India Foundation for the Arts (IFA) is pleased to announce the 2nd edition of the Arts Education Conference to happen in December this year. IFA will be hosting this event in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan Bangalore (GI/MMB). The two day conference will take place at the National Gallery of Modern Art, Manikyavelu Mansion, 49 Palace Road, Bengaluru 560 052 on the 10th and 11th of December.

The collaboration of the two institutes stemmed from shared values like the importance of arts and culture in society as well as for the individual. IFA has an established network of Institutions that engage with Arts Education like Ananya GML Cultural Academy, Attakkalari Center for Movement Arts, Gombe Mané etc. The Goethe-Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan also has extensive know-how in the fields of theatre, music, dance and fine arts.

The Conference in 2009 had speakers and delegates discussing classroom education as well as the philosophical and conceptual frameworks of Arts Education. It articulated the role of arts in early childhood education. It also brought together teachers, theorists, policy makers, artists, students and resource persons to deliberate on the subject of Arts Education in India.

The 2010 GI/MMB-IFA Conference will recognize and celebrate synergies with worldwide thinking about Arts Education priorities. By Arts Education we mean kindling a connection to the arts for the teacher, both as an 'individual' and as an 'educator', through exposure to music, movement, theatre, visual arts and puppetry.

This year’s edition aims at enumerating links between the fields of art, culture, development and education. It will remain faithful to the momentum of Kali-Kalisu, which derives from Arts Education initiatives at grassroots levels in school contexts. It will equally hope to catalyse conversations with broader Indian and international Arts Education activist communities that are engaged in the continual dialogue of global and local realities, ideas, theories and practices.

It gives us immense pleasure to invite you to participate in the conference. Please find attached the request for participation which includes the conference background note and programme. Pre-registration is absolutely necessary. The form is enclosed. Forms are also available at www.indiaifa.org. You may fill out an e-form and send it to: sumitra@indiaifa.org. We will confirm your participation as soon as we hear from you. Registrations at the venue will have to pay a fee of Rs. 1200/- and Rs. 600/- for Students (with ID proof).