Noah's Ark
LOCATED IN india
Based in India, Noah’s Ark is a fair trade organization empowering artisans through traditional techniques. Artisans include women, minorities, and displaced people who have resettled in Delhi due to damages or economic conditions within their home villages.
Noah’s Artisan & Welfare Society is the nonprofit arm of Noah’s Ark. The organization supports social programs including education and literacy programs, clean drinking water, medical and health benefits, sanitation services, profit sharing, and community development workshops. The group works to provide a shelter to India’s craftwork and invest in the welfare of artisans. Noah’s Ark works with more than 25 artisan groups with a total of 250 to 300 artisans. They range in age from 22 to 50 years old. With a further commitment to the community, Noah’s Ark organizes health, eye, and dental camps and supports education for nearly 300 children.
Most of the artisans work from their homes. Noah’s Ark ensures they are provided with the necessary equipment, such as safety gear and dust extractors, and support to work in a safe, empowering space. In the past 30 years, Noah’s Ark has created approximately 23 workshops.
To create these picture frames, artisans follow a technique that involves recycling discarded bones of buffalo, which have passed away from other causes, and transforming them into timeless products. Artisans wash and boil the material, and then they set it to dry in the natural sunlight. They cut the pieces by hand and assemble the medium-density fiberboard (MDF) and pieces of bone. Each piece is cut and polished and can vary in shade and color. On average, it can take nearly two weeks to create 100 products. The workshop is led by Mod. Naseem, with whom Noah’s Ark established a workshop about a decade ago. Artisans typically learn these skills at a young age and preserve the local art that is unique to the community.
from the archives
Chevron Frames
Cubed Frames
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Scalloped Frames
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