YOGYAKARTA — The Indonesian Institute of the Arts (ISI) Yogyakarta continues to expand the role of higher art education in bringing tangible benefits to the community. Through the Nusantara Art Innovation Program (PISN), a team of ISI Yogyakarta lecturers is developing a empowerment program for the disabled women's community, Avta Kebaya, through creative design exploration, inclusive souvenir production, and strengthening digital marketing based on tourism.
The program titled “Empowerment of Disabled Women's Community Avta Kebaya Through Creative Design Exploration and Tourism-Based Inclusive Souvenir Media” was socialized on Saturday, June 6, 2026. This activity is a strategic step for ISI Yogyakarta in connecting art and design knowledge with community needs, especially in supporting the economic independence of disabled women's communities.
This activity is carried out by an interdisciplinary team of lecturers, namely Amar Leina Chindany, M.Ds. from the Visual Communication Design Study Program, Septianti, M.Sn. from the Batik Craft Fashion Design Study Program, and Amanda Amalia Faustine Gittawati, M.A. from the Media Design Study Program at ISI Yogyakarta. This interdisciplinary collaboration is directed towards strengthening the community's ability to design products, build visual identities, and utilize digital media as a promotional tool.
The activity leader, Amar Leina Chindany, M.Ds., stated that this program is a concrete contribution from ISI Yogyakarta as an art higher education institution present in the community. According to him, design not only functions as an aesthetic expression but can also be an instrument for social and economic empowerment.
“We want the creative process that grows at ISI Yogyakarta to not stop in academic spaces. Through this program, design becomes a tool for empowerment: community members can read the needs of the tourism market, develop inclusive souvenirs, create digital content, and strengthen economic opportunities more independently,” said Amar.
Through this program, Avta Kebaya members receive assistance to develop souvenir products that have artistic value, functionality, and economic potential. The development of inclusive tourism-based souvenirs is expected to open new opportunities for the community to reach a wider market, while strengthening the position of local creative products as part of the creative economy ecosystem.
Amar added that one of the important achievements of this activity is seen in the increased participation of attendees in digital content creation practices. Participants not only attended the material presentations but also began producing photos, videos, and product publication designs that are suitable for social media promotion.
This activity is a continuation of PISN 2025, which previously raised the theme “Empowering Disabled Women Seamstresses Through Social Media-Based Branding for Creative Economic Independence.” This sustainability demonstrates ISI Yogyakarta's commitment to providing tiered assistance, not only through ceremonial activities but also through a continuous capacity-building process.
In the advanced stage, the program offers TikTok social media content creation training guided by Carlos Septian, a student from the Visual Communication Design Study Program at ISI Yogyakarta. Carlos, who is also known as a content creator and Google Student Ambassador 2026, shares his creative experiences, including his achievement as the 3rd place winner of the AI READY ASEAN 2026 competition in Singapore.
In the training, participants were introduced to attractive photo and video production techniques, effective caption writing, and the utilization of Gemini AI to support the creation of promotional narratives. The training material was developed based on hands-on practice so that participants could understand the content production process in an applicable way.
Participants were also invited to learn about visual concepts, photography techniques, brief editing, caption selection, and the use of relevant hashtags. This approach aims to enable Avta Kebaya members to promote products independently through digital platforms with an attractive, communicative, and market-trend-appropriate presentation.
The impact of the activities began to be seen from the enthusiasm of the participants in following the practice sessions. Avta Kebaya members actively tried to create promotional materials and successfully produced creative content that could be used to introduce their products. This achievement is an early indicator that digital design and media assistance is able to open new avenues for women with disabilities to present themselves, create, and reach a wider consumer base.
Avta Kebaya Chairperson Sumrah Ekowati expressed appreciation for the ongoing cooperation with ISI Yogyakarta. She believes the program directly benefits the community by encouraging members to become more confident, improve product quality, and expand marketing opportunities. This spirit aligns with Avta Kebaya's slogan, “Empowered Women!”
For ISI Yogyakarta, this empowerment program serves as proof that higher education in the arts has a strategic role in building an inclusive and empowered society. Expertise in visual communication design, batik craft fashion design, and media design is presented to address the concrete needs of the community, ranging from product development and visual narrative creation to digital marketing strategies.
Through PISN, ISI Yogyakarta affirms its position as an art higher education institution that is not only oriented towards work creation, but also towards expanding social impact. Art and design are positioned as applied knowledge that can enhance community capacity, marketability, visibility, and independence.
This program, together with Avta Kebaya, also strengthens ISI Yogyakarta's commitment to supporting an inclusive creative economy ecosystem. Through collaboration between lecturers, students, and the community, ISI Yogyakarta continues to present art education practices that have a positive impact on society, especially in strengthening social inclusion, economic independence, and the dignity of women with disabilities.
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