The Beacon - March 2024
Editorial Team : Harini Thiagarajan, Anishka Gogoi, Anvika Bheemarasetty, Guhan Thiagarajan
“Culture is the arts elevated to a set of beliefs.” - Thomas Wolfe
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“Culture is the arts elevated to a set of beliefs.” - Thomas Wolfe 〰️
Bothell Artwork Participants
Recent Highlights
Centro Cultural Mexicano Radio Feature
Centro Cultural Mexicano’s Radio Show on KKPA1450 in King County hosted a live chat on February 23rd featuring artist and Humanities WA Trustee Deepti Agrawal, along with Angie Hinojos and Sofiam Larrondo. This conversation explored art, culture, and the community around us. For more information on Centro Cultural Mexicano’s radio show every Friday, please visit their page: https://www.facebook.com/centroculturalmexicano.
To listen to the entire podcast with Ms. Agrawal, click on the link below
A/NT Gallery Opening Reception
We were thrilled to host our second annual opening reception of the A/NT Art Gallery from 5:00 to 8:00 pm on March 2nd. More than 28 talented artists, from 6-80 years old, displayed 40+ stunning creations, each art piece portraying a unique story and reflecting the rich heritage of Madhubani art.
We were honored to have our Chief Guest, Consul General Mr. Prakash Gupta, join us to listen to the countless speeches given by these artists and have the honor of presenting each artist with their certificate of accomplishment. To make the event truly special, we were joined by live music from the students of Parivaadhini School of Music, a music school run by the esteemed musician Lakshmi Lakshmanan.
Thank you to our wonderful MCs, Sai Keertana Ganta and Anvi Babu, for running the show with their incredible talent. The A/NT gallery will be open till the end of March, so make sure to stop by and take a look at the amazing pieces of art for display!
Humanities Delegates in the Capitol Visit
Ms. Deepti Agrawal was recently invited to travel to Washington DC for three days from March 5-7 to take part in the Humanities Delegates in the Capitol for the Humanities on the Hill, 2024 program. This is a program where all the state Humanities councils come together and meet with their respective congress representatives in the Capitol.
Ms. Agrawal received the wonderful opportunity to meet with the ten house representatives along with the senators of our state and talk about how Humanities WA has worked towards making the cultural landscape of Washington State richer. The Chief Executive Officer of Humanities WA and three other board members were also present at the delegation. All the Humanities Council members also received a chance to see the house procedures and how voting and debating are done in the house. Congratulations to Ms. Agrawal for receiving this wonderful opportunity.
WomenIkon Spoken Word Performance
At the recent WomenIkon event on March 9th, students delivered a spoken word performance inspired by Maya Angelou’s “Still I Rise,” accompanied by their own paintings. Choreographed by parent volunteer, Srujana Babu, the performance showed enthusiasm and captivated the audience. One particular segment of the presentation left spectators deeply moved and awestruck.
Bothell Artwalk
The Bothell Artwalk took place on Thursday, March 14th, from 4:30 to 8:15 p.m. Deepti Designs was paired with , held at the State Farm office where our youth artists put up a show of their traditional artworks.
Attendees enjoyed the showcase and also learned how to draw and paint in this style. The event provided a memorable opportunity to engage with Bothell’s arts community and appreciate its creativity.
Everett Public School Elementary Art Showcase
Pehal Thackar, a 5th grader from Mill Creek Elementary School, was selected to showcase one of her Madhubani Art pieces at the 2023-2024 Everett Public School Elementary Art Show.
Every year, Everett Public Schools, in partnership with the Everett Public Schools Foundation, displays the artwork of student artists in art shows at the Community Resource Center. People passing by can not only stop to look at the various artworks in person but can also see an online gallery as well. Congratulations again to Pehal for displaying her Madhubani artwork at this art show!
TEDx Pine Lake Youth Speakers
Ms. Deepti Agrawal and Mahima Kolar have been invited as speakers for TEDx Pine Lake Youth. Their achievements and backgrounds ensure that their presentations will inspire the attendees to emphasize academic achievements and embrace the pursuit of passions. Their involvement will inspire the attendees to empower themselves, allowing them to thrive beyond traditional educational boundaries. Congratulations to Ms. Agrawal and youth artist, Mahima for this wonderful opportunity!
Upcoming Events
&
Opportunities
ICFF - International Children Friendship Festival
International Children Friendship Festival is one of our top curated annual events where our youth artists proudly showcase their artworks in highly diverse and appreciating audience. We have been participating with them regularly since 2016. The details of this year’s event is as under -
Event Details:
Date & Time : April 20 - 21, 2024 11:00am - 6:00pm (PDT)
Location : Fisher Pavilion, Seattle Center, 305 Harrison St, Seattle, WA 98109
The artists are divided in groups of 2-3 who show their art and engage with the crowd for a period of 2-3 hours on any one of the two days. Please reach out asap to Ms. Nikita Thakalath if interested in participating in the event. It provides a great opportunity for the youth to experience some real-time cross-cultural interactions.
