Kerala   

Lalithakala Akademi awards presented

KOCHI: While a majority of artists who have emerged in the national scene are from the State, there is no proper art culture to support them back home, Minister for Education and Culture M.A. Baby has said.

He was speaking after distributing the 37th State Awards, fellowships and Kesari Puraskaram for 2008 instituted by the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi at the Durbar Hall Art Centre here on Thursday.

Our society was still reluctant to buy art even while spending much on obscene and vulgar constructions. It was high time that we became self-critical about the stand we take on supporting art. Agencies like the Akademi should take initiative in evolving a new visual culture, he said.

Just like cartoon and photography were included in genres being considered for awards, illustrations made in publications and applied art used in cover-design of books should also be considered in future.

The A. Ramachandran Commission, appointed by the State government to look into the reforms in fine arts education, had submitted its report. The government would take action on the report in a time-bound manner, Mr. Baby said.

The government would support initiatives by local bodies and entrepreneurs to promote arts. The Minister said the request to increase the cash prize given along with State awards would be considered from next year.

Mr. Baby handed over the documents related to transferring the ownership of the land and the Durbar Hall Art Centre to the Akademi. C.N. Karunakaran, chairman of the Akademi, received the documents.

The Minister also laid the foundation stone for the Centre for Arts Reference (CARE), which had been proposed near the Durbar Hall Art Centre.

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