Released: August 25, 2022
Online presentation about Aalpana-making noon to 1 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8. Pre-resister for link.
Live Demonstration 9 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 15 in the SFCC Courtyard
Santa Fe Community College’s Library and President’s Diversity Advisory Committee (PDAC) present two art events in September on Aalpana-making, a form of circular ground art rooted in ceremonial art traditions from south Asia. Shalimar Krebs, co-chair of PDAC and Associate Dean of the SFCC School of Liberal Arts and School of Arts, Design, & Media Arts said, “This circular-art-making event at SFCC hopes to mark and symbolize the coming together of our campus community at the beginning of this school year.”
SFCC art instructor Sudeshna Sengupta will present both the online lecture and the live Aalpana-making.
What: Aalpana ground art is an ancient form of ‘ephemeral art happening’ rooted in ceremonial art traditions of south Asia, in which the art-making process offers a collective experience to the individual viewers and participants gathering around it through the duration of the artform. Temporary in nature, traditionally the process of creating this form of circular floor art brings people together to welcome and celebrate special occasions. Our natural tendency to form a unified whole from smaller parts — help people, who gather around it develop a calming focus to collectively set goals for common good and work together.
Online lecture: Aalpana-making online talk from noon to 1 p.m. Thursday, September 8. Participants must pre-register at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SFCC-Aalpana.
Live demonstration: Live viewing of Aalpana-making in the SFCC Courtyard (6401 Richards Ave. Santa Fe, N.M.) from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 15. The actual art creation will take much longer. The Aalpana will be available for viewing until sunset when it will be dismantled.
Who: Sudeshna Sengupta, MFA is an Adjunct Faculty member at the SFCC School of Arts, Design, & Media Arts. Her career as a teaching artist spans multiple decades, continents, and cultures that inform her pedagogy of decolonizing studio art. Besides her academic training and contemporary art practice, Sudeshna Sengupta grew up with and around various traditional art forms in India, all of which continue to nurture her life and art.
When:
Online lecture: Noon to 1 p.m. Thursday, September 8. Participants must pre-register at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SFCC-Aalpana.
Live demonstration: 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 15 in the SFCC Courtyard. The Aalpana will be available for viewing until it is dismantled at sunset.
Where:
Online lecture: Zoom video conference platform, noon to 1 p.m. Sept. 8. Participants who pre-register will receive a Zoom link, which will be sent the morning of the event.
Live demonstration: SFCC’s Courtyard, 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. Sept. 15. Visitors are welcome to see the Aapana circular ground art until it is dismantled at sunset.
Cost: Free. The public is welcome.
Questions? Contact SFCC Library Director Valerie Nye at valerie.nye@sfcc.edu or at 505-428-1506 or email SFCC art instructor Sudeshna Sengupta at sudeshna.sengupta@sfcc.edu.
Santa Fe Community College celebrates its 40th Anniversary as the pathway to success for individuals and the community. SFCC provides affordable, high-quality programs that serve the academic, cultural, and economic needs of the community. The college welcomes over 10,000 students per year in credit, noncredit, workforce training, personal enrichment, and adult programs.
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