DIGEST āśaya I
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March Edition of āśaya Digest: Celebrating Women’s History Month
This month, we highlight visionaries driving change through education, art, and design: Michael Daube, founder of CITTA, whose decade-long effort led to the Rajkumari Ratnavati Girls School in Jaisalmer, India, providing education to young girls and shaping the future GYAAN Center, a hub for global conversations on girls’ education. Hélène Guétary, a French visual artist and storyteller, who brought the Princess Rimjhim project to life, inspiring students to craft a powerful visual narrative blending imagination, culture, and empowerment.
Plus, a glimpse into 3ELEVEN Luxury Living – A Vista Property in Chicago’s River North, where design seamlessly integrates work, leisure, and lifestyle. The concept embraces deep navy tones and natural boho-chic elements, creating a refined yet relaxed urban retreat.
Join us in supporting CITTA’s mission—your contributions help expand education and creativity for young girls.
Read more in the latest āśaya Digest!
3ELEVEN - Concept
Design Concept: The interiors embrace deep navy tones and natural boho-chic elements, striking a perfect balance between refinement and relaxation. Warm colors and textures soften the raw concrete ceilings and gray cabinetry, creating a welcoming atmosphere.
3ELEVEN - Concept to Reality
Smart Layout & Dual-Purpose Furniture: Every inch of space is maximized for efficiency, featuring adaptable furniture that enhances both function and comfort. Unmatched Views & Indoor-Outdoor Connection: Floor-to-ceiling windows showcase breathtaking downtown views, including the iconic Merchandise Mart. The living space seamlessly extends into a serene outdoor retreat—a rare urban luxury.
3ELEVEN - Concept to Reality
Rich, Culturally Inspired Interiors: The bedroom design incorporates African-inspired décor, adding depth and character. Navy furnishings lend a sense of richness and sophistication, making the space feel both intimate and elevated.
https://citta.org/gyaancenter/
CITTA, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization supports development through education, healthcare, and economic initiatives, helping communities in some of the most challenged and marginalized regions in the world. Over the past ten years, there has been an effort to build the Rajkumari Ratnavati Girls School in Jaisalmer, India, and lay the groundwork for the vision of the future GYAAN Center. This project has provided desperately needed education for girls living in a region that still has one of the highest percentages of female illiteracy in the country, while also drawing international attention to the urgent need for women’s empowerment in this region. The GYAAN Center will hold an annual women’s conference that will engage in dialogue about girls’ education worldwide. By promoting girls’ education and changing the mindset of negative historical societal standards, we hope to empower girls with creative opportunities for the future. We wanted to bring Imagination to our Education at the school by inviting a female artist to create a project with the students. Our first collaboration was with the French artist Hélène Guétary, and the outcome is beyond our expectations! «I wanted to connect the students with female artists to not only expose them to the confident creativity a woman can have, but ignite in them an imagination and mold ideas in new and exciting ways» Michael Daube
DONATE HERE
https://citta.org/gyaancenter/
Exciting moments from the Diane Von Furstenberg studio in NYC. The studio hosted a special exhibition in support of CITTA, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering marginalized communities through sustainable initiatives. Captured here are Michael Daube, CITTA’s founder, along with Hélène Guétary and Smita Sahoo, as they set up the exhibition—bringing together art, purpose, and philanthropy. Grateful to be part of this inspiring event, where design and advocacy intersect to create meaningful impact.
Celebrating Women in the Fields of Visual Art, Photography, Writing & Directing
Hélène Guétary is a visual artist, writer and director. Born in Paris, she soon moved to New York for 12 years, where she started her career. After a few exhibitions of her paintings and drawings, she published a book of her early work of Tableau Photography in collaboration with P.Casanova, SKINDEEP, with a foreword of the late Federico Fellini.
She then worked on a project that lasted for two decades, HYPNOPOMPIA, a multi-media anthropological fiction. It has been exhibited in France and the US. Narration being a central element to her artistic creations, she naturally moved on to directing and writing. She has been working internationally for the past 20 years, directed numerous award winning short films, documentaries and TV dramas. She also conceived immersive videos for the Opera, and wrote four published novels.Hélène recently returned to photography, inspired by the loneliness of the lockdown.
She was invited by the Basu Foundation for residencies in 2023 in Mauritius and in India, where she had a collaborative show with artist Jayesh Sharma at the INDIAN MUSEUM in Kolkata in and at the NINE FISH Gallery in Mumbai, and started the KUMARI NAYIKA adventure.
Hélène Guétary
Visual Artist, Photographer, Writer and Director
Kumari Nayika by Hélène Guétary
www.heleneguetary.art
Enquiry for purchasing prints contact : info@citta.org
French artist Hélène Guétary embarked on an extraordinary human experience in Jaisalmer at the Rajkumari Ratnavati School, located on the edge of the Thar Desert. She invented, with their collaboration, an epic tale for the future based on the world they want to live in. This powerful visual narrative is shaped by the values of sustainability, empowerment, and nature conservation. This is the tale of Princess Rimjhim, born of the Sun and the River, in a faraway country where water is rare and dreams are blooming.
Chetan and Rimjhim 2024
Princess Rimjhim 2024 Trash Demon 2024
Smiling Smiley 2024 The Treasurer 2024