The perfect combo of art and adventure
Accompany a photographer on a camping adventure in the forest of Slovenia. Go on a literary retreat in the mountains with an award-winning Vietnamese writer. Colour the streets of Bueno Aires with a street artist. Designed for the intellectual, art-hungry and creative traveller, VAWAA (Vacation With An Artist) is an online platform that offers cultural experiences and short-term apprenticeships with global artisans.
Founder of VAWAA, Geetika Agrawal spent her summers as a college student learning from local artisans in India. However, as an adult she struggled to find opportunities overseas that would satisfy her yearnings for an artistic and cultural experience. Settling for a two-hour silversmithing class in Ubud, Indonesia, Geetika found it to be way too short and wished she had known the silversmith earlier. Before she knew it, it was time for her to catch the flight back to New York.
How It All Started
Geetika found that there was no easy way to connect with artists around the world and identified a gap in the travel industry. It was here that the idea for VAWAA was born. Where Google, travel agents, and experienced travellers failed to point her in the right direction, Geetika took things into her own hands and embarked on a year-long sabbatical in 12 countries. Spending one month in each country – Czech Republic, Slovenia, Croatia, Turkey, Malaysia, Vietnam, India, Japan, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, and Peru – Geetika launched VAWAA at the six-month point. By the end of her year-long journey, she returned to New York with a number and network of artists ranging from music producers, woodworkers, calligraphers, jewellery makers and more. Today, VAWAA has 34 artists across 11 countries that they pair with travellers around the world.
Going on a trip through VAWAA is nothing like taking an overseas workshop or class, as apprenticeships go on for anywhere between four to seven days, taking up 20 to 70 hours. The experience unfolds in the artists’ studios, which could be anywhere from their homes, backyards or the great outdoors. At any time, the experience is limited to two guests to one artist so as to allow for spontaneous and personal interactions. This also ensures that the artists are not overwhelmed by large numbers and can still focus on their art, which is their main livelihood.
A Haven For The Art Lovers
For some guests, they launch their own creative ideas afterwards and the experience lingers long after the apprenticeship ends. In one case, two American guests were so inspired by their time learning about the art of natural dyeing with Vu Thao, a Vietnamese designer, that they built a sustainable clothing line around the dyeing process. In another case, after spending several days with Kimiko Yamamoto, an ikebana artist, Franck and Christophe from France returned home to design a Parisian guesthouse with Japanese influences. Kim Chai N., a Singaporean art teacher joined Jan Slivka and Ondrej Zatlouka in Czech Republic. She learnt about screen printmaking and how the printing methods could be incorporated into her classes in Singapore.
Geetika wants her project to benefit the VAWAA artists by getting their work out to a larger audience and providing them with an external source of revenue. Artists set their own rates and the price of an apprenticeship ranges anywhere from US$300 to US$3000. Majority of it goes to the artist and it covers the price of studio time, tools and materials. A portion is also used to cover VAWAA’s operation expenses. The price does not usually include transport or accommodation, unless the artist is located in a particularly remote region.
Ultimately, VAWAA opens the door to a completely different type of travelling. The vacation might not involve sitting on a beach with a piña colada in hand, but it invites travellers to embark on a creative journey and offers them the opportunity to engage the mind and express their individuality. Through VAWAA, Geetika wants to spread the message that travelling need not be just a holiday – it could be a potentially life-changing experience, one that could lead you in many directions.
