Judy Frater is an Ashoka Fellow steeped in the world of contemporary textile artisans of
Kutch, India. Residing in Kutch for 30 years, she co-founded and operated Kala
Raksha, a cooperative for women embroiderers, established the Kala Raksha Textile
Museum, founded Kala Raksha Vidhyalaya, the first design school for traditional
artisans, and reinvented the school as Somaiya Kala Vidya.
Prior to residing in India, she was Associate Curator of Eastern Hemisphere Collections
at The Textile Museum in Washington, D.C. She authored the award-winning Threads of
Identity: Embroidery and Adornment of the Nomadic Rabaris and The Art of the Dyer in
Kutch. In 2022, she was the Interdisciplinary Artist in Residence at the University of
Wisconsin, Madison.
Judy's book Artisans by Design: An Odyssey of Education for Textile Artisans in India chronicles the journey of developing the first design school for artisans in India and fifteen years of artisans learning design. Spanning 50 years, the story is told in vignettes of artisans who were part of the journey, intertwined with the author’s story. Through this dialogue, the reader experiences what happened, how and why, and what its impact has been on traditional artisans in the contemporary world. A rare, intimate portrayal of artisans, the book offers personal connections to people usually glimpsed from a distance and insights into tradition, craft, and the creativity of traditional artisans. It provides textile afficionados and people concerned with sustainability an authentic, fresh approach to development, illuminates sustainability as cultural heritage and presents development as human centered.
About the Author Ashoka Fellow Judy Frater lived with artisans of Kutch for three decades, where she founded Kala Raksha Trust and Museum, Kala Raksha Vidhyalaya, the first design school for artisans, and reinvented the school as Somaiya Kala Vidya. She has been honored with the Sir Misha Black Medal for Design Education, the Crafts Council of India Kamla award, the Designers of India Design Guru Award and more. Previously Associate Curator at The Textile Museum, author of Threads of Identity: Embroidery and Adornment of the Nomadic Rabaris, and The Art of the Dyer in Kutch, she has written and lectured extensively on craft, and has an over 8,000 following. She now lives in Santa Fe.
