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Art Workshops for Regional Artists in Sri Lanka.
Submitted by Nadee Art Center

Context

Over the past 2 decades Sri Lankan art community went through a transformation and expansion. Ideological, stylistic and methodological changes took place with the effects of globalization and how Sri Lankan society grappled with the new influences from outside in face of growing anxieties within.

As a result, there is a large active art community in Sri Lanka working with knowledge of contemporary art practices. Through these activities a structure of knowledge that is both broad and containing new ideas is constantly being produced. But all these activities are limited to the city of Colombo. When you look at the art community in Colombo what is evident is that almost 95% of it consists of artists who have come from areas exterior to Colombo. What happens here is that those who come to Colombo for art education stay in the city after completing their education, and as a result the art knowledge that is produced in Colombo does not go to the regional areas. As a result, art activities in regional towns lacking in facilities receive no attention, encouragement or leadership. There are no art exhibition held in Colombo are taken to any of the regional areas because there are no venues or organization/individuals who would take responsibility to organize such events in regional areas. Schools give minimum attention to visual art education and very few art books are available in local languages. Therefore, there is no stimulation for a student to select visual art as something to be pursued seriously or to convince him/her that visual art is a credible field of knowledge or a credible profession. Therefore it is important for regional art groups and artists to work towards creating interest within their own communities and to bring in art knowledge through art exchange programs with artists in Colombo and other regional areas.

Over the last three years, through the facilitation of the Theertha International Artists Collective, Nadee has been able to establish links with the following regional art groups: Rala (Matara), Mini (Ratnapoura), Megha (Colombo) and Bhoomi (Kandy). The network has worked in the past along with Theertha to consolidate their existence and enhance their skills through capacity building programs in computer, design, publishing of art writing and community art projects. However, the programs that have been done are mostly to qualitatively increase the art education in the regional areas. At the same time it is also very important to increase the art exchange between the regional artists who are working in these network groups and regional areas so that it stimulate these art communities to start on serious dialogue and dynamism in art other than their interest in the community work.

It is in this context that Nadee is proposing the aforementioned regional workshop for regional artist. We expect that it will provide a forum for the exchange of art knowledge among regional artists, a space that would offer encouragement and dynamism for their work as well as to facilitate the further strengthening of regional art networks.

Target Audience

Art networks, artists, art students, art teachers from regional areas in Sri Lanka.

Participation: 18 artists from regional areas. We have invited the regional art groups Rala (Matara), Mini (Ratnapoura), Megha (Colombo) and Bhoomi (Kandy) to nominate artists from their areas. In addition, we will invite artists whom we have made independent contacts. We will invite artists from other regional groups who are not yet connected with the existing network of art groups. Overall participation is expected from the regional areas of Matara, Rathnapura, Kandy, Colombo, Polonnaruwa, Mahiyangana and Ampara.

Project activities

The regional art workshop is planned as a 10 day residential workshop. Workshop will be held at the art space in the Nadee Art Gallery, Dehiattakandiya. The residential facilities will be provided in the nearby 2 houses of government educational department quarters.

Workshop activities

Engage in art making responding to the immediate environment. Artists are expected to look at the locally available material work towards making art that goes beyond the conventional ideas of art. Experimental and collaborative art is encouraged. Artists will need to connect with the living and working environment and respond to it through their art.
Discussions Forums on art : Invited moderator will lead the discussions on selected topic of art. Tentative topics- Sri Lankan Art History/ Art movements from world history that has influenced Sri Lanka Art/ Relevance of art in the Society. The moderator will present a short presentation as a basis for discussion highlighting key issues, opinions and ideas. The participants are expected to engage in critical discussion. The idea of this is to make artists present their critical opinions in public and engage in discussion.
Lectures on art. 2 lectures are scheduled for the workshop on selected topics. Tentative Themes: Globalization and Art by Prasanna Ranabahu and Notions of Artists’ Freedom by Sasanka Perera
Video and film shows on contemporary international art. Selected films will be shown in the evening from 6.30-8.30 on selected days. The films/video will be on artists’ profiles/ lives and art. Some of the selected films are Frida Khalo, Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollok, Joseph Buoys and others. The purpose is for artists to be familiar with the art of well known art personalities and see how they have thought and worked.
Presentation of artworks and art activities of participating artists. Artists are given a forum to present their work to the other artists so that participants get an understanding of each others’ work and the way they practice art. This will be done in the initial days of the workshop.
Exhibition: On the last day of the workshop, the art works produced will be presented to the people in Dehiattakandiya and the vicinity by having an exhibition at the Nadee Art Gallery. There will be around 200 people expected for the preview of the exhibition. The exhibition will be held for 20 days where during that time art students, art teachers and the public will be encouraged to see the exhibition.
Dissemination: There will be images and text on the workshop proceedings in the newsletters that all the regional groups produce. There would be small booklet published on the workshop which will be distributed to schools libraries and available to the public.

