The Shillim Collective
The Shillim Institute, a private, not-for-profit educational facility which is dedicated to conservation, sustainable development and healing. We seek to understand the relationship between human culture and ecology and provide programs to transform that knowledge for use by diverse communities and organizations, including academics, businesses, and policy makers.
The Institute moves beyond the traditional, “environmental” view of sustainability and recognizes equally the roles of the arts, economics, culture, and faith in nurturing sustainable communities.
Located in the Western Ghats, The Shillim Institute safeguards approximately 2000 acres of land in the northern region of this mountain range, which has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a biodiversity conservation hotspot.
What our Artist have to say about our Art Residencies
Ann deforest
@the_shillim_institute One of the unexpected gifts of being here - a whole new way of working for me. Charting my walks and impressions at a much more spacious scale than the confines of notebooks and computer screen. Writing large the guiding words of others. Assembling and reassembling the tiny treasures from my walks. When I was in 6th grade my teacher gave me charge of the classroom's large bulletin board to create panorama in construction paper. This takes me back to those roots.
Kushala Vora
I was invited to be an artist-in-residence @the_shillim_institute, a 2000+ acre protected landscape in the Sahyadri's, very close to Panchgani - where I grew up. I've come back with my heart full from the generosity, grace and the unbelievable spender of the people and the landscape. The intensive 2 weeks have sunk its roots deep and is penetrating the stones within me - bleeding into every aspect of my life. Walking the mountains with my new friends, I reinvigorated the thirst to understand more from this ancient range. My heart to the whole team at Shillim.
Our Global Sister Organization
ONE LANDSCAPE’S mission is to create collectives of conservationists, artists, activists, scientists, policy makers and others, working together to develop community-based conservation practices — protecting, healing and regenerating landscapes locally and throughout the world. ONE LANDSCAPE aims to reveal the nature of particular wild landscapes to larger audiences; to safeguard fragile ecological networks and habitats; to promote sustainable livelihoods; and to create cohesive identities for iconic landscapes whose ownership and management may be fragmented.
ONE LANDSCAPE was founded by Margie Ruddick, a landscape planner and designer known for her innovative approach to conservation, and Martin Brody, a distinguished composer, professor, and arts activist. The organization was inspired by the example of brothers William and Denzil De Souza, who saved the land preserved by the Institute, and from Margie Ruddick’s pioneering work with the De Souza family in creating the Shillim Institute and Retreat. ONE LANDSCAPE grew out of a desire to share the work that originated in the Shillim Valley with other like-minded organizations and communities around the world.
(8TH-18TH JANUARY, 2024)
Tanya Marcuse
Tanya began making photographs as an early college student at Bard College at Simon’s Rock. She went on to study Art History and Studio Art at Oberlin and earned her MFA from Yale. Her photographs are in many collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the George Eastman Museum. In 2002, she received a Guggenheim fellowship to pursue her project Undergarments and Armor.
(3RD-18TH FEBRUARY, 2024)
Ann De Forrest
Ann de Forest is a writer whose work, fiction, non-fiction, and poetry, centers on themes of place. She is a contributing writer for Hidden City Philadelphia, co-editor of Extant Magazine, and author of Healing on the Homefront, profiles and portraits of home health care patients and their caregivers. Most recently, she is editor of Ways of Walking, an anthology of essays published by New Door Books in 2022. Her short stories, essays, and poetry have appeared in Noctua Review, Cleaver Magazine, Found Poetry Review, The Journal, Hotel Amerika, Timber Creek Review, Open City, and PIF. She has taught poetry to the elderly at Mercy-LIFE West Philadelphia for more than a decade. A Swim Pony Cross Pollination artist-in-residence in 2016, Ann walked the entire perimeter of Philadelphia with three other artists, initiating an ongoing collaboration to open up new conversations about civic space.
(1ST-7TH FEBRUARY, 2024)
Rohan Chakravarty
Rohan Chakravarty is an Indian artist, cartoonist, illustrator and naturalist. His "Green Humour" series was picked up by GoComics in 2013 making Rohan the first Indian cartoonist to be picked by a global comics distributor. Green Humour has been published as a book and as a series in two national newspapers. Art from Green Humour has been used for several conservation campaigns and publications by organizations such as WWF, The Wildlife Trust of India, the Nature Conservation Foundation, BNHS, The Humane Society International, The Arunachal Pradesh State Forest Department, The Karnataka State Forest Department, Birdlife International, Save our Seas Foundation, and the International Crane Foundation. Rohan grew up in Nagpur where he studied to be a dentist. It was here that he was introduced to the world of wildlife through a nature based outreach program conducted by Sanctuary Asia. He has been a fellow of the International League of Conservation Writers, since November 2015.
(6TH-24TH FEBRUARY, 2024)
Kushala Vora
Kushala Vora is a dreamer, community organizer and an interdisciplinary artist working in sculpture and drawing. In and through her practice she focuses on loosening the exertion of power on oneself, another and the landscape that we reside with. She does this by exploring materiality, dissemination of information in educational spaces, and the cultivation of habit.
Thought Leadership Workshops
Engaging in an enriching exploration of the Shillim landscape, workshops emerge as vital forums, prompting thoughtful evaluation, strategic intervention, and subsequent impactful actions. These initiatives are meticulously crafted to cultivate a spectrum of benefits—ecological, social, and cultural—for a diverse array of stakeholders, with a dedicated focus on the thriving well-being of local communities and ecosystems.
Noteworthy Outcomes from Past Workshops
Defining Iconic Attributes
Animated conversations delved into the essential features of the Greater Shillim Landscape, contributing to a nuanced understanding of its distinctive characteristics.
Boundary Clarity
A clear delineation of boundaries was achieved, enhancing the visual lucidity of the Land Stewardship Program and ensuring its effective implementation.
Initiating In-Depth Studies
These workshops served as catalysts, igniting Anthropological, Socio-Economic, and Ecological studies. This foundational research now forms a robust basis for informed and strategic actions, underlining our commitment to the sustainable development of the Shillim landscape.
Maps
The Mapping Project unfolds as a comprehensive exploration, intertwining graphic depictions with compelling narratives of the routes. Within its canvas, individual works of art and research will unfold, revealing the distinctive attributes of the landscapes lining these paths and encapsulating the very essence of journeying through these terrains. This initiative is a tapestry that weaves together both the visual and the intellectual, inviting observers to immerse themselves in the richness of the surroundings.
The Mapping Project unfolds as a comprehensive exploration, intertwining graphic depictions with compelling narratives of the routes. Within its canvas, individual works of art and research will unfold, revealing the distinctive attributes of the landscapes lining these paths and encapsulating the very essence of journeying through these terrains. This initiative is a tapestry that weaves together both the visual and the intellectual, inviting observers to immerse themselves in the richness of the surroundings.
Beyond artistic expressions, the project extends its scope to include meticulous mappings of significant sites. These encompass meticulously restored historic landmarks, captivating exhibits, landscape features resonating with cultural importance for indigenous groups, ancient burial grounds, and other historical and archaeological gems. The project’s ultimate aim is to not only present a visual narrative but also to conduct a thoughtful evaluation. This assessment will delve into the feasibility and desirability of establishing an accessible path or network, inspired by the spirit of the Paumanok Path. Through this initiative, we aspire to craft a meaningful and accessible exploration of the paths less traveled, ensuring the preservation and celebration of their cultural and historical significance.