All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society (AIFACS)

All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society (AIFACS)
Name	All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society
Formation	1928
Type	Cultural organization
Headquarters	Delhi
Region served	India
Leader title	President

All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society (AIFACS) is an Indian institution established in 1928 to promote visual arts, crafts, and cultural heritage. It has been associated with major artists, cultural policymakers, and exhibitions in New Delhi, maintaining links with national bodies and regional academies. The society has influenced art discourse alongside institutions such as the National Gallery of Modern Art, the Lalit Kala Akademi, and the Sahitya Akademi, and has engaged artists connected to movements like the Bengal School of Art, the Progressive Artists' Group (India), and the Baroda Group.

History

Founded in 1928 during a period of cultural reform involving figures aligned with Indian National Congress, All India Women's Conference, and patrons from princely states such as Mysore Kingdom and Baroda State, the society sought to institutionalize patronage similar to the role played by the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Royal Academy of Arts. Early interactions involved artists trained at the Government College of Art and Craft, Kolkata, the Sir J. J. School of Art, and workshops influenced by the Bengal School of Art aesthetic. Throughout the mid-20th century the society coordinated with events like the Festival of India and engaged with cultural policy debates alongside the Ministry of Culture (India) and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations. Post-independence, it navigated relationships with newer institutions such as the National Centre for the Performing Arts and responded to changes prompted by exhibitions at the Jehangir Art Gallery and galleries in Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai.

Organization and Governance

The society operates through a governing council and executive committees with office-bearers comparable to boards at the Lalit Kala Akademi and the Sangeet Natak Akademi. Its structure has included presidents, secretaries, and treasurers drawn from artists, patrons, and officials who also held positions in bodies like the Indian Council of Historical Research and the Archaeological Survey of India. Governance practices have been influenced by models used at institutions such as the Indian Museum, the Victoria Memorial Hall, and university art faculties like the Banaras Hindu University. Funding and patronage have come from municipal bodies in New Delhi, private philanthropists from families akin to the Tata family, and cultural trusts similar to the Aga Khan Trust for Culture.

Activities and Programs

AIFACS organizes exhibitions, workshops, lectures, and competitions paralleling activities at the National Gallery of Modern Art and initiatives by the Asia Society. Its programs have included annual salons and juried shows comparable to events at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, artist-residency schemes echoing models at Kochi-Muziris Biennale, and collaborative projects with institutions like the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts. The society has run outreach that reached regional centers including Lucknow, Patna, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru, and partnered with academic departments at the University of Delhi and the School of Planning and Architecture, Delhi.

Awards and Recognition

AIFACS has conferred awards and scholarships to emerging and established artists, functioning similarly to honors from the Padma Shri listings in arts and citations by the Lalit Kala Akademi. Its prize recipients have included practitioners recognized alongside recipients of the Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay Award and the Jnanpith Award in associated cultural fields. The society’s awards have been publicized in forums comparable to announcements by the Press Information Bureau and featured during exhibitions at venues like the National Gallery of Modern Art and the Jehangir Art Gallery.

Publications and Exhibitions

The society has issued bulletins, catalogues, and newsletters akin to publications from the National Museum, New Delhi and the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art. Exhibition catalogues have documented work by artists who also showed at the Tata Gallery and at private spaces such as the Chemould Prescott Road gallery. Retrospectives and themed shows have paralleled curated programs at events like the Kolkata International Film Festival (for cross-disciplinary projects) and the Delhi International Arts Festival. The society’s printed material has served as archival resources for researchers at institutions like the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies and the Indian Council of Historical Research.

Notable Members and Alumni

Members and alumni have included artists, critics, patrons, and educators who also engaged with the Bengal School of Art, the Progressive Artists' Group (India), and academic posts at the Sir J. J. School of Art, Government College of Art and Craft, Kolkata, and Banaras Hindu University. Figures associated by exhibition or governance resemble contemporaries of Ravi Varma, R.aza, M. F. Husain, S. H. Raza, Tyeb Mehta, Amrita Sher-Gil, Jamini Roy, Nandalal Bose, Mani Kaul, Satyajit Ray, Zarina Hashmi, Anjolie Ela Menon, G. V. G. V. Rao, B. Vithal, and critics linked to journals like those from the Indian Express and the Times of India cultural pages.

Campus and Facilities

Located with a presence in New Delhi, the society’s facilities have included exhibition halls, seminar rooms, and archival storage comparable to spaces at the National Gallery of Modern Art and the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts. Venues have hosted shows similar in scale to exhibitions at the Jehangir Art Gallery and collaborative programs with municipal galleries in Kolkata and Mumbai. Archival collections have been of interest to researchers from the National Archives of India and students from art departments at universities including the University of Delhi and Jawaharlal Nehru University.

Category:Arts organisations based in India Category:Organisations established in 1928