The Beacon - September 2023
Editorial Team : Harini Thiagarajan, Anishka Gogoi, Anvika Bheemarasetty
Art is the greatest form of hope. —Banksy
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Art is the greatest form of hope. —Banksy 〰️
Recent Highlights
Kids Bothell Bazaar
Kids Bothell Bazaar, held at North Creek High School on August 12th, was an event where young entrepreneurs got the chance to sell hand-made goodies and practice their business skills.
Deepti Designs artist Arianna Sinha represented the school at the event, selling handcrafted earrings and displaying her paintings. Arianna ended up selling out all of her earrings and many people at the event stopped to look at the beautiful art.
All the proceeds from the stall went to Sankara Healthcare Foundation. The experience for Arianna was one of value, with her saying “It took a lot of patience but I like challenging stuff. Art is just really my thing, and I really had fun supporting my heritage!”.
Kannada Bharti Independence Day Celebration
Kannada Bharati, a non-profit organization that promotes the cultural heritage of Karnataka, conducted a free Madhubani art workshop for kids as part of an Independence Day celebration on August 13th.
Adithi Siva, Amrutha Arvind, Aarthi Sathyanarayanan, Manavi Shukla, and Jahnavi Shukla volunteered to help visitors make puzzle boards and bookmarks.
Ms. Vidhya Durai lead the event and helping organize the stall. The event was colorful and lively, with volunteer Adithi mentioning that she felt like she was able to experience the Independence Day celebration within India itself. Kudos to these students for helping make the day more special and engaging!
Live Mural Painting for Art Walk by The City of Redmond
The City of Redmond invited Ms. Deepti Agrawal to paint a wall mural LIVE over three days to form part of the Redmond ArtWalk. Ms. Deepti Agarwal and Ms. Nikita Thakalath led the project with about 15 volunteering artists.
We created Kalptaru - The Wishing Tree, right in the middle of Redmond Downtown Park. The art features a dancing monochrome tree with a vibrant background filled with a variety of flowers, leaves, and birds. At the bottom of the tree is a stream of water with lotuses and colorful fish.
"Hello" in ten different Indian languages is scripted on the tree trunk and the names of the volunteering artists in their native languages were inscribed in the folds of the water. The composition represents the harmonious and peaceful coexistence of different species in an inclusive environment, thereby representing Redmond City at the subliminal level.
Northwest Folklife / Bothell Culture Night
Deepti Designs was invited again to participate in Bothell Cultural Night held by Northwest Folklife on August 18th.
The festival was set in the outdoor City Hall campus in the heart of Bothell. Different artists with diverse backgrounds from all over Washington came to sell, showcase, and perform art from their cultures.
Just like last time, Deepti Designs’ booth featured live painting and an area for visitors to make their own Madhubani keepsakes. Arunim Goyal, Anishka Gogoi, Dhruvika Gogoi, and Aashi Sherigar helped run the booth. Arunim and Anishka also got the chance to present on stage and give a talk on the art style and showcase one of their paintings.
Aashi Sherigar, who was one of the live painters, said “The experience was really nice and of great quality. I really liked the outdoor theme and I would do it again!”
Humanities WA Speaker Bureau Talk- Sno-isle Library, Mountlake Terrace
Ms. Deepti Agrawal was recently invited by Humanities WA Speaker Bureau to give a talk and conduct a workshop for the at the patrons of Sno-Isle Mountlake Terrace library on August 19th.
Over 40 participants attended and learned about Madhubani Art, its history, and its rich and diverse culture. The audience was enthralled by Ms. Deepti Agarwal’s impeccable storytelling and had many questions for Ms. Agrawal and the other presenter artists.
Quoting Anvika Bheemarasetty, an artist volunteer, “This was a great experience, I really enjoyed talking to all the people about my painting and Madhubani art. It was really interesting how the participants combined Madhubani art with their own personal touch and took home their own unique keepsakes”.
Thanks to Ms. Nikita Thakalath, Anvika Bheemarasetty, Anvi Dua, and Aanya Sheth.
Canyon Creek Rangoli
Canyon Creek Elementary School in Bothell features one of Deepti Designs artworks as a permanent art installation.
