya Dhar is Associate Professor in the Department of History, University of Delhi, and specializes in the history of ancient and medieval Indian art, with further research interests in pre-modern Asian cross-cultural interactions. She has authored The Torana in Indian and Southeast Asian Architecture (2010) and edited Indian Art History: Changing Perspectives (2011) and Cultural Interface of India with Asia: Religion, Art and Architecture (2004, co-edited) besides contributing several research papers in journals and books. She is an Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellow (2007-08), Germany. An alumnus of Kalakshetra-Chennai, she has also been well-known as an accomplished classical Indian dance-artiste.

Divakala, Malini,
With about has over 26+ years of experience in Fashion Design education in India Malini is a Professor at the Dept of Fashion Design at National Institute of Fashion Technology, Hyderabad. A former Chairperson of the dept she pursued her doctoral studies in the field of ‘traditional textiles’ from NIFT, Delhi. A strong academician she has served worked as a mentor, leader, administrator, author, and researcher. Her keen interest in Indian textiles formed the base for her doctoral thesis on Kalamkari of Andhra Pradesh.    

Dole, Sandrine,
Sandrine Dole is a French product designer, trained in industrial design and specializing in the handicraft sector since 1999. Based in Morocco, she has worked in both the rural and urban areas in several African countries. She works in applying design in a development perspective, keeping in consideration social, cultural, economic and environmental assets in the fields of handicrafts product design, vocational craft and design training and consultancy, - scenography design for events and in visual communication (photography and graphics). Her experience is in a wide range of production techniques (wood, bamboo, metal, ceramics, natural fibres, leather, recycled materials...) and in different sectors (urban furniture, home furniture, tableware, fashion accessories, home textiles...), she provides the connection between a local environment and international demands, for tourism markets and export.

Dr Gupta, Divya Singhal,
Dr. Divya Singhal Gupta is an academician, researcher and an Indian textiles enthusiast.  Armed with a PhD in Textiles from the University of Delhi, she has dedicated her career to exploring the rich tapestry of Indian traditional textiles, fashion, and handicrafts. Currently serving as the Content Manager for the Indian Textiles and Crafts Repository Project at the esteemed National Institute of Fashion Technology, Dr. Gupta plays a pivotal role in preserving and disseminating knowledge about India's cultural heritage. Her work in curating and managing this repository showcases her commitment to nurturing India's textile and craft legacy for generations to come. With over five years of teaching experience and a research portfolio spanning six years, Dr. Gupta is not only a seasoned educator but also a dynamic researcher. Her expertise in garment construction, handlooms, and the intricate world of Indian textiles has made her an influential figure in academia. Beyond her professional achievements, Dr. Divya Singhal Gupta is an advocate for the preservation of traditional craftsmanship and the promotion of sustainable fashion practices. Her multifaceted contributions have left an indelible mark on the realm of textiles, bridging the gap between tradition and innovation.

Dr Jain, Hemalatha,

Dr Hemalatha Jain has worked as a design  faculty for two decades at a reputed University and a number of design colleges across India.  She her expertise as well as  taught subjects include anthropology, technical aspects of textile and sustainability.  She is the author of ‘Techniques of Dyeing and Printing’,  and has published numerous research papers on design, natural dyes and sustainability. She has also held gallery shows on handloom and spinning.

Dr. Hemalatha Jain is the founder of Punarjeevana Trust that was founded with the vision of revival and sustenance of  the traditional crafts and artisans. Punarjeevana is the by-product of her PhD titled , ‘The Study of Sustenance of Patteda anchu’.  Punarjeevana was started with just one weaver in North Karnataka and today it spreads its wings in Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Kashmir, Bihar, Pune, Kholapur, Aurangabad and Madhya Pradesh.  Dr. Jain has actively helped in reviving more than 10 languished  handloom weaves, has  introduced natural fibers to the  tribal weaves of Idu and Adi tribes from Arunachal Pradesh, and is now  working on the traditional practices of   bamboo fibers,  nettle fiber extraction, north eastern dyeing techniques, traditional farming technique  (natural fiber and dye plants) in the tribal areas of Madhya Pradesh ,  traditional quilting and embroidery techniques, traditional hand tailoring techniques and etc.


Dr. Stephen P Huyler,
Dr. Stephen Huyler has spent almost half a century traveling the length and breadth of India documenting folk and tribal arts and crafts. He interviews artists and artisans, studies their techniques, records their life histories and personal stories, and compares their work to local traditions and to similar creativity in other regions and subcultures. A cultural anthropologist and writer, Dr. Huyler has also honed his skills as a photographer in order to present as thorough insights as possible into the intentional repetitions and personal innovations of each individual he surveys. Over the decades he has amassed a photo archive of over 300,000 images, many of them unique and now rare. Stephen has published seven books and numerous chapters and articles about Indian folk art and ritual art. Three of his books have focused on women's art and identity, one of which is a monograph on Sonabai Rajawar. He has also curated over thirty museum exhibitions of Indian art, many of which have traveled extensively. Although he and his wife Helene live the rest of each year in Camden, Maine, and when he is in South Asia he is constantly traveling as he conducts his cross-cultural survey, he feels equally at ease and at home wherever he finds himself in India.