In 2003 a series of workshops on art appreciation and art education was held in Polonnaruwa. The workshops intend to contribute in creating an art, design and art historical awareness among the peripheral communities in Polinnaruwa. It also intends to create awareness on cultural heritage of past and presence and its preservation, and make them realize that they are stakeholders in the management of contemporary culture. 

Workshops were focused on individuals who are artists as well as non-artists mature in age who are interested in art, and willing to make art and artistic expression a part of their everyday life.

Polonnaruwa is a historically significant town situated in the dry zone in the North Central Province in Sri Lanka.  Although it is recognized as a main town economically in the North Central, national resources and facilities do not reach it to address the needs of the community that is largely burdened with environmental unpredictability and economic difficulties. These difficult living situations and the lack of educational opportunities and facilities, not having access to quality entertainment experiences the public at large in Polonnaruwa lives in a state of disinterest in art activities and ignorance of larger art scene that takes place in the country. It is in this context that a series of art appreciation workshops were held in Polonnaruwa.

Eleven art appreciation workshops were held at the Girithale Maha Vidyalaya hall in  Polonnaruwa during 2003.  There were 39 participants who attended the workshop consisted from varied socio-economic background and from different vocations: artists, students, school leavers, traditional craft artists, housewives, school dropouts and teachers.

Workshop proceedings included lectures on art history and art practice with accompanying visual presentations.  Discussions were encouraged on the topics covered.  Resource people consisting of artists and art teachers conducted lectures.  The discussions on issues and politics of art making brought out varied opinions of craft and art.  As a result of these discussions a 5-day reed-weaving workshop was held.  In this, there was a role change where the resource people and artists were taught reed weaving by the 60-year-old participant Somawathie of the art appreciation workshop.  A major achievement of the program was to make the participants realize that there can be an art making process outside the Euro-American defined art discourse where one has to go through an academic art training to be an artist. By discussions and participating in the weaving workshop the participants were made to understand that working with conventionally designated craft material itself could be assigned as art making and the producers as artists. This promoted a psychology, which made them think as artists and producing interesting artworks with the traditionally assigned craft material.

As an outcome of the reed weaving workshop an art exhibition ‘Arte Curioso’    was held at the Red Dot Gallery in 2007 where the participants of the workshop produced  artworks using read weaving and other traditional craft material and techniques.

The overall workshop also made the participants aware of the art activities that take place in Colombo.  Theertha at present functions as a channel between Colombo and Polonnaruwa for most of the participants.  Some of the participants also visited Theertha International Artists Workshop events where usually such news did not reach places such as Polonnaruwa.  Number of participants of the workshop has build close ties with the Colombo artists.