The artwork is installed in the middle of the quadrangle at the entryway and has the school's mascot in the center flanked by Indian traditional art elements all around.
The original installation was done in May 2022 and our artists and volunteers went back on August 22nd, to retouch the artwork.
Along with the PTA member, Ms. Foram Yagnik, Ms. Deepti Agrawal, and Ms. Nikita Thakalath our wonderful artist volunteers, Yashvy Patni, Bhargavi, Sanika Kabbur, and Khushi Sherigar helped in painting and getting it ready for the upcoming school year.
Google, Kirkland Event
The workshop hosted by Deepti Designs at the Kirkland Google Campus on August 23rd, was a huge success.
Over 35 Google employees took a stress-break from their work and indulged in art therapy by making small keepsakes such as photo-frames and coasters. They also learnt about Madhubani Art and its history.
The event garnered great feedback from the participants and we are invited again into their Bellevue office on September 27th to host another workshop as part of their 25th year anniversary. Thank you Ms. Nikita Thakalath, Anvika Bheemarasetty, and Meenakshi Iyer for your time and effort in putting this event together.
Bothell Summerfest
Deepti Designs participated in the Summerfest hosted by Kenmore-Bothell Chamber of Commerce and conducted hands-on activity along with a show of artworks at Bothell Landing Park on August 26th.
It was a great event with engaging participation from the community members. The event was led by Ms. Deepti Agrawal and Ms. Nikita Thakalath and was joined by artists, Yashvy Patni, Shakambari Ramachandran, Adithi Siva, and teaching artist, Anushka Bains.
Aditi also did LIVE painting at the location which was a great attraction and impressed the audience. Here is a little bite from Aditi about her experience at the Summerfest, “The live painting experience at the fair was a sensory experience that left a lasting impression. It was a testament to the power of art to forge connections among strangers and to elevate the joy of the fair. It was a lived experience that will forever be etched in my heart.”
Creative Voices
Creative Voices is an initiative started by graduating artist Ananya Vaidyaraman aiming to “equip artists with the skills needed to confidently and creatively communicate.”
After the success of the first season back in Spring 2023, the second round of sessions was recently held from July 29th-August 26th. The participants comprised of 8 learners and 3 mentors along with the program lead, Ananya Vaidyarama. The participants learnt to composite, prepare, and deliver four different speeches on their Madhubani artworks. They also learned how to give detailed feedback to their peers. The three student mentors had participated in the first round of the program provided guidance to the learners in their speech-preparation.
The students were not the only ones to gain from this program. Their mentor Ananya observed, “I not only had an excellent experience teaching the new students enrolled in the summer program, but also could reconnect with the students I had previously taught in the first wave of Creative Voices...I was impressed by the level of dedication students showed towards the program, as well as the thought and detail put into every speech that was crafted…Overall, I felt fulfilled to know that the second wave of Creative Voices was an enriching experience for both students and mentors.”
Vidhya Deepam at Veda Temple, Redmond
Artist, Rama Panchap hosted a Madhubani Painting booth at Veda Temple on the occasion of Vidhya Deepam on September 9th. She single handedly hosted the table showcasing her mother’s and her own Madhubani projects and hosting coloring workshop and coasters making workshop.
We appreciate her for all the effort and thank her mother Annapoorni Panchap for supporting Rama’s interest and her zeal to use art as a medium to help and connect communities.
Kathith - Traditional Motif Workshop
Kathith, Powered by Deepti Designs, brought forward a one-of-a-kind workshop on traditional motif designs inspired by Shilpa Shastra. The workshop was taught by acclaimed jewelry designer, Vasanthi Punniyam who has been working with some acclaimed jewelers over past few years.
The workshop was attended by art enthusiasts from all over the globe and they were successfully able to draw and paint earrings and necklace designs using the traditional motifs. The event was moderated by Virginia based digital artist, Ms. Supraja G of Aditiyeva Studio.
The recording of the workshop is now being offered as masterclass and can be availed here.
