Arts Practices for InclusionTM (API) – Maharashtra
Arts Practices for InclusionTM (API) is an interdisciplinary approach that uses diverse art forms—such as drama, music, movement, visual arts, and play—to foster inclusion, psychosocial well-being, and deeper human connection across communities. Over the past decade, Arts Practices for InclusionTM (API) has evolved through sustained engagements across diverse contexts working with individuals, communities, and organisations in India and beyond.
There is already deep, meaningful work happening across the disability and social sector with organisations holding communities, building access, and creating pathways for care and participation.
With a growing network of practitioners and the completion of 10 cohorts of the API training programme, a clear direction has emerged: The need is not to start something new, but to co-create, share practices, and deepen what already exists
The API Maharashtra Project (2026–27) is a step in this direction.
It marks a shift towards co-partnering, co-locating, and regionalising this work, building context-driven models that can serve as pilots for expansion across other regions in India.
Our Work in Maharashtra
From 21 API practitioners to nearly 300 people across 11 organisations — Project Maharashtra is beginning to see the learning move from the individual practitioner into the organisation.
At the end of the first intensive contact session, each organisation developed an Action Design Lab , a context-specific experiment through which practitioners could take their API learning back into their own spaces. These Action Labs ranged from strengthening participation and communication to creating spaces for belonging, emotional wellbeing, expression and more inclusive organisational cultures.
The first implementation phase has been about bringing these Action Labs to life. Working alongside the 21 practitioners, we have been taking the practices into their organisations, involving colleagues and teams, facilitating with beneficiary groups, and supporting practitioners as they move from learners to facilitators and inclusion anchors within their own contexts.
What began with 21 practitioners is now widening as an important first step towards moving from individual capacity building to embedding arts practices for inclusion within organisations and their everyday ways of working.
Our Partners