Annual Youth4Us Redmond Children Business Fair
The 4th Annual Youth4Us Washington Redmond Children Business Fair is back and we are invited yet again to participate! The event enables the participating youngsters to experience the entire lifecycle of a business. They create a product or service, build a marketing strategy, deal with customers, gaining hands-on business experience at the one-day marketplace.
We participate in pairs, learning the essence of collaboration and the synergy it brings forth, thereby fostering a dynamic experience of teamwork.
Event Details:
Date: June 29th, 2024
Time: 1-5 PM
Location: Redmond Downtown Park
If interested in participating, please reach out to Ms. Nikita Thakalath, asap.
Kathith Events
Kerala Mural Workshop
On February 10th, 11th, 17th, and 18th, Mr. Binish Lakshmanan led a workshop where he taught the nuances of the Kerala mural art style. Mr. Lakshmanan is a master artist who trained at the renowned Guruvayun Kerala Mural College and has been practicing the style for over 15 years.
For the workshop, he guided participants through illustrating “Athbhutham,” or surprise/wonder in the Kerala mural art form. Athbhutham is one of the nine Navarasas, which are the essential emotions evoked in an audience when watching a dance, music, or drama performance. As quoted from Kathith’s Instagram page, “These emotions serve as a foundation for expressing a range of human experiences in artistic expressions." Stay up to date with future unique workshops such as this one by following @kathith.kala on Instagram!
Kalighat Painting Workshop
Mr. Uttam Chitrakar is a Kalighat artist who comes from a lineage of Kalighat painters and has been practicing the art style since he was a teenager.
He is currently teaching a workshop where participants are painting goddess Durga in the Kalighat style, which features “bold lines, vibrant colors, and rich cultural narratives,” as quoted by Kathith’s Instagram page.
It consists of minimal color palettes and has strong yet simple brush strokes. The art form was originally painted on scrolls for the purpose of narrating stories in the 1830s near the Kalighat temple in Kolkata, India.
Mr. Chitrakar will cover the history and nuances of traditional folk art during the workshop. Find out about similar workshops by visiting @kathith.kala on Instagram!
Sanjhi Paper-cutting Art Workshop
Sanjhi is an art form that is based on paper-cutting and dates back 400 years. It used to be painted with colored dust on top of precise paper stencils to decorate temples in the state of Rajasthan, particularly in the Alwar region. These precise stencils are called Khakha, and over time, the creation of the paper stencils themselves started to be known as the Sanjhi art form.
Mr. Ram Soni is a Sanjhi art master who has practiced the form for over 30 years and comes from a family of other Sanjhi masters. He has won many awards, including the National Award, UNESCO award, the Shilp Shiromani award, and more.
Mr. Soni will be leading a workshop on this wonderful ancient art for four days on April 20th, 21st, 27th, and 28th. Supplies sourced from India will be shipped to participants, and the workshop will be taught over Zoom. If interested, please register by hitting the tab below.
Featured Artist
This month’s featured artists are Anvi Dua and Aadya Bommineni!
Anvi Dua - Panchmukhi Hanuman
“Hi! I’m Anvi, I’m a 14-year-old freshman at North Creek High School and this is my Lord Panchmukhi Hanuman painting. He is one of the less commonly depicted forms of Lord Hanuman and represents all five directions. He has a very interesting story and the fire and water in the background show elements of it.”
Aadya Bommineni - Adi ParaShakti
“My name is Aadya Bommineni, and I am a seventh-grader at Woodinville Montessori School. I'm excited to share my new art piece, Adi ParaShakti. The center canvas showcases the goddess Adi ParaShakti, also known as the mother goddess, who symbolizes the ultimate power and energy of the universe. Surrounding Adi ParaShakti are the Nava Durga, the nine different incarnations of the divine goddess. These include Shailaputhri, Brahmacharini, Chandraghanta, Kushmanda, Skandamata, Kathyayini, Kaalaratri, Mahagauri, and Siddhidatri.
I thoroughly enjoyed sketching and painting each incarnation while learning about their unique significance and fascinating stories. I also worked on the intricate pillar designs and added marble and aura effects behind each goddess, enhancing their background. The floor tiles were challenging to design, but I am pleased with the final outcome. I was inspired to create this artwork after playing the role of young Kathyayini in a show in my childhood. I took this opportunity to showcase the different avatars of Goddess Durga in my own creative and artistic way. I hope you enjoyed learning about this painting as much as I enjoyed creating it.”
Activity Time
Congrats to Jahnavi Shukla for winning last month’s Trivia!
This time, we have a short word scramble!
Please email your answers to newsletter.thebeacon.dd@gmail.com for a chance to get featured in next month's newsletter.
