Career in Folk Art

India is a nation where there is unity in diversity. There is such a huge cultural variety in India. Invaders and rulers who invaded India, brought their culture and religion in India and created diversity, gave variety and rise to the art of this nation. We can see this diversity in art in the forms of cave paintings, monuments, music, story-telling,
sculptures etc. A long time ago, like many other options, this field was also not considered as a career option because there was no monetary benefit in this field. But due to globalization and the spread of internet connectivity every single corner of the world got connected and people from every corner of the world are praising
and taking interest in these art forms of folk culture. People are getting attracted towards it and showing interest in it. An ample number of tourists come to India in order to explore this cultural diversity which no other country contains. Tourists and people who are affluent enough come to such states which are famous for tourism and pay for many folk things and art with good money. For example, the chikan embroidery of Lucknow is very famous all over the world and bangles of Firozabad are also very famous worldwide. Hence there are a lot of good opportunities in this field. Let’s see what opportunities are there in this field:

● There is so much to work with in folk art that firstly one can opt painting as a career in it. Though so many painters are there in India whose painting is famous, still many talented artists are there who are earning a handsome amount by selling their folk paintings online. One can study such paintings too via some
universities who are famous for their fine arts like Lucknow university and BHU. In this profession just knowing how to paint is not enough but good communication skills and marketing skills are also needed because competition is everywhere and one should know how to sell his/her products. One can set up his/her own art gallery or studio and can sell these folk paintings online at a handsome price.

● Among various types of art music is the widest spread art and so it is in folk art also. Every state and region in India has its own music which is called folk music of that region. Foreigners and people all over the world are just getting mad to hear its sweetness. State governments also support it as much as they can. So, one can start his/ her career in folk music too. For example many folk artists are very popular overseas like Mame Khan who represents Rajasthani Folk music. One gets famous very fast with folk music and can get to perform overseas with
a very good level of payment, one the hand gets a chance to tour many foreign countries too.

● One can be a curator by profession. This word curator has been discovered from curiosity, so this professional is always curious about anything related to folk art and collects them for museums, libraries and different arts organizations and they pay him a very good salary for this work. They deal with various artists, other collectors or donors who want to sell something special they have. Apart from this he or she can work as a freelancer also and they can sell their collection wherever and however they want.

● One can also pick up museum director as a professional job because as the government is supporting every form of folk art there are few museums of folk arts there and many more are in the pipeline to come. Museum director is responsible for managing all the materials related to folk art in the museum and taking care of them. It takes a management degree and very good knowledge in folk art and methods to keep them safe, in order to get this job.

● A student ready for this field can opt to be a teacher in folk arts too as many universities in different states are supporting this as a vast subject by availing courses for fine arts, drama and music under folk art. One just needs to have a required degree and NET qualification and one can apply for the teacher post in such universities. One can also teach online about it via any education app which is supported by LMS portals also because any such education app supported by LMS portals can grab the attention of many students due to its very helpful study
materials.