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Choki Traditional Art School

Choki Traditional Art School
Location: Thimphu, Bhutan
Category: Education
Published: 21 August 2007
Progress:
23% funded
   
Rating:
37 Ratings
Choki Traditional Art School (CTAS) was established in 1999 with the dual objectives of educating those children who could not continue their formal education due to both financial and social reasons and to contribute to the preservation and promotion of the unique cultural heritage of Bhutan. It is a private not-for-profit institute which supports the disadvantaged and under privileged youth of Bhutan through self-sustaining program on skills development in the traditional arts and crafts of Bhutan.

The founder of the project is Dasho Choki Dorji. It was during his time that Dasho started the first painting school in Bhutan with the approval from Her Royal Highness Ashi Dechen Wangmo Wangchuck, then representative of His Majesty in the Ministry of Development in early 1970s.

The school offers general courses in traditional drawing, painting, sculpturing and wood carving. After 2nd year, students are given the option to pursue specialized courses in Thanka ( scroll, Debri painting (Fresco) and Patra (wood carving) based on their interest and aptitude. The full course is for six years. Both – theory and practical lessons – are properly integrated to develop the necessary skills and aptitude. The school also provides classes in basic English, maths and Dzongkha.

Other co-curricular activities such as games and sports, cultural activities, mask dances, Driglam Namzha (code of etiquettes) and SUPW (Socially useful & Productive Works) form an integral parts of the school program.

CTAS has been providing exclusively free education till 2006. From 2007 the school started charging a nominal school fee from students which, however covers only about 30% of the total operational cost. The remaining costs are borne by the school through senior students’ practical works and donations from well wishers. Over the last eight years, CTAS has trained more than 100 students. The school has so far produced eight graduates and all of them are employed.

Advocates (3)

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Advocates are people who vouch for this project on the basis of personal experiences, specific expertise or direct relations.
  • Peter J.

    Peter J.

    M • Wien, Austria

    A very good project! We start a creativity club in Austria : www.newtalentsclub.org - that also wants to encourage creativity among youngsters. Did you know that you can sell handmade art worldwide with www.etsy.com ? Could be an opportunity to gain some money through that, too. Best regards Peter J.

  • V. Bagai

    V. Bagai

    M

    This is an essential project for self identity and self awareness for the Bhutanese people and children.

  • D. Bidwell

    D. Bidwell

    M • Geneva, Switzerland

    Dedicated to the Himalayan region since 1969, I have felt a strong desire to help the poor people of the region. I spent a year, with my wife, as volunteers in Kathmandu, as Country Director for the International Executive Service Corps, working with the Nepal business sector, bringing expert volunteers to help. As a result, we then decided to start helping educate some of the poor children we met, and in ’97 set up an NGO, the 'Himalayan Childrens Foundation', in Nepal, to do so on a formal basis. Five years later, we formed a US foundation to further support our efforts. As Vice President and co-founder of the 'Himalayan Youth Foundation' in 2002 (a charitable 501 C 3 corporation in the USA), our total dedication and purpose is to educate poor children in the Himalayan region and provide them with the means for a productive life. We have chosen Nepal and Bhutan as the two countries we wish to help first. In Bhutan, a national objective calls for the maintenance of the country’s heritage and a key element of that is Budhist art. The 'Choki Traditional Art School' fully supports that objective and is currently training 67 boys to become expert painters and carvers in the Budhist tradition. We wish to advocate support of CTAS for a number of reasons: 1. It is educating and ultimately providing productive jobs to poor children by giving them a skill that is much in demand. Our first three graduates got immediate jobs on graduation last year. 2. The objectives of CTAS are completely in tune with the National Government’s objectives to maintain the traditional culture of the country. 3. The quality of the work of the students has been recognized nationally as the school has won three competitive bids to paint new government buildings plus more than ten other privately owned buildings. 4. The school is run by an outstanding family which financed the school’s startup for the first few years but now require help as the school has grown substantially. Our foundation, HYF, therefore wishes to help with the operating and capital expenses of the school and we need support from others in doing so. 5. A further objective we share with CTAS is to expand the school to admit girls. There are no facilities to do so at present but we have already started seeking capital funds to build the necessary facilities.

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