India Arts for Social Change Jam 2026

Hello Artivists,

This has been a heavy year to be paying attention, let alone to be making things. It’s also been a year when protest itself got more playful and inventive than we’ve seen before — humour, art, and creativity standing where the old, familiar chants used to. A reminder that creativity was never separate from resistance. Sometimes it is the resistance.

And still — a lot of us are tired in ways that are hard to name, worn thin by the state of the world, even on the days we can’t point to why.

The India Arts for Social Change Jam is a week to put some of that weight down. Not to look away from things, but to remember why we showed up for them in the first place. We’ll collaborate in many ways of creation — not because they need to be useful or good, but because making is how a lot of us find our way back to ourselves. We’ll slow down and rest. We’ll be around people who get it without needing it explained. And we’ll leave a little fuller than we arrived.

We come together not to build the newest coalition, but to remember that we are not alone.

What is a Jam?

Like a music jam, this gathering is improvised, alive, and co-created. Each person brings their stories, struggles, insights, and art forms — and together we generate something larger than ourselves. YES! Jams create transformative fields of shared inquiry in which leaders deepen the root system behind the commitments, dreams and actions that move through their lives. Our alumni, potent and dedicated multigenerational social change leaders across 85+ nations, support one another and collaborate long after the Jam, sustaining themselves for a lifetime of service to the world.

Jams open a space that can transform us on three levels:

• Personal: Reconnect with your inner compass. Reflect on your journey, rest your body, deepen your purpose and find clarity about what keeps you alive and moving in these times.
• Interpersonal: Share stories, art, and struggles with fellow changemakers. Build trust across differences, and discover solidarity that is both grounding and energising.
• Systemic: Step back from the day-to-day and ask: What kind of world are we really trying to shape? How does our work — individually and together — move us closer to that?

Why Join?

Because you’ve been holding too much alone. Because the systems we’re up against thrive on our burnout and isolation. Because art is not just decoration but a force for truth-telling, healing, and disruption. Because we need spaces where intellect meets imagination, where critical questions sit alongside play and tenderness.

At the Jam, we’ll make art, share our stories, sit with difficult questions, and find courage in beloved community.

What to expect

• A full day of making art together — no brief, no outcome, just creating together
• sustaining ourselves and our livelihoods as artivists,
• discovering radical rest. a week to step away from urgency, to recover breath and spirit, and to use creative practice as renewal.
• finding joy and creativity even in resistance,
• weaving networks of real support and collaboration.

The Jam is for artivists who want to sustain their courage and imagination in urgent times — and to remember that creating is as necessary to change as resisting.

When?

29th November to 5th December 2026. Arrival latest by 10:30 am on 29th November and departure by 10 am on 5th December

Venue

The Jam is usually held in a naturally beautiful place, away from the hustle-bustle of cities, so that it is immersive and rejuvenating.

This year it will be held at Hidden Oasis, Maharashtra.

The venue is an hour drive from Pune. Read more about the venue here : https:/ /www.thehiddenoasis.com

Financial Contribution:

The actual cost of the Arts Jam is ₹24,000 per participant. This amount goes towards food, stay and essentials, while also covering modest stipends for our facilitators.

We understand that this amount may not be accessible for everyone, so we have raised funds to offer the Jam at a sliding scale from a minimum of ₹8,400 to the full price of ₹24,000. This includes partial scholarships for people from marginalised communities and queer folx.

When choosing how much to pay, we request you to take a bit of a stretch and pay a little bit more than you comfortably can — this will allow us to offer scholarships to people who need it most — we appreciate your efforts to find the money even if it is a little difficult.

Scale:

Full Price – ₹24,000

25% Scholarship – ₹18,000

Half Scholarship – ₹12,000

Minimum Price – ₹8,400

Language

Given the linguistic diversity of India, the Jam will be held mainly in English. However, it is possible for a person who speaks predominantly Hindi, Mewari or Punjabi to participate, since partial translation services will be available for these languages.

Apply

Fill in the application form here: https://forms.gle/oFM8Effv23mkiCdm7

You can send us your answers in writing, or even make a short video that covers the application questions.

Deadline: 26th September, 2026

For queries: indiaartsjam@gmail.com