Manipal Academy of Higher Education

Mission Statement

The mission of SMI is facilitated by its organizational structure – a “community of learners” comprising industry-experienced faculty and energetic students who continually explore and experiment with art and design pedagogies, aesthetics, values and innovative practices.

We believe that education is beyond instruction and skill; that knowledge is inherently integrated and complex and, hence, learning must be embedded in real-world problems and situations.

We believe in looking beyond the origins of references and citations from scholarly texts and peer-reviewed journals; the references of artists and practitioners of the unschooled also contribute to learning. 

We believe in extending education beyond the “gated” and the “preserved”; it should be “permeable” and “porous” allowing students to work at the level of the street and the bazaar, and to explore and experiment with the textures of the rural and the urban.

International Role

As an interdisciplinary platform for interaction among practitioners, scholars and learners SMI has been actively engaged with the global community through systematic academic and research collaboration. SMI believes in the world which is interconnected and is in constant dialogue, the world which is more cooperative rather than competitive. Therefore we encourage both our students and faculty to have as much intercultural experience as possible. The exchange program is organized for students at all levels of education (Bachelor’s, Master’s or PhD) and it provides them with an opportunity to explore and learn in diverse contexts. Currently SMI collaborates with more than 30 international colleges for academic and research exchange.   

Moreover every year SMI becomes home for 20 – 30 international artists who join the Interim semester to collaborate with SMI students, faculty and residents on a variety of projects. SMI Interim enables an extended dialogue among the representatives of different disciplines, practices and cultures. Furthermore SMI Interim acts as a catalyst transforming some projects into a long-term collaboration, where collective international action is taken. 

At the same time, there are also broader international collaborations targeted at the continuous exchange and co-creation of knowledge as well as cutting edge approaches to education. In order to explore alternative paths and stimulate a rich multicultural conversation, Srishti regularly organizes international conferences (like Typoday, ICOMOS or International Oral History Conference), seminars and workshops. 

It must be pointed out that SMI International Community is growing fast and, apart from the faculty, researchers, artists and students who choose to join the institution on full-time basis, SMI has an International Board of Advisors and is a member of larger international structures and organizations as Cumulus and The International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (ICSID) . 

National Role

SMI has had student exchanges, faculty collaboration and scope for common projects, workshops etc with the following: 1. Idiom Design, Bangalore 2. IILM School of Design, New Delhi 3. DJ Academy of Design, Coimbatore, Tamilnadu 4. National Centre for Biological Studies, Bangalore 5. National Institute for Advanced Studies, Bangalore 6. Centre for the Study of Culture and Society, Bangalore 7. Kamala Raheja Vidhyanidhi Insitute of Architecture, Mumbai 8. Collective Research Initiatives Trust, Mumbai 9. Khoj International Artists Collective, New Delhi 10. Bangalore Habba 11. Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) 12. Kyoorius Design Yatra 13. Association of Indian Design Industry (AIDI)

Main Focus

Srishti Manipal Institute's (SMI) culture encourages thinking, questioning and experimenting to harness the artistic and intellectual potential of each individual and place the institution at the leading edge of contemporary art and design discourse. 

A multi-disciplinary approach inculcates self-initiated learning and independent thinking and expands perceptual perspectives. Regular interaction with design studios, production and distribution centers, community projects, retail establishments and industry forms a vital bridge between SMI and the world. 

SMI has a strong indigenous cultural grounding in the teaching of the visual arts and also provides a liberal arts curriculum comparable to reputed institutions in the West. SMI is interfacing with institutions across the world with a vision for and commitment to quality education through new technologies and pedagogies.

Through the Artists-in-Residence and Research Associate programmes, SMI supports new and critical innovations in the field of art and culture using real world projects to enable an integrated cognition of the design and communication arena, facilitating at times an environment where one can “earn and learn”.