Proposed Activity Plan of the workshop project

Project aims

Distribution of new art knowledge among artists from regional areas.
Encourage innovation and experimentation among regional artists which would give new dynamism for their work.
Creating an atmosphere of collegiality among regional art groups and the strengthening of this structure.
Expanding the knowledge on new trends in visual art to regional areas.
To let artists, art student and art teachers in the regional areas to see experimental work which are done in non conventional ways so that art-making methods and ideas become broader.

Organizers

The principle organizer is Nadee Art Center.

Profile of Nadee Art Center
Nadee Arts Center emerged out of the art activities linked to the teacher training project conducted by the Theertha International Artists Collective in 2003. By now, there are 15 members of the Nadee Arts Center. Among them are artists, art teachers and art students. The main aim of the center is to provide new knowledge to develop the visual arts in Dehiattakandiya and adjacent areas, to link up with regional and national art networks, and so doing to end the alienation experienced by regional artists and students of art and to expand the art opportunities available to them.

Core Group of Nadee
Lasantha Chandana Kumara (Artist/Zonal Art Education Instructor)-Chairman
L. D. Senarathne (Teacher in Literature)
R. M. Supun Dissanayake (Artist)
H. A. Anil Kumara (Artist)
Hashan Bandara (Artist/Art Teacher)
Ariyawansa Ratnayake (Art Teacher)

Among the projects undertaken by Nadee are the following:

Workshops for artists and art students. : Training Work for art students was held from 2 to 12 August 2007. 15 Art students from selected schools participated in the workshop where discussions on art history and art practical knowledge were given. In addition, Nadee Art Center holds regular exhibition on art produced by children in Dehiattakandiya.

Training workshops for art teachers in Dehiattakandiya and the adjacent areas to bring new knowledge in art. 5 workshops for art teacher to impart knowledge of contemporary art history of Sri Lanka and new trends as well as practical training of art making were held in the Maha Oya Zone and Dehiattakandiay areas. Following are the workshops:
11.02.2007 1 Day workshop.
15-03.2007-16.03-2007 2 Day workshops
17.06.2007-18.06.2007 2 Day workshops
20.08.2007-21.08.2007 2 Day workshops
12.10.2007-07.11.2007 10 Day workshops

Knowledge exchange programs with handicraft and traditional craft experts in Dehiattakandiya and the adjacent areas: 2 day workshop for selected 5 craft artists from Dehiattakandiya working with read weaving in June 2007. The workshop allowed craft artists to work with artists to develop new designs. Nadee Art Center hopes to continue this program.

Publishing of the Nadee Arts newletter to bring new knowledge on art and art history, and mailing this journal free of charge to Dehiattakandiya and the adjacent areas. 1,000 copies of the newsletter is published 3 times a year.

Developing contacts with visuals arts groups in areas such as Ratnapura, Kandy, and Colombo. Working with the network of art groups to make a consistent effort to produce the art newsletter within their communities. As a result of 5 groups working together in five areas (Matara, Ratnapura, Kandy, Colombo and Dehiattaknadiay) they are able to produce the art newsletter with centre pages giving information in consistent with the art curriculum in schools. This has become a useful supplement to the art educational texts in these areas.

Established the Nadee art gallery in Dehiattakandiya to bring in art from Colombo and other areas to create awareness among art students, art teacher and artists in the community and surrounding areas.