The bronze casting mentor runs the business that he and his father began by learning techniques for different aspects of statuary from many different teachers. From just the two of them, business has now grown to include many assistants. "The first thing an apprentice does is help with the wax and clay phase of the piece. They can get some hands-on skill with this, and through observing and assisting with melting, pouring, piecing together, finishing and plating, they can get an understanding of the whole process."

The jewelry teacher creates his work in a cozy workshop with a staff of about six jewelers.  He began wielding his tools at age ten. He wanted to do what he had observed his grandfather and father, the former jewelers for the Royal Palace, doing. "It took me six years to become skillful in all the basics, but a new person can learn something in a week. It is an ongoing process, easy to difficult.  As a teacher the most useful thing I have learned is patience. With patience you will learn to melt, to beat, to build. You can make a bracelet, a ring, a chain."

The stone-carving master is from the fourth generation of stone carvers in his family, and he started when he was 14. In his grandfather's time the business was very small and local. His father went to Japan to learn additional techniques from a master stone carver, and brought them back to Nepal.  Now they win prizes and commissions from all over the world for large and small-scale work. "The first step is to learn to plane the stone by hand with a flat chisel. Then the form is sketched directly onto the face of the stone. Finally stone is chipped away to bring out the figure. In addition to practice, the apprentice will learn to sharpen tools and use the mallet, and finally to create original designs.  Biswakarma, the deity of all Nepali artists, will be your guide."

"The most important aptitude for an apprentice to have is curiosity, even if they have no ability to paint. The beginner sees a flat surface, but as they learn they enter the puzzle door to a multi-dimensional world. If a person is dedicated, he or she may finish a small painting. But at the very least they will get a basic knowledge of postures, breath, and meditation. Also basic Buddhism will be taught, its different sects, how thangka paintings function within religious practice, and the techniques." Depending on the background of the student, in one month it is possible for a student to finish a small thangka.

After years of experience in development organizations, the teacher started her own business. "We can gear an apprenticeship to the interest of the student.  For example, product designs, merchandising and marketing, the craft of making handmade paper and paper products and textile printing. Even the simplest tasks of handling the paper will begin to give a person first hand knowledge for identifying the weight and quality of different papers. One student's design turned out to be a top seller for us. We want to help you see the basic working truth in our business, and we can exchange Nepali and English while we work."

The teacher has devoted her artistic life to applying philosophy through arts and crafts to helping poor people learn skills for earning a living. Her gallery displays tapestries and cloth and rugs produced there, which are of the highest quality, and in astonishing variety. An apprentice might follow the same pattern any newcomer to the center would: going out into the village or landscape to make a sketch for your design, perhaps dyeing (even spinning if you wish) the yarn for your colors, learning how to set the warp on a loom, and weaving a small tapestry based on your sketch. If you prefer to make some hand-built pottery, the clay and kilns are at your disposal.

 

 

Students will get an opportunity to:
1. Archive photos of renowned Nepali photographers
•    Sorting through negative boxes, going through slides and prints, cleaning and organizing them, writing captions.
•    Spending time with the photographer, find opportunities to exhibit, publish and so on.
•    Additional research based on the photographs they are archiving, write papers/essays, if and when required.
•    Students’ contributions will be included in a national photo archive that our partner photo.circle hopes to set up in the years to come.

2. Photojournalism
•    Interning at local publications or independently on photo projects with local mentors/partners.  
•    Publish the work during the internship period.

3. Participate in activities
•    Participate in photo.circle projects like exhibitions, presentations etc.