AlumniBKCAC organized a sketching workshop in the foothill of Khandagiri in Bhubaneswar on the eve of Odiya Nava Varsha (New Year) celebration

AlumniBKCAC organized a sketching workshop, as its second event in the series of Silver Jubilee celebration of the Bibhuti Kanungo College of Art & Crafts, Bhubaneswar. The workshop was planned in the foothill of Khandagiri in Bhubaneswar on the eve of Odiya Nava Varsha (New Year) celebration in the sculpture studio of Saroj Bhanja, a young and enthusiastic sculptor. This workshop was a gathering of the old students and present young artists to develop harmony and co-ordination amongst each other.

The event began with a congregation by the artists that was formally introduced by the president of the alumniBKCAC Adwaita Gadanayak. Subrat Mullick, the secretary of alumniBKCAC vividly projected the programmes that are scheduled to take place through out the year. Sculptor Anjan Kumar Sahoo, joint secretary AlumniBKCAC, invited constructive suggestions from all members, who were present, to make Silver jubilee celebration an extraordinary and special. AlumniBKCAC Executive member Ashok Nayak, who is director of Delhi based Ashok Art Gallery has updated about construction of organization website which is running as beta test now, the members were informed that it would be back with a new and attractive look with lot more features and interactive options. and it will lunch officially on the month May. Another alumni Durga Patnaik has mentioned about a proper documentation of all alumnus in college register which will provide a right information to all the students and as well as to visitors. Executive member M. Sovan Kumar informed about his Mega Art Exhibition project that is coordinated by him for the silver jubilee project.

The formal discussion was followed by a workshop of drawing and painting, wherein the artists present participated. These events were regularly organized and managed by the local alumni in order to make a meaningful presence in the contemporary art field. The events might just seem usual but they carry the emotion of the former students and their commitment towards the art college that has nurtured them to achieve the present feet. This workshop and interaction turned successful with the presence of Kamalakshya Kanungo, Subhranshu Panda, Meenaketan Patnaik, Shyama Prasad Tali, Lipishree Nayak, Ashok Nayak, Rabinarayan Sahu, Saroj Bhanja, Siba Prasad Patri, Rajiv Pradhan, Debadutta Naik, Niroj Satapathy, Harekrushna Ojha, Lalata Kishore Pradhan, Divya Ranjan Rout, Subhadarshi Swain, Lalit Swain, Gautam Sahoo, Satyajit Das, Manas Moharana, Kanta Kishore Moharana, Biswa Ranjan Kar, Satabhama Majhi, Nilanshu Bala Sasmal, Chanda Kishore, Chandra Sekhar Sethi, Smrutikanta Rout, Somanath Rout, Abakash Martha, Gopal Krushna Rath, Niranjan Mangaraj, Niranjan Ojha and Sukant Moharana.

The event was convened by Veejayant Das, member of the alumni and Pratap Jena, Executive member of alumni. The space was provided courtesy Saroj Bhanja which literally fused the environment with artistic ambience.

Pradosh Mishra and his Doctoral research on Emerging Trends in Contemporary Indian Painting

PRADOSH MISHRA

Associate Professor, Department of History of ArtFaculty of Arts,

Banaras Hindu UniversityVaranasi-221005

Topic of Doctoral Research
Emerging Trends in Contemporary Indian Painting during 1990 and 2004: A Study in the perspective of Globalisation and National IdentityArea of SpecialisationContemporary Indian Art, Traditional Sculpture Workshop in OrissaFieldworkSince 1994 documenting living and working conditions of Master Artists, their behaviour and attachment to the traditional stone carving workshops in Lalitagiri, Bhubaneswar, Puri in Orissa and Mathura.
Seminar Participation and Papers presented

