Ricoh initiates the Skill Training for Local Artists in India Program

A social contribution program to support artists’ digital skills improvement and Ricoh’s unique 2.5D technology

TOKYO, November 9, 2020 – Ricoh today announced that it is beginning a skill training program for local artists in India. The program is a social contribution program for female artists who have difficulty earning a living in rural India. Ricoh supports the improvement of digital skills with its unique 3-D representation method (2.5D). On November 9, Ricoh contracted with its partner, DRISHTEE, and starts training courses in January 2021.

Rural India has a high unemployment rate and severe poverty. In particular, women have minimal income opportunities. Many women artists produce artwork and sell as souvenirs in areas with a large local art industry. However, the women, because of their meager income, lack design and IT skills, and sales channel knowledge, making it difficult for them to earn a living.

The program is designed to help local artists acquire skills and improve their incomes and livelihoods. In India, the training will be provided in collaboration with DRISHTEE, a social enterprise/NGO that helps disadvantaged people by providing technical training and value chain building to generate income in rural areas. Also, through StareReap¹, Ricoh’s art platform, we will provide support for artists to create new works of expression. In the future, we will support exhibitions and PR activities in Europe, where there is a great interest in local art, to raise awareness of its unique 3-D representation method (2.5D) in the European art market.