Volunteering Opportunities
Ananya’s Solo Show
Date: September 30th
Time: 12-4 PM
Location: Redmond Community Center
Come support our fellow artist Ananya Vaidyaraman in her solo show on September 30th from 1:30-3:30 pm! She will be showcasing 30+ Madhubani artworks done across five different mediums at the Redmond Community Center, with many expressing “connections to topics of environmental sustainability (such as animals, villages, plants, etc.), traditional symbols, scenes, and deities.” There will also be a free art workshop for ages 5+ and food available to eat. 10 volunteers are needed to help with setup, takedown, food/snacks, and overseeing the art workshop.
Volunteers need to be available from 12:00-4 p.m. on the day of the show, plus a few extra hours outside of that for floor easel setup at the Bothell studio. Add your name to this spreadsheet if you would like to volunteer, and RSVP through this Google Form to attend the show!
Kathith - Chitrakathi Workshop
Kathith brings yet another interesting workshop on a forgotten art-form from the land of Maharashtra, Chitrakathi.
It is the only artform which told stories in the form of paintings, leather puppetry and wooden dolls.
Maven Shilpa Shastra artist, Shanmughapriya would be teaching this 3-day non-profit workshop where she would be going over the history and the lineage of the art-style, along with helping participants complete a project from scratch.
The workshop would be moderated by Ms. Supraja G who is doing extensive research on Chitrakathi to be able to spread the awareness and knowledge about the ancient tradition.
Seattle Asian Art Museum
Date: November 4th
Venue: Seattle Asian Art Museum
Artists, mark your calendars for November 4th!
Deepti Designs has been invited to hold an exhibition at the Seattle Asian Art Museum, a prestigious offer that we encourage everyone to participate in.
At the event, we will host an art workshop, hands-on mural painting and display around 50 Madhubani pieces.
Over 30 artists would have their art showcased, so make sure to reach out as soon as possible. Additional volunteers will be needed to help conduct the workshop. Please contact Ms. Nikita Thakalath if this sparks your interest!
Seattle Center Show
Date: November 11th
Venue: Seattle Center Armory
Once again, Deepti Designs will participate in the annual “Diwali: Lights of India” show at the Seattle Center Armory. This is a great opportunity for students to display their artwork in a public space and practice presenting in front of a larger audience. The event will be held on November 11th, and similar to last time, artists are expected to prepare a short speech and help in either the set-up or wind-up. Further details will be shared soon. Please reach out to Ms. Thakalath to submit your names.
Featured Artists
This month we are featuring two young artists who have recently finished their pieces, Sanika Kabbur and Yashvy Patni.
Buddha by Sanika Kabbur
Sanika: “My name is Sanika Kabbur and I am a freshman at Bothell High School. My most recent project portrays Buddha sleeping beside a Banyan tree. Around him, there are multiple symbols representing Buddhism, such as the sun, elephant, koi fish, lotus, yin yang, and a chakra. The elephant represents mental strength and responsibility while the lotus represents purity and spiritual awakening. The Banyan Tree is also where Buddha meditated and found his spiritual awakening under the tree. This painting took lots of patience to complete, but it captures so many life lessons implemented in daily life.”
“Voyage of Victory: Ram and Family on Pushpak Vimaan” by Yashvy Patni
Yashvy - “Hi my name is Yashvy and I’m a sophomore at North Creek High School. This is my painting - “Voyage of Victory: Ram and Family on Pushpak Vimaan”. It shows Ram and Sita coming back after defeating the antagonist, Ravan. The story is a significant part of the Hindu epic, the Ramayana. This incidence of Ramayana serves as a timeless tale of righteousness, courage, and devotion, and it continues to be celebrated in the festival of Diwali, also known as the Festival of Lights, in honor of their homecoming. Most of the time, Madhubani art depicts the action parts, but not the story and return at the end, so that’s why I decided to create this piece.”
Congratulations to both artists for taking another step forward in their Madhubani Art journey.
Game Time
Memory Game by Anishka Gogoi
In this edition, we have a Memory Game created by one of our students and newsletter editor, Anishka G. Screenshot it and share the completed game to us! The first person who completes it will be featured in the next edition.
Try our Memory Game this month, take a screenshot, and email it to newsletter.thebeacon.dd@gmail.com for a chance to get featured in next month's newsletter.
