Over the past decade we have continuously probed into the changing role of these institutions and cultural sites of meaning creation. Through their multitude of programs, they have spotlighted various. They have examined some of the unique, unconventional and lesser-known cultural institutions that form an integral part in the country's evolving cultural landscape.
They have collaborated with various Museums in India and International as an institution that collects and houses objects and materials of cultural, artistic, historical, and scientific significance. They also looked at the future of museums and cultural institutions and how they are increasingly adopting a digital character by incorporating emerging technologies like Augmented and Virtual Reality to showcase their collections to audiences across the globe. Their Panel discussion, Multipolis Mumbai : Museums and the City, explored how the contemporary museums are envisioned as a community space where one can see and engage with their identity in the context of cultural continuity. Doubling as educational hubs, museums play a pivotal role in the promotion and understanding of cultures. With recent advancements in the field of technology and a growing shift in the mentality of museum goers, cultural institutions are facing the future in new and innovative ways by addressing the challenge of preserving heritage, while retaining relevance and growing attendances.
Over the years, they have continuously collaborated with various museums and institutions like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS), The Indian Music Experience (IME), Sarmaya arts foundation.
Avid Learning believes that museums and cultural institutions form an integral part of a country’s cultural ecosystem and that Museums have today become far more than mere repositories of artefacts and forgotten histories. They are archives, places of research and reflection, sites of aesthetic display and wider communal recreation. However, they also are living participants- extensions of our cultures and of ourselves.
Sustainability Now: Eco Museums
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS)and Avid Learning present Sustainability NOW: The Eco Museum as part of the 4th Edition of Sustainability NOW: Conversations for a Greener Tomorrow (2nd – 7th November 2020), a week of programming dedicated to environmental perspectives and green ways of living. Principal Designer and Partner at Opolis Rahul Gore, Museum and Cultural Planner & Founding Partner, BRMA Batul Raaj Mehta and Co-Founder at Bangalore Creative Circus & the Initiative for Climate Action Ajay Raghavan will be in conversation with Architect and Educator, Carnegie Mellon University Sarosh Anklesaria. As the world enters a new age – so too are museums. The world over and in India, there is a growing awareness of the need to rethink the role of museums not just as mere repositories of culture and cultural objects but as educational and environmental role models. Now is the time for the museum of the future, in which the buildings acting as repositories- to be as environmentally friendly as their practices and functions of safekeeping cultural artefacts. Now is the time for the museum of the future, one whose physical space embodies green design principals and whose programming and approach reflect sustainable agendas. This live session examined the rise and relevance of the Ecological Museum, its evolving function and features and larger sustainable agendas in Museology today. This panel touched upon the growing need for eco museology in India. Tune in to learn more about how sustainability can be achieved in museums and through cultural engagement.
Mumbai@75 - Making of the Metropolis
In association with Mumbai First, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sanghralaya and Kalaghoda Arts Association presented a panel discussion with eminent experts from Mumbai's creative ecosystem as they delve into the city's history of the ever-growing arts and cultural landscape and its influence. The discussion traversed the evolutionary journey of this vibrant Metropolis, highlighting the milestones over the decades and gazing at the future possibilities and spoke about the role that museums play helping the city develop as a sense of belonging with the past and connecting with present. He also mentioned the unique construct of Mumbai, the city that is built by its people and not by kings
Art & Technology in the City
To Celebrate International Museum Day in 2018 Avid Learning presented a panel discussion on how technology is opening up avenues for art in association with NGMA Mumbai, Ministry of Culture, Government of India. In this Panel we explored the collaborative synergies between art and technology and how artists and cultural institutions are harnessing the power of tech. Head of Business Development - India & South East Asia at Google Shishir Jayant, Professor, Industrial Design Centre, IIT Bombay Sumant Rao, Artist and Founder of the MISSING Campaign, Leena Kejriwal, Director at Nehru Science Centre, Mumbai and National Gallery of Modern Art Mumbai Shivaprasad Khened in conversation with Special Correspondent (Arts and Features) at Mumbai Mirror Reema Gehi. They discussed how technology is making a sizeable and positive impact in the art world and how artists, museums and institutions are leveraging technological advancements to revolutionize how art is produced and reproduced, archived and preserved, consumed and made more widely accessible than ever before.
The Centennial Unveiling: A Story of the Majestic Restoration of CSMVS
CSMVS, Kala Ghoda Association and Avid Learning presented a virtual discussion on the four-part restoration plan of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya the challenges of repairing a heritage building in the midst of a pandemic, operating a green museum and what it takes to pull together different eras and regions under one roof.The museum’s story has been at the heart of Mumbai’s life since the early 1900s. And even 100 years later the remarkable histories of the two remain intertwined; as symbols of cultural unity, of progress, and grand entities that have always steered their own course.