The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Museum for women's artistic feats

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jan 14, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Museum for women's artistic feats

Staff Reporter

Their struggle, position or predicament in Indian society the focal point

CHENNAI: The Chennai Chapter of the National Museum of Women in the Arts based in New Delhi will be launched on Sunday with a series of cultural and academic events that include painting exhibitions, poetry reading, dance, lectures and panel discussions.

The museum is dedicated to celebrating the diverse artistic achievements of women across India — past, present and future.

Its governing board has been tasked with showcasing performing arts, photography, statecraft, theatre and visual arts.

According to the museum's mission statement, `... The Indian Museum will also dedicate its concept and activities to fulfil a larger feminist concern.

Thereby all art— be it rural or urban — that represents the struggle, position or predicament of women within Indian society would be the focal point of the Museum."

`Historically, the contribution of women towards the arts has been neglected', said Deborah Thiagarajan, founder president of the Madras Craft Foundation (MCF)-DakshinaChitra that is a partner for the national museum.

The museum seeks to place the role of women artists in their historical perspective as well as explore the feminine principle in art as seen throughout Indian history and up to the present. The contemporary museum acted as facilitator of creativity and promoter of talent.

Though modelled on the National Museum of Women in Washington D.C., this museum will have an independent agenda and be mentored by a list of high profile art exponents.

The highlights of the week-long programmes titled `Explorations' include an art exhibition (January 14 - 20), Tamil poetry reading on January 17 and a lecture-demonstration on dance on January 19, said Anupama Sekar of the MCF.

Museum `without walls'

At present, the museum will exist `without walls' though it plans to establish a state-of-the-art facility in New Delhi with a gallery, library and research and archiving centres.

Immediate plans involve opening chapters across the country starting with Mumbai in March.

For details call Madras Craft Foundation, 6, Uror Olcott Road, Besant Nagar, Chennai-90 (Ph: 24918943/24462435 and email mcfdak@md3.vsnl.net.in)

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