CCI has conducted several craft-specific workshops to help artisans with new designs, tools, technology, techniques, raw material, etc. Most of these workshops have had International and Indian consultants coming together to work with groups of 20-50 artisans at a time. CCI has been working with artisans using stone, wood, low-cost jewellery, glass, puppetry, traditional art, etc.

'Chitralekha' was an interactive workshop of folk, indigenous and traditional artists with contemporary artists organized by the Craft Council of India, Chennai and Lalit Kala Akademi, Chennai from December 20 – 26, 2010. This was sponsored by the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) Ministry of Textiles, Government of India

An international craft exchange program in puppetry was conducted in Chennai by the Crafts Council of India, and sponsored by Development Commissioner (Handicrafts), Ministry of Textiles, Government of India at Lalit Kala Akademi from February 9 – 18, 2011.

Natural dyes and the techniques of their use is one area in which CCI has made efforts to learn and share techniques and technology. CCI conducted the International Natural Dyes Symposium in Hyderabad in 2006 in collaboration with UNESCO and bringing together over 700 experts from all over the world which helped document some of the natural dye practices in each country.

In the past year, CCI has collaborated with other agencies, NGOs and organisations to provide inputs on design as well as marketing suggestions to local artisans. These projects have increased the reach of CCI as well as created opportunities for experience sharing.

Hand in Hand (HIH) is a charitable trust and an NGO involved in various activities connected with uplifting the poor through economic empowerment. They invest time in training them in entrepreneurial skills, promotion of activities connected with their traditional arts and crafts, as well as imparting education, promoting health and hygiene services and awareness programmes.

The Crafts Council of India with the Worlds Crafts Council undertook a joint project to research, understand and revive the languishing craft Sungadi. The plan was to carry out an initial survey, by conduct¬ing a training programme, sample production, test marketing and an exhibition.

A programme of scholarships for children of artisans to support their school education is an ongoing activity established in 2007. A special committee selects children from the nominations received from members, affiliate councils, NGO networks and senior artisans on the field.

At the moment, 140 children are covered under this programme. What has also happened in the course of this effort is that a wider perspective has emerged. Many of these children complete class X soon, bringing into focus the issue of their higher education needs that would be relevant to their craft.

This concern has led to the search for institutions where such advanced training or education can be imparted keeping in mind the aspirations of the children.

Seeing the need for marketing as a crucial input to support the artisans, CCI conducts exhibitions and annual crafts bazaars so that the highly specialized skills of various crafts do not disappear. Exhibitions of various kinds, at different scales, catering to different market segments are a regular feature of CCI’s activities

The annual Crafts Bazaar is conducted every year with a 10-day display of crafts from across the country covering a complete range of merchandise such as leather puppets, bags, footwear, embroidered and block printed textiles, terracotta and pottery, kalamkari paintings, convent embroidery, Kutch shawls, Pattamadai grass mats, palm-leaf baskets, turned wood lacquer toys and much more.

The bazaar is eagerly awaited by the Chennai public as an event featuring genuine and good quality crafts as well as showcasing award winning artisans. Every year customers make repeated visits to the venue bringing with them their relatives and friends. With stalls and accommodation provided free of cost, artisans feel happy and proud to be a part of the event.

An exhibition focussing on a complete range of products for the home is planned from December 5 – 11, 2011 at Lalit Kala Akademi. CCI has been working with artisans for over 30 years on products of utility for home which also have a contemporary touch to it. The scope of this exhibition will be tremendous with a range of products and craft styles showcasing the best the country has to offer. This event is sponsored by Development Commissioner Handicrafts, Ministry of Textiles, Government of India.

A thematic exhibition on block printing is planned for February 2012, to be held in Lucknow. The exhibition is expected to have participants from around the country showcasing their skills in block printed fabrics and garments.

Santa Fe is the largest retail International Folk Art Market in the world and attracts over 20,000 visitors in two days generating a business of over 2 million dollars. Over a 100 artisans from around 50 countries participate in this event. Each artisan takes home an average of USD 15,000 in 2 days.

In this event, CCI manages the South Asia section in the UNESCO stall for handicrafts which have won the Award of Excellence. Every year 20 to 25 artisans’ products are displayed and sold through this stall. In July 2010 the product range included crafts of lambani embroidery, ajrakh and other block prints, ikat, shibori and other tie-dye techniques, appliqué work, stone carving, painting, bobbin lace from Sri Lanka and metal crafts from Nepal and Pakistan.

CCI in association with India Abroad Inc. and Indo-American Arts Council organized a three-day exhibition in collaboration with the Asia Society in New York in July 2010. Three artisans from Kutch (Vankar Shamji Vishram, Abdul Jabbar Khatri and Mohammed Razzaque Khatri), one from Kashmir (Bashir Ahmed Jan) and one NGO from Gujarat (SEWA) sold their products at this exhibition. CCI showcased several other handmade products from all over India. Craft demonstrations were also arranged. The response was excellent with sales touching $25000. The collaborators were seeking to make it an annual event, but to be a viable exercise it was found that aspects like cargo, airfare for participants, accommodation, etc. would need to be sponsored as had happened for this first event.

To promote Indian culture and showcase it to the local community, a hypermarket in Bahrain organized India Cultural Week in March 2011. CCI coordinated with the local organizers to facilitate the travel, demonstration and sales of the artisans. The artisans who participated were Awaz Mohamad, lac bangle maker from Rajasthan; Srinivasan, glass blower from Chennai; Karpagam, thread bangle maker from Chennai and Vishwanath Reddy, kalamkari artist from Srikalahasty in Andhra Pradesh. The star attraction at the event were two puppet makers and performers from Rajasthan. The programme was inaugurated by the Indian Ambassador to Bahrain and was very well attended. The bazaar was organized following the success of a similar event held the previous year.

A 10 day event was organised in July 2011 at Luxembourg to showcase traditional Indian craft to the local market thus giving them an opportunity to buy authentic Indian craft and experience the range and potential of these crafts. The main purpose of the event was to give Indian crafts an exposure to a wider international market and provide a platform in Luxembourg for Indian crafts.

In the context of modernization and urbanization, retailing occupies a large part of the market space. CCI assists the artisan in reaching out to and being relevant in the retail market space. The Kamala outlets were setup to showcase good quality crafts and textiles from across the country. These are sourced directly from artisans and artisan groups. In this way Kamala is a unique platform, a bridge between artisans and markets.

From time to time CCI undertakes special and unusual projects that focus on aspects of craft, their relevance, their revival, special processes as well as at a more practical level steps and efforts that can be undertaken to protect the crafts and encourage their growth through advocacy and government interface.

The Crafts Council of India ( CCI) undertook this Craft Economics and Impact Study (CEIS) to address the crisis of unawareness and misunderstanding that faces the handicrafts sector, the largest source of Indian employment after agriculture. The objective of this effort is to suggest a methodology hat can provide authorities with a robust and reliable data-base for the sector that some estimates place at involving 200 million persons. Such a foundation for knowledge and action is missing today. As a consequence, India’s artisans are in acute distress, despite the sector’s remarkable growth. Things cannot change unless accurate data is available to inform better decisions and plans to lift the future of the sector, and of those who work in it. The Craft Economics and Impact Study (CEIS) attempts preliminary enquiries in this direction. Initial work on the Study had to factor in several aspects and challenges in entering a field which has remained relatively untouched as an area of economic research and inquiry. Despite these influences and the constraints of experience and resources, CCI believes that this Study can now lead the way to a methodology and a national study by the Government of India that can help transform the sector as well as the economy of which it is a part.