Contemporary Indian Art: New Imagery and the Question of Identity, paper presented in absentia in NAFA Symposium on New Asian Imaginations, Singapore, 2008Possibilities of Lacquer in Contemporary Art as a medium: New Dimensions, National Seminar on Lac in Indian Art and Culture, Balasore, Orissa, 2007The Living Tradition of Stone Carving in Orissa: Texts and their present Relevance with reference to Master Artist Khirod Chandra Maharana of Lalitagiri, National Seminar on Silpa Texts and its Relevance, Jnana Pravaha, Varanasi, 2003Shift in Stone Workshop Practices- a case study in Lalitagiri, National Seminar on Art Practices in India Today, Bhubaneswar, 2001Traditional Linkage in Contemporary Orissan Art: Towards a Regional Vocabulary, National Seminar in Millennium Multimedia manifestation, Bhubaneswar, 1999Concept of time in Dancing Sculptures of Konarka, International Symposium on Sculpture and Dance, Varanasi, 1999Urban Experience of the Contemporary Artists of Orissa with reference to Working Artists Association, National Seminar on Urban Image in Contemporary Indian Art, Faculty of Visual Arts, BHU, Varanasi, 1998

Himalayan Landscape Painting by some Contemporary Indian Painters: An Observation on treatment of Space, National Seminar on Himalayan Glory, Allahabad Museum, Allahabad, 1998Participated as an Observer in the National Seminar on Terms and terminologies in Indian Art, Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi, 1994Primordial Influence on the Paintings of some Contemporary Painters of Orissa, National Seminar on Primitive Vigour as a part of Festival of India to Moscow, Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi, 1991Importance of Art Education in Primary Schools in Orissa, State Seminar on the Status of Art Education in Orissa, Bhubaneswar, 1989Contemporary Art Situation in Orissa, National Seminar on the Contemporary Art and Artists of Orissa, 1988

Awarded by Orissa Media Centre, Sunanda Pathy Foundation and Bhubaneswar Sahitya Samaj for Art Historical Studies and Art Criticism in Orissa, 1997State Award for Painting, Working Artists Association of Orissa, Bhubaneswar, 1997Chhanda Caharan memorial State Award, 1997Award for Best Painting and Cartoon in Panjab University, Chandigarh, 1994

Exhibitions Participated: Working Artists Association, OrissaState Lalit Kala Akademi, OrissaRashtriya Kala Mela, BangaloreRegional Art Exhibition, BangaloreState Level Art Exhibition by All India Fine Art and Crafts Society, New DelhiBeyond the Shores, Rabindra Bhawan, New DelhiSpring is Not Over, Punjab Lalit Kala Akademi, Chandigarh

Solo Exhibition : WASH, Watercolour Painting Exhibition held at Hotel Oberoi and Hotel Kalinga Ashoka, Bhubaneswar, Orissa

Pradosh Kumar Mishra received his education in Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh and Varanasi. He completed his Doctoral research on Emerging Trends in Contemporary Indian Painting, a Study in the Perspective of Globalisation and National Identity from 1990 to 2004.He has produced an audio-visual documentary on Two Contemporary Painters of Orissa for National Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi in 1993, and has extensively documented various living Master Artists, their behaviour and attachment to the traditional stone carving workshops in Lalitagiri, Bhubaneswar, Puri and Mathura in Orissa (India) under the project Workshop Tradition of Orissan Sculpture from 1994 to 2000.Mishra also co-authored a monograph entitled Chandrasekhar Rao: Life and Work, published articles on Contemporary Art in publications entitled Bronze (2006), Let a Thousand Flowers Bloom (2001), Oddiyan (1997), Beyond the Shores (1995), and Tribal Art: Primitivism and Modern Relevance (1990).He has presented papers at several national seminars on art historical studies and participated in an international symposium on sculpture and dance, organised by Ram Chhatpar Shilp Nyas (1999), and Art Interaction, organised by Indo-German Art Forum (2003) at Varanasi.
Pradosh Mishra is an alumni of BKCAC and he is working as a Exceutive member of the organization

