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Category : Arts Program

From Pigments to the Politics of Paintings: Prof. Jinah Kim Presents Technical Session to South Asian Art Conservationists

Mar 1, 2022 | Announcements, Arts Program, Faculty, News

From Pigments to the Politics of Paintings: Prof. Jinah Kim Presents Technical Session to South Asian Art Conservationists

The Mittal Institute’s Conservation Science Research and Training Program (CoSTAR) program is an attempt to bridge the gap between art history, museology, art conservation, and conservation science, with the aim of strengthening the practice of conservation science in India. Module 1 of the CoSTAR program began in April 2021 and consisted of a nine-week lecture series. Module 2 of the program was launched in November 2021.

Event Recap: Research Agenda of Harvard Art Museums’ Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies

Dec 8, 2021 | Announcements, Arts Program, News

Event Recap: Research Agenda of Harvard Art Museums’ Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies

In the “Research Agenda of Harvard Art Museums’ Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies” conversation, panelists discussed how short and longstanding research projects related to technical art history at Harvard Art Museums are generated, take shape and benefit from a deeply collaborative approach between Conservators, Scientists and Curators.

VAF Spotlight: Bunu Dhungana on Gender Norms in Art and Artistic Expression

Dec 1, 2021 | Announcements, Arts Program, Community, Faculty, News

VAF Spotlight: Bunu Dhungana on Gender Norms in Art and Artistic Expression

Last week, the Harvard community had the opportunity to virtually meet the Mittal Institute’s two newest VAF artists – Bunu Dhungana and Pragati Jain – through their Art Exhibition: Women in South Asia: Expectations, Burdens and Obligations. Both artists shared their motivations, their craft, and their creations in moving, personal reflections (the full event video is above). As VAFs, these two mid-career artists from South Asia are spending the semester at Harvard, engaging with faculty and students, participating in art exhibitions, and completing research projects. The Mittal Institute checked in with Bunu Dhungana to learn more about her artistic motivations. 

Visiting Artist Fellow Pragati Jain Reflects on Being a Practicing Artist and Woman in India Today

Nov 17, 2021 | Announcements, Arts Program, Community, Faculty, News

Visiting Artist Fellow Pragati Jain Reflects on Being a Practicing Artist and Woman in India Today

Last week, the Harvard community had the opportunity to virtually meet the Mittal Institute’s two newest VAF artists – Bunu Dhungana and Pragati Jain – through their Art Exhibition: Women in South Asia: Expectations, Burdens and Obligations. Both artists shared their motivations, their craft, and their creations in moving, personal reflections (the full event video is above). As VAFs, these two mid-career artists from South Asia are spending the semester at Harvard, engaging with faculty and students, participating in art exhibitions, and completing research projects. The Mittal Institute checked in with Pragati, to learn how her experience at Harvard is transpiring and what projects she is working on. An interview with Bunu will be forthcoming in December. 

CoSTAR Module 1: Creating Community and Collaboration Among Art and Science Professionals in South Asia; Advancing Towards Module 2

Nov 10, 2021 | Announcements, Arts Program, Community

CoSTAR Module 1: Creating Community and Collaboration Among Art and Science Professionals in South Asia; Advancing Towards Module 2

Conservation Science Research and Training Program, CoSTAR, aims to build up a temper of scientific studies for the conservation of art objects in India in conjunction with art historical studies. The three-year program is a collaboration between the Mittal Institute, Harvard University, Harvard Art Museums, and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, Mumbai. Launched in December 2020, CoSTAR is envisioned as a series of theory and practical modules covering various topics in Conservation Science.

Visiting Artist Fellowship Applications Now Open

Jul 29, 2021 | Announcements, Arts Program, Community, News

Visiting Artist Fellowship Applications Now Open

Art is a lifeblood of society, and its place at the Mittal Institute is stewarded through an Arts Program that offers such programming as the annual Visiting Artist Fellowship (VAF). This eight-week research fellowship at Harvard connects artists from South Asia with Harvard’s intellectual resources. The Fellowship provides a platform for four mid-career artists to conduct independent research that explores critical issues in South Asia through the lens of art and design. Interested applicants can now apply to join the Spring 2022 cohort – applications are due on Tuesday, August 10, 2021.

Visiting Artist Fellowship Lecture Series: Decentralizing the Creative Process by Asim Waqif

Jun 9, 2021 | Announcements, Arts Program, Bangladesh, Community, In Region, India, Nepal, Pakistan

Visiting Artist Fellowship Lecture Series: Decentralizing the Creative Process by Asim Waqif

The Mittal Institute recently concluded the 2020–2021 Visiting Artist Fellowship, which annually brings four mid-career visual artists to Cambridge to engage with Harvard faculty and students, participate in art exhibitions, and perform research using Harvard’s intellectual resources to further their art practice. Due to COVID-related programming changes this year, the fellowship was reimagined, bringing 13 of the top applicants from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Nepal to the virtual world for a series of four online seminars curated to support the artists’ long-term practice. In these courses, the artists participated in thought-provoking discussions centering on art history, creative writing, urban design, and more, with both their peers and the expert facilitating the class. For the final installment of the VAF Lecture Series, the Mittal Institute welcomed Asim Waqif, a Delhi-based artist whose international work revolves around architecture, ecology and design.

Walking inCommon: An Exploration of Visual Artist Naiza Khan’s Work

May 20, 2021 | Announcements, Arts Program, Bangladesh, Community, COVID-19, In Region, India, Myanmar, News, Pakistan

Walking inCommon: An Exploration of Visual Artist Naiza Khan’s Work

In a conversation with the Mittal Institute this week, Naiza Khan, a visual artist who splits her time between London and Karachi, explored the impact of the pandemic on her creative processes and methods of making art. This past year, COVID-19 drastically changed the landscape of possibilities for modes of working and presented new opportunities to engage in making work alongside other artists.

Women in South Asian Art: A Historical Perspective

Apr 20, 2021 | Arts Program, In Region, News

Women in South Asian Art: A Historical Perspective

Harvard Professor Jinah Kim’s research, which was the topic of the Mittal Institute’s latest VAF Lecture Series, examines the role of women in South Asian art from a historical perspective, and attempts to understand how this depiction impacts the politics of gender and social status of women in the modern era.