Welcome to Choki Traditional Arts School
“Empowering the unprivileged youth as custodians of distinct culture.”
Choki Traditional Art School (CTAS) was established in 1999 by Dasho Choki Dorji, former head of the Painting Department of the Royal Government of Bhutan, with the mission to develop cultural resilience and build cultural identity, knowledge, and practices in line with the country’s guiding development principal. CTAS is Bhutan’s only private traditional arts school and provides cost free, skills-related education in the traditional arts and crafts of Bhutan. The school was inaugurated with the goal of supporting less fortunate youth, especially those who might not have access or ability for formal education or training at the National Arts School.
From its first year with only five students, the school has since grown to a student population of over 160 each year. Today, the school is run by the Choki family and supported by a faculty of eighteen staff members. Until 2000, its operations were financed by the family along with proceeds from the school’s Handicraft Shop, where students sell their arts and crafts. The sale of these student-made craft products still typically covers about 30% of the annual operating budget. Himalayan Youth Foundation began financially supporting CTAS in 2002 and since that time has been integral in the expansion and continued success of both the school and her students.
The Campus
Located in Kabessa, Bhutan, the campus of CTAS includes classrooms, boys’ and girls’ dormitories, kitchen and bathroom facilities, and additional recreational and functional outdoor spaces as well. One of HYF’s first collaborations with the school was the construction of a toilet & washroom building with an adjacent 100-bed boys’ dormitory. In 2006, HYF purchased an additional 30 decimal of land to be used for a girl’s hostel. With the assistance of a generous donor, Koenraad Foulon, a 50-bed girls’ dormitory and a new kitchen building were built. Since its’ inauguration, the Leila Foulon Girls Hostel has been home to over 60 young women who are now proud graduates of CTAS. Currently the biggest investment project on campus is the construction of a new classroom building. The original two-story building, built from mud bricks in 2002, was damaged by an earthquake in September 2011 and poses an unacceptable risk to the students and teachers.
Education
The Choki Traditional Arts School currently offers five primary courses of study including Lhadi/Painting, Wood Carving, Embroidery, Weaving, and Tailoring to around 160 students between the ages of 15 to 20 years old. At the school’s inception, only painting was taught, but gradually, various choices of courses were offered to encourage both boys and girls. The school also currently offers a variety of extracurricular like courses in basic English and math, Dzongkha, computer literacy, and Driglam-Namzha (Bhutan’s code of etiquette) as well as other cultural activities, sports, and farming/ gardening. Students are encouraged to learn and develop their abilities within a caring, stimulating and challenging environment underpinned by our core values of excellence, enjoyment, respect and equality. In addition to preparing students for professional life, CTAS also prioritizes instilling graduates with a sense of respect and responsibility for themselves and others.
Alumni
The Alumni of CTAS work across the country preserving and promoting the traditional arts and crafts. They are professional painters, carvers, embroiders, and weavers in Art Galleries across Bhutan. CTAS Alumni have also gone on to become entrepreneurs, opening galleries and handicraft stores, as well as successful contractors, taking part in businesses relating to painting works, carving works, and embroidery. Their work can be found in the renovation of iconic dzongs and temples throughout Bhutan. In addition to experiencing personal achievement, these successful CTAS alumni are often in a position to offer employment to other youths furthering the outreach and mission of the school. In this way CTAS actively provides everyday solutions to the national employment struggle while also contributing to the continuing economic development of the country of Bhutan. Alumni are also integral to the further growth and development of the school.
Get Involved
Whether it’s by visiting the school on your next trip to Bhutan, by purchasing student pieces in the online store, or donating toward the annual operating budget, there are plenty of ways to support CTAS no matter where you are in the world. Through sponsorship or a donation to the new classroom project, your dollars go directly to the student artists of Bhutan’s future. Due to the global impacts of COVID-19, tourism visits and sales of student made products are at an all time low this year, meaning your donations and support are even more critical than ever.
Learn More
You can find more information about Choki Traditional Arts School by visiting their website or by using the contact information below.
Kabesa, Thimphu, BHUTAN Post box: 1118
Tel: 00975-2-361077
Email: sonamctas@gmail.com