FRIEND’S SOCIAL & PAINT POP-UP

Lisa Gentile – Art Teacher

Vivian Gao – Teaching Assistant

Sophomore at UC San Diego, Vivian is mentored in art under the guidance of Dr. Sharda. currently doing major in Visual and UX UI Design

Saesha Sharda – Teaching Assistant

Saesha is mentored in art and Fashion Designing under the guidance of Dr. Sharda for more than 8 years. Apart from Kalaa Studio, Saesha is a tutor at College Board for SAT Preparation and USA Biology Olympiad tutor for Biology Club. Currently Saesha is doing Molecular & Cell Biology Major from UC Berkeley, Ca.

Triya  – Teaching Assistant

Sophomore Highschool student, Triahas done art with Dr. Sharda for more than 2 years.

Dr. Richa Jakhmola, Knitting & Crochet Designer Exhibition Teacher

Dr. Richa is a hobbyist and Crochet artist. Doctor by profession she has been knitting and doing crochet for nearly 20 years

Sindu Karun – Art Teacher

Sindu completed her Masters’s in Cellular & Microbiology. Leading her passion she learned fine arts and painting at Luz Fine Arts Gallery. She is an avid painter and an experienced teacher with nice artwork in her portfolio.  Sindu began to draw and color at the age of 8 and was deeply inspired by Van Gogh’s impressionism paintings Cafe Terrace at night and Starry Night at the age of 11 and tried to recreate them using oil pastels. She went to Luz Fine Art Gallery to study painting and displayed work in the San Mateo Art exhibition for several years winning multiple awards. She is responsible for creative direction, curriculum design, and training. Apart from Art, she loves listening to music, learning about interior design, and hiking.

Dr. Nidhi L Sharda – Founder & Creative Director

Dr. Nidhi L Sharda is the Founder of Kala Art & Design Studio, Pleasanton, California, and is Visual Art and Design Educator and Researcher. Prior to this, She has spent 15 years of her career at the University teaching in a Design College, as a Professor & Head of the Department. she was responsible for guiding design projects for the design collection, and, supervising research projects at the Doctoral and Post Graduate levels and planning and administering departmental goals including International academic program. She was also a Nodal officer for Swiss Textiles College for three years before moving to the USA. She has presented and published many scholarly papers in International Journals. Her applied research focuses on the area of Fashion & Textile Design, with research experience in the field of natural dyes, sustainable design, Indian Textiles, and Surface Art. Her pedagogy involves an appreciation for art and design forms with their innate beauty involving a Scientific and sustainable approach to better ecological models.

Dr.Vrushali Dhage – Art Appreciation & Exhibition Teacher

Vrushali Dhage(SF Bay Area) is an art historian and curator whose current area of research considers artistic research, public participation, and interdisciplinary collaborations as vital in understanding ecological transformations, urban development, and possible sustainable practices. This stems from her doctoral thesis which focused on tracing the impact of economic globalization on contemporary Indian art. She was a faculty member at the Dept. of Art History and Aesthetics, MSU Baroda, and has lectured at various other universities and institutions in India. Dhage has participated in and facilitated art residencies. Her research work and writings have been published in various art magazines, portals, books, and research journals internationally