Grant #234

The Aravani Art Project

March 6, 2017

Giving visibility to India’s trans community and transforming attitudes through art.

About a year ago, Bangalore-based artist, Poornima Sukumar, invited transgender women to join her in painting a mural. What started as lacquering a wall in a bustling market one Sunday afternoon in India turned out to be a part of a larger art project.

The Aravani Art Project was launched, sparking conversations and giving visibility to a community that is typically excluded and systemically disenfranchised. The power of art to initiate conversations and transform attitudes is, well, pure awesomeness.

With several more projects planned, the group is just getting started in uniting trans communities, local artists, and the communities they live in. Contributing artists are financially compensated, offering a positive alternative for the trans population that often turns to sex work as their primary means of survival in India.

This Awesome Without Borders grant will be used to purchase painting supplies and rent camera equipment to document future projects. Get inspired by following them on Facebook here.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!

THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT AWESOMENESS!

After 11+ years, we’re signing off and closing applications for good. We’ve supported 571 projects with $571,000 in grant dollars. We’re so proud to have celebrated such incredible work. Please visit https://www.awesomefoundation.org/ for more information on other AWESOME chapters! And thanks for sharing so much awesomeness with us.

Cheers,
Team Awesome Without Borders