The programs at RTA encompass various facets of the academy’s endeavors and include:
Education Program
The Education Program at RTA immerses school children in Bhutanโs rich cultural heritage, focusing on the art of weaving. It includes museum tours, hands-on weaving sessions, and creative competitions, fostering an appreciation for Bhutanese traditions in a rapidly changing world.
Fashion Show
RTA organizes fashion shows as a platform for designers to showcase their creativity, promote their brands, and network through engaging events. With a focus on sustainability, these shows educate and inspire audiences to embrace eco-friendly fashion.
National Design and Art Competition (NDAC)
RTA organizes the annual NDAC to preserve and promote not just textiles but other arts and crafts of Bhutan. This platform celebrates and rewards artisans for creativity, innovation, originality, and aesthetics, with winners receiving attractive cash prizes and certificates signed by the Royal Patron.
Livelihood Skills Program (Weave Your Way)
RTA offers diverse livelihood training programs, including weaving, natural dyeing, color combination, motif placement, and entrepreneurship. Catering to everyone from rural illiterates and school dropouts to emerging and seasoned professionals, these sought-after programs are a cornerstone of RTA’s services.
Research and Development (R&D)
RTA is embracing mechanization to modernize weaving techniques while preserving the handloom industry. By developing softwares and custom machines for spinning, ginning, and carding, and innovating the back-strap loom, we aim to enhance efficiency, maintain tradition, and improve weavers’ well-being.
Conservation Works
The Textile Museum at RTA plays a vital role in conserving textiles, including restoring fragile, historic artifacts from monasteries and dzongs. These labor-intensive and costly treatments preserve Bhutan’s rich textile heritage. Supporting the Conservation Lab helps safeguard this legacy while offering an opportunity to accumulate merits.
Artifact Collections
The RTA carefully selects additions to our Textile Museum, focusing on historically significant, unique, and rare textiles to avoid overcrowding our storage. However, the high costs of such pieces often limit our ability to acquire them. Your support would greatly contribute to enriching our museum’s collection.
Textile Acquisition Program
The RTA’s Textile Acquisition Program supports rural weavers by simplifying the sale of their products. Our team visits countryside villages, purchasing textiles directly from weavers with upfront payments. These textiles are then sold through the museum shop. By supporting this program, donors directly assist weavers in overcoming market accessibility challenges.
