TURA: The Meghalaya Art Festival with the theme Observation and Realism was inaugurated on Monday at District Museum, Dakopgre, Tura where West Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner, Ram Singh graced the occasion as the chief guest. The five-day Art Festival cum Photography Workshop and Exhibition are being held at district museum, Dakopgre and district auditorium, Tura respectively from September 17 to 21.
Speaking on the occasion, Ram Singh suggested making fine art as a compulsory discipline in the school curriculum so that every child is introduced to the subject and thereby help them to develop their interest and talents from childhood. Stressing on the need to appreciate the realistic theme, he said that nowadays people have the facility to edit their photographs which goes beyond realism and added that encouraging and supporting the artist from the region should not be limited to the department of Art and Culture. He also extended his support for providing necessary platform and assistance for the artists in the region.
Archivist, Art and Culture, Meghalaya Shillong D Kharjana in her keynote address informed the participants about the aims and objectives of the festival which is to bring together a group of Artists from within the State to a common platform and enable them to showcase their talents in a variety of mediums of Art to the public and also create an enriching experience full of knowledge on Art that the people of the state will acquire from the festival by means of interaction with the artist and appreciation of art.
She further stated that the festival aims at providing more room for talent exploration in new generations, promote marketization of art and expand communication, cultural exchange and knowledge, sharing of various techniques and new contemporary ideas of art practices amongst the participating Artists and the public in general.
The First of its kind Art Workshop includes Textile Design (Tie & Die and Batik), Mount Board Cut (Multi Colour Relief Prints) and Screen Printing while Photography workshop includes Basics, Fashion, Travel and Culture and Introduction to DSLR Video, she said. The photography workshop which is being conducted from the year 2014 has proved to be a turning point by taking photography to a next level wherein the participants were able to acquire skills and technical knowledge, she added.
Various works of Art were also exhibited at the venue, which are available to the general public to buy.