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The National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA), India is being launched in south India through Explorations, a week-long inaugural programme in Chennai, from January 14-20, 2007. Explorations is being organised by Dakshinachitra, the partner of the National Museum of Women in the Arts (India) in southern India. Sunita
Kohli, founder and chairperson of NMWA India will inaugurate the programme at the Lalit Kala Akademi (Regional Centre),
Chennai.
The mission of NMWA (India) is to highlight the contributions made by women artistes to the culture of India. The museum will honour artistes of the past, promote
accomplishments of those working in the present and assure a place for women artistes in future.
The museum will showcase women of all periods and highlight their contributions in the fields of architecture, design, cinema, crafts, literature, music, performing arts, photography, theatre and the visual arts.
NMWA (India) has been conceived as a sister organisation to the National Museum of Women in the Arts (Washington D.C., US) which is the only museum worldwide
dedicated exclusively to regular contributions of women artistes. NMWA (India) plans to establish its main centre in New Delhi with possible branches across the country. Its
present goal is to be a virtual museum.
The board of trustees of NMWA (India) include Dr Kusum Ansal, Sharan Apparao, Kanita Bhartia, Devieka Bhojwani, Sofia Blake, Pheroza Godrej, Dr Jutta Jain, Kohelika
Kohli, Anuradha Mahindra, Poonam Muthreja, Rajshree Pathy, Priya Paul, Priti Paul, Fiorenza Richter, Dr Gowher Rizvi, Smriti Ruia, Malavika Sangghavi, Rakhi Sarkar,
Malavika Sarukkai, Dr Shikha Sharma and Dr Deborah Thiagarajan.
In keeping with the pioneering vision of the NMWA, Explorations will showcase outstanding women in contemporary visual, performing and literary arts in India through
painting exhibitions, poetry reading sessions, lectures, dance and panel discussions.
Paintings and installations by young artists woven around the theme Fluid Signs: Identity and Perception, will be inaugurated at 6.30 p.m on January 14, 2007, at the Lalit
Kala Akademi (Regional Centre), Chennai. Fluid Signs is the result of two artists' camp organised at Dakshinachitra in 2006. A second exhibition – Explorations – will
feature contemporary women artists from south India. Both exhibitions will show at the Lalit Kala Akademi (Regional Centre), Chennai, from January 14-20, 2007.
Noted art critic Rasna Bhushan will deliver a lecture on 'Identity and Authenticity within the Indian Framework: Globalisation and the Indian Art Market' at 4.30 p.m. on
January 15, 2007, at the Lalit Kala Akademi (Regional Centre), Chennai. The lecture will be followed by a panel discussion with artists, art critics, collectors and
gallerists.
On January 17, 2007, contemporary Tamil women poets will participate in The World of Tamil Women Poets, a poetry reading session underlining the mingling of the
personal and political, the inner and outer worlds in their work.
Participating poets include Kutty Revathy, Malathy Maitri, Perundevi, Sukiertha Rani and Vatsala. The poetry reading will be followed by a question and answer session with
the poets. The World of Tamil Women Poets will be held at 6.30 p.m on 17 January 2007 at the Alliance Francaise Auditorium,
Chennai.
The World of Women in Dance, a panel discussion and demonstration will be held at 6.30 p.m. on January 19, 2007, at the Kalakshetra Open Air Theatre. Speakers for the
evening include Leela Samson, Malavika Sarukkai, Lakshmi Vishwanathan and Padmini Chettur. The World of Women in Dance has been conceived as an evening of
discussion on issues of dance today and will be illustrated through dance.
R Rangaraj
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