Paper Title
ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES FOR TRADITIONAL ARTISANS IN THE DIGITAL AGE: A CASE STUDY OF PATTACHITRA ART

Abstract
The digital age has enhanced the ways traditional craftspeople interact with the global economy giving rise to new sources of income and means of showcasing and safeguarding local artworks. This paper looks into economic dimensions for craftsmen in the age of the internet by focusing on the dynamics of Pattachitra art, a scroll painting of Odisha and West Bengal in India, which is a centuries-old tradition. A trader of Pattachitra and traditional craftsmen in general encountered many constraints over the years, such as difficulties in market penetration, little monetary gains, or loss of interest by the youth. Nevertheless they have been able do this with the help of the internet, digital commerce and social media, making it possible for them to sell to a wider audience, and even offer their products without intermediaries as well as create and maintain brand images. With Pattachitra, the use of digital spaces has allowed the artists to avoid the traditional intermediator, which cut out most of the profit making and better governance of the business. In this regard, this paper also discusses the role of the e-commerce sites such as Etsy and Amazon Handmade, social media sites like Instagram, and crowdsourcing in the generation of income for artisans. Most importantly, the paper also asserts the value of policies geared towards the welfare of the artisans by the state and non-state actors in enhancing the digital literacy and marketing skills of the artisans. In this perspective, the paper surveys some examples of the best practice, analysis the communication needs of artisans within the context of the internet, and offers recommendations on the how artisans overcome such challenges. It finally contends that while the use of such tools in activities associated with traditional art Pattachitra's economies improves greatly, it also helps in the conservation of such art forms for posterity. In the digital era, traditional artisans stand to grow their businesses.