Sara Vetteth
Founder
Sara Vetteth is the Founder and the Principal Trustee of the Indian Art And Design Educators Association. She is passionate about bringing Art and Design into schools. She has earned a Masters degree in Design and Technology from Parsons School of Design, New York, where she went on to teach undergraduate and graduate classes, and was invited as an artist in residence at the Bauhaus in Germany. Her early experience in teacher training was at the Cooper Hewitt Museum in New York, working with PBS Kids to introduce design into classrooms. She has also authored the Art for Kids series of books, collaborating with renowned artists like A Ramachandran, Ram Kumar and KG Subramanyan to share their stories and insights. Notably, she is the Founder of RainbowFish Studio, an organisation that provides a dynamic Visual Arts curriculum to thousands of students in schools across India.
A lifelong learner, she attended the Harvard Project Zero Institute in the summer of 2019, where she worked towards developing a pedagogical framework for creativity and learning
Janani Krishnan
Conference Coordinator
Janani Krishnan is an HR consultant specializing in change management, Diversity & Inclusion and policy & process excellence. She’s partnered with organisations from setup to maturity stage in the consulting, financial services, and non-profit sector. Her work is focused on promoting gender equality, and setting up people systems and frameworks that enable business goals, build efficiencies and motivate employees. She is currently pursuing her Masters in Development Practice, specialising in addressing sustainable development goals related to social justice and environmental impact of organisations.
Sandhya Gopinath
Conference Curator
Sandhya Gopinath is passionate about teaching teenagers and young adults. High School Visual Arts Educator at an International School, Chennai, she has 11 years of teaching experience in international schools and other art institutions and has, IB, AP and IGCSE accreditations. Sandhya has a Master’s degree from Lasalle College of Art and Design, Singapore and has been the Visual Arts teacher at the American International School Chennai. She has held solo exhibitions and participated in group exhibitions in In India and abroad. Sandhya represented India at the Salon Des Beaux-Arts Lyon (France) 2007 and 2011.
Gobinath M
Operations and Admin
Gobinath is Head of Business development and Operations at Rainbowfish Studio, he has been in the educational field for more than a decade implementing technology and ensuring customer delight. He has earned a Master degree in Business Administration from Madras University. He is also a social enthusiast, teaching technology to poor/needy student and believes that technology should reach to everyone.
Harini Aiana
Graphic Designer
Harini is an interdisciplinary designer from Chennai, and a graduate of Industrial Design from Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology in Bangalore. She enjoys working with various media, ranging from traditional art, to textiles, to 3D modelling, to solve problems and bring stories to life. She has an independent practice as a graphic designer, where she develops brand identity and packaging solutions.
Alexis de Ducla
Partnerships Consultant
Alexis de Ducla grew up in Paris, France and has been living in India for the past 15 years. He graduated from ESSEC MBA Paris, with a specialization in social entrepreneurship. He has worked on a diverse range of projects with NGOs and social enterprises specialising in textile, affordable housing, craft and food industry and more. Through these projects, his focus is on the social impact of businesses and empowerment through economic activities.
Amala Aiana
Amala Aiana has extensive experience teaching visual arts and design in elementary and middle schools, covering Grades 1 to 8, across the country. In 2016, she represented RainbowFish Studio at the National Art Education Association Convention in Chicago, USA. She has conducted workshops and training programs for art teachers in her role as School Art Program Director at RainbowFish Studio and heads the video production of RainbowFish course content. Amala was recognized as the runner-up in the category of ‘Best Use of Elements of Art’ at the 2018 IADEA Art Teacher Excellence Awards. She is also a passionate sustainability advocate, photographer and kuchipudi dancer.
Pragati Pramod
Pragati Pramod is an Art Educator and artist, currently teaching Grades 3 to 7 at The Somaiya School in Mumbai. She has a Masters Degree in Art, a Diploma in Teaching Art and is an Art Therapy practitioner. Pragati has exhibited her paintings at Kolam Art Gallery in Chembur in 2018 and this year at Little Picasso Art Mela at The Somaiya School. Pragati was recognized as the winner in the category of ‘Art Teaching Techniques’ at the 2018 IADEA Art Teacher Excellence Awards. She enjoys teaching children and translating her passion for creating art and painting to her students. She also likes playing the tabla, reading, dancing, trekking and baking.
Diana Shatish
Diana Shatish is an Art Educator with 20 years of experience, and she currently teaches Art at Redwood Montessori School and Kids Central High to elementary school children. Diana has an M.A. Sociology and has completed her Diploma in Drawing, Painting and Ceramics. She conducts workshops on developing holistic Art curriculum, classroom management and Integrating Arts into other content areas. Diana is passionate about community Art and she has conducted classes with children in communities in Bihar. She was recognized in the category of ‘Art Teaching Techniques’ as the runner up winner at the 2018 Art Teacher Excellence Awards. Diana continues to invest in learning through workshops, seminars, artist interactions, international school visitations, and interactions with renowned art educators from around the world.
Mandeep Singh
Mandeep Singh is an Art Educator and designer, from Amritsar, with over ten years of experience teaching art in elementary and middle school. He is also a guest artist and conducts workshops for art enthusiasts, in association with the Footwear Design & Development Institute (FDDI). Pursuing his keen interest in Art, Mandeep completed his Bachelor’s in Fine Arts from the Institute of Fine Arts, Modi Nagar in 2005, followed by a Post Graduation in Painting from the College of Arts, Chandigarh in 2007. During this period, Mandeep was recognized by the Ministry of Culture and awarded the Garhi Srand Scholarship. Over the years, he’s continued to invest in his journey of learning through Art workshops and camps at a National Level.
Sunil Shukla
Sunil is the Convenor of the Art Design Teachers Forum. He is based in Bhopal and guides portfolio development for students in Grades 11 and 12 who are pursuing further studies in Art and Design. Sunil is a film-maker and Graduate from FTI, Pune.