AlumniBKCAC

City Office : Plot-132 1st Floor,Forest park, Bhubaneswar, Orissa, India, Pin-751009

Campus Office : B.K.College of Art and Crafts,Tapovana,KhandagiriBhubaneswar, Orissa, India, Pin-751030

Web : http://www.alumnibkcac.org/

My College, My City and My State by Jagannath Panda

Jagannath Panda, Bhubaneswar 2008
Today the field of art has become so vast that medium is no longer a barrier for an artist. Now art is not limited to conventional art and craft. Contemporary artists are versatile. They are adept at every type of art including canvas painting, video art (narrative and non-narrative) and sculpture (stone, wood, fibre, glass, etc).But as far as opportunities for artists are concerned, the scenario is bleak in Orissa.

The government is least bothered about art students' future so talented artists cannot go abroad for higher studies. If you're a traditional artist, somehow you'll survive here but if you're a modern artist you won't. Serious practice of art is missing here which forces good artists to migrate to other cities.Like, after completing graduation from BK College of Art here in 1991, I studied post-graduation in fine arts in MS University, Baroda. Then I moved to Delhi in 1995 and started practicing as an artist. Then again I went to London in 2002 to pursue MA in Royal College of Art by achieving INLAKS foundation scholarship. After returning from UK, I set up my own studio in Gurgaon. Had such facilities been here I would have preferred to stay in Orissa. My dream is to develop Bhubaneswar as a global hub for artists where international-level artists would come and interact with local artists. When it comes to contemporary art and new research in the field, we need an up-to-date centre having a library and facilities for holding workshops and events here. Now I am trying to develop a state of the art studio in Bhubaneswar and hopefully it'll come up within next few years.

'Gandhi's ideas have always influenced my work. His phylosophy always gives me the opportunity to create works for society, I thought I would explore Gandhi's physicality and philosophy against contemporary, urban structures by juxtaposing Gandhian idealism or optimism with darker reality,' Jagannath Panda said.New Delhi has become a kind of place for artists from across the country and to work here is not only a challenge but also a privilege. Art is a very important segment. Artists contribute considerably for development of the aesthetic culture of a state. History says, governments or connoisseurs of art did always patronage artists.Times are changing, so also the mindset of people as well as government towards art. A case in point is beautification of Bhubaneswar. It shows the positive attitude of the government which has started giving priority to art and heritage. But we need to deal with such things delicately. Some serious intellectuals, architects, designers and artists should have been involved it, to make it a planned and better way like Bindusagar.But job opportunities for artists are very poor in Orissa. Small jobs like screen painting, design units and part-time jobs are only available. In the last quarter of 80's art teachers' posts were abolished. Lectureship is deemed to be the best job in our field but new colleges are not being set up and posts are not created, neither vacancies are filled up. Even if foreigners are visiting regularly Orissa only through this beautiful city Bhubaneswar and in the name of beautification people are just giving it a more and more ugly look, our city will say all about us, if a visitor comes from outside. That so we guys who are passed out from B.K.College have formed an oranigation named AlumniBKCAC. We all has a dream to bring our college, city and state in national and global platform regularly.We are planed out some initial projects , one can find by browsing alumnibkcac.org.

There are six to seven art colleges in Orissa, out of which only two are government. There is not a single art university here, I will never admit this culture university as an university. I have abashed when visited it recently, nothing is there to claim as an university. Existing colleges need to be upgraded, global model should be adopted in art education. Facilities, infrastructure should be upgraded in art institutions. Time to time evaluation should be done to improve curriculum. Aesthetic art, architecture, design and craft should be properly presented. Serious institutions should be there to promote local art and craft. Local aesthetics, local culture should be taught to students at school-level. School students should be imbibed these things.The government should give a serious look into this in view of the fact that demand is rising in the field and more students are opting for art as a career.

Jagannath Panda is an alumni of BKCAC and he is working as
Vice President in organization.

AlumniBKCAC

http://www.alumnibkcac.org/