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WHO WE ARE
Creative Club is a teaching studio where you can learn the language of visual art through paint and clay. Founded in 1981 by painter and sculptor Bal Wad, Creative Club has nourished and inspired hundreds of students and given them the tools, exposure and technique to pursue artistic careers and enrich their lives.
The Creative Club is nurtured and its creative legacy carried forward by painter and muralist Sujata Dharap– daughter of Bal Wad, and potter-sculptor Rashmi Bhadkamkar who trained under him.
OUR TEACHING PHILOSOPHY
We at Creative Club believe that everyone learns at their own pace.
Our pedagogy is rooted in creative freedom, which leaves no room for competition. A playful approach to exploring materials comes together with a curricular structure that builds on the elements and principles of visual art.
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Students are invited to tune into their instinctive responses to materials and approach their time in the studio with openness. Mastery is achieved through slowly understanding the behavior of the medium they play with and learn to give form to what they imagined.
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We encourage making mistakes! Since there is no strict timeline to follow, there is plenty of time to do something unexpected to see what happens.
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No two learning journeys are alike; mentors put a lot of care and intention into building relationships with the students to better guide them and challenge them. Each one of us brings our whole selves to the art we make, and we believe in trusting this process of discovery where each one has the opportunity to make decisions, take chances, and be supported in their creative pursuits.
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HOW OUR
STUDIO WORKS
"Everyone is born with a creative instinct.
All you need to do,
is nurture it!"
Bal Wad (1926 - 2004)
Founder
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In 1981, Wad retired from Camlin and shifted to Pune to set up his dream studio. Creative Club began as an institution that sought to spread the knowledge of art and aesthetics to everyone in the city.
Teaching pottery and painting to adults,Wad urged his younger daughter Sujata, a fine art graduate from the JJ school of art, to teach art to young children on Saturdays and Sundays. More than a decade later, he brought in one of his students, Rashmi, to teach children and adults.
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The Creative Club, now over 30 years old, has been a joyful space where many a student has found a way to listen to their inner creative voice.
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Glazing workshop for adult students
Looking closely at colours that are close cousins
Adult students can choose between Drawing and Painting or Studio Pottery and Sculpture. This is an individual learning module where each student can define their own pace to learn and explore.
Aspiring Art and Design Students are guided to develop their artistic sensibilities and explore both drawing/painting and clay as mediums before applying for Art, Design and Architecture courses across the world.
Children between ages of 4-12 years are introduced to all mediums of visual arts for an hour and half on Saturdays, all year round.
The studio is an intergenerational learning space where students of all age groups are urged to interact with each other. We believe that learning through conversation and discussion is important in developing one’s work. Spending time in the studio is key to learning through observation, be it through watching an ongoing mural commission unfold, or observing senior students at work.