Expressing art,music,dance,stories,heritage,art,
enriching lives

We believe in the power of art and creativity to transform lives and build a better society — through grants, residencies and classrooms in 18 countries.

Our mission

Unlocking creative potential, community by community

Children at an Expression Foundation art workshop
Arts for all
Community art project

Expression Foundation promotes art, culture and creativity in society. We work with children, communities and individuals to bring positive change.

  1. 01

    Empower through art

    Access to art education, materials and mentorship for those who need it most.

  2. 02

    Preserve culture

    A living archive of folk traditions, oral histories and indigenous art forms.

  3. 03

    Build community

    Collaboration across 50+ communities, from pop-up galleries to street festivals.

Explore our programs

500+

Children empowered

120+

Events organized

50+

Communities reached

35+

Volunteers
Our programs

Creating opportunities through art and culture

Artist Grant Program

Annual grants of $5,000–$50,000 for visual artists, musicians, writers and performers. No restriction on medium or nationality.

Expression Residency

Three-month residencies in partner cities across Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe. Housing, studio and stipend covered.

Arts in Schools

Embedding arts education into core curriculum. 2,400 teachers trained last year across 18 countries.

Cultural Archive

A living digital archive of endangered folk traditions — free and open to researchers and communities.

Open Gallery Network

Pop-up galleries in parks, hospitals and transit stations — 2 million visitors a year.

Next Generation Arts

Weekend and summer programs for ages 8–18 in painting, music, dance, film and storytelling.

Our team

The people behind the work

Meet the passionate individuals driving Expression Foundation's vision forward.

Sweta Nitin Peter
Founder & President

Sweta Nitin Peter

Classical Dancer & Dance Educator

A Master of Fine Arts in Bharatanatyam from Khairagarh University, Sweta trained under Padma Vibhushan Guru Sarooja Vaidyanathan and has been Dance Teacher at Shiv Nadar School (HCL) since 2014. She choreographed for the Commonwealth Games 2010 welcome ceremony, performed at the Red Fort for the International Half Marathon, and has presented at prestigious festivals including Chennai, Khajuraho, and Kurukshetra Mahotsavas. She has also conducted dance workshops in Arunachal Pradesh and Goa.

Ramaswamy Venkatesh G.
Vice President

Ramaswamy Venkatesh G.

Theatre Facilitator & Arts Educator

A certified Theatre Facilitator from the National School of Drama (TIE Wing, Tripura), RV Gopala Krishna holds a Masters in Performing Arts from HNBGU University. With over a decade of experience as a Theatre Arts Teacher at Shiv Nadar School and Oakridge International, he has directed landmark student productions — from Shakespeare to Tagore — and conducted transformative workshops with teachers, toddlers, and children with special needs.

Manoj Rana
General Secretary

Manoj Rana

Operations & Strategic Growth Lead

A seasoned management professional with nearly a decade of experience in strategic planning, team leadership, and operations, Manoj brings critical organisational strength to Expression Foundation. Having led high-performing teams at Kotak Mahindra Bank and managed multi-state operations at Euro Motors, he is an effective communicator with a proven track record of building systems, mentoring people, and driving institutional growth — skills that are vital to scaling a cultural NGO.

Shreya Sharma
Joint Secretary

Shreya Sharma

Art Educator, Art Historian & Gallery Professional

With a Master's in Art History from Jawaharlal Nehru University and over 15 years across art education, gallery management and curation, Shreya has taught Visual Arts at Shiv Nadar School (Gurugram), led curated walks for MoMA and TATE Modern groups at Talwar Gallery, and developed interdisciplinary art programmes connecting traditional Indian techniques with contemporary pedagogy.

Shweta Chawla
Treasurer

Shweta Chawla

HOD Music & Vocal Arts Educator

A passionate and experienced music educator holding an MA in Music from Kheragarh University and Sangeet Prabhakar from Allahabad University. Currently serving as Head of the Music Department at Matrikiran School, Gurugram (since 2015), she has over 18 years of teaching experience spanning Indian and Western vocals across all grade levels. She composes original songs for school events, creates playback music for theatre productions, and has trained students in multiple languages through music.

Upcoming events

Art, culture & community

08OCT
Exhibition

Voices Across Borders

A collective exhibition celebrating cultural diversity and storytelling.

22OCT
Grant

Artist Grant Program

Funding opportunity for emerging artists and creative innovators.

05NOV
Summit

World Culture Summit

Bringing together artists, scholars and cultural leaders.

18NOV
Festival

Community Arts Festival

Music, dance, theatre and creative workshops for everyone.

Event calendar

What's coming up

MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
Blog & articles

Stories from the field

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Where we work

Growing across India

Our workshops, festivals and classrooms reach communities from the hills of Himachal to the south of Karnataka.

  1. Uttar Pradesh
  2. Delhi National Capital
  3. Haryana North
  4. Punjab North
  5. Himachal Pradesh Hills
  6. Karnataka South
Bring us to your community
Uttar Pradesh Delhi Haryana Punjab Himachal Pradesh Karnataka
Map: Natural Earth · indicative, not to scale
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