A principal activity of Mrittika is the holding of exhibitions that focus on the dying and disappearing art forms of Bengal – both from West Bengal (India) and Bangladesh. They cover the range from clay figurines of Krishnanagar, metal artwork known as ‘dokra,” decorative wood carvings of Bankura, and “chhau” dance masks of Purulia to colorful stitched and embroidered cotton wrappers (“kantha”), images and idols made of pith (“shola”), stylized ‘pata” paintings (in the Kalighat style) and ritualistic finger paintings known as “alpana.” Mrittika has exhibited art objects and artifacts and, from time to time, sponsored artists and artisans from India to demonstrate their trade in real time to interested spectators.
Mrittika’s exhibitions started small in New Jersey libraries (Manalapan, East Brunswick), but expanded in size and scope in venues like the annual North American Bengali Conference (NABC) and museums (Newark, Philadelphia). Here is a summary of the highlights of major exhibitions organized by Mrittika :
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1995 : North American Bengali Conference held at Westchester, NY – Pata paintings; Shola images with live workshop by a visiting artisan from India.
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1995 : Newark Museum – Participation in exhibition titled “Cooking for the Gods;” live demonstration of Alpana floor painting.
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1996 : North American Bengali Conference held in Houston, TX – Exhibition of “100 Years of Bengali Drama;” Dokra and Terra Cotta artifacts.
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1997 : Balch Institute, Philadelphia, PA – Alpana
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1997 : CARABRAM in Brampton, near Toronto in Canada – Glimpses of India through puppets and marionettes.
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1998 : North American Bengali Conference in Toronto, Canada – A diorama sequence with clay figurines depicting the story of the great Indian epic, “Ramayana.”
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2000 : North American Bengali Conference held in Atlantic City, NJ – Evolution of Bengali food, apparel, style and entertainment over the ages.
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2002 : North American Bengali Conference held in Atlanta, GA – Kantha stitch-work with invited artist from India; live Alpana workshop.
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2004 : North American Bengali Conference held in Baltimore, MD – Exhibition of “100 Years of Bengali Cinema.”
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2005 : North American Bengali Conference held in New York City, NY – Special tribute to martyr Dhiren Dutta and the Language Movement of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).
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2006 : North American Bengali Conference held in Houston, TX – A diorama sequence with clay figurines depicting outstanding events and characters of Bengal over 200 years; documentary on the making of clay figurines and their maker, who was invited from India and conducted live workshop.
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