Indo-American Arts Council
Founded | August 1, 1998 |
---|---|
Founder | Aroon Shivdasani Gopal Raju Jonathan Hollander |
Type | 501(c)(3) |
Focus | The arts |
Location | |
Area served | New York City |
Key people | Aroon Shivdasani |
Website | www.iaac.us |
The Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC) is an American
History
IAAC was founded on August 1, 1998 by the editor of India Abroad, Gopal Raju,[1] American choreographer Jonathan Hollander and Aroon Shivdasani, to promote the Indian arts to mainstream American media. In 2001, IAAC established The New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) to promote Indian and diaspora-related film in the United States.[2] In 2004, IAAC began its annual contemporary art exhibition, Erasing Borders: Exhibition of Contemporary Indian Art of the Diaspora, which features art related to the Indian Diaspora.[3] In 2008, the council began its annual dance festival, Erasing Borders: Festival of Dance, which exhibits outdoor dance performances in Lower Manhattan.[4]
Aroon Shivdasani serves as the council’s president and executive director, with Jonathan Hollander as vice president and co-founder. India Abroad journalist Aseem Chhabra is the Film Festival Director, Prachi Dalal is the director of the dance festival, and Anjali Maniam is the director of development. Shabana Azmi, Mallika Sarabhai, Deepa Mehta, Mira Nair, Madhur Jaffrey, Salman Rushdie, and Shashi Tharoor serve on the IAAC Advisory Board.[5]
Theater
IAAC works with several New York based theater companies, including The Lark Theatre and
Past performances include:
- Midnights Children in 2003.[7]
- Rajiv Joseph’s Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo in 2007.[8]
- Atul Kumar’s The Blue Mug starring Ranvir Shorey and Konkona Sen Sharma in 2010.[9]
- Girish Karnad’s Broken Images starring Shabana Azmi in 2010.[10]
- Rehana Lew Mirza’s Barriers starring Pooja Kumar and Sunkrish Bala in 2011.[11]
Art
The council hosts several art exhibitions throughout the year in galleries across the Eastern United States, to promote the work of emerging Indian artists, as well as established artists. IAAC frequently collaborates with local galleries in New York City, as well as
On June 29, 2011, a tribute to the late Indian painter
]Each year, IAAC holds its annual art exhibition called Erasing Borders: Exhibition of Contemporary Indian Art of the Diaspora. It is the council’s largest art exhibition. It features the artwork of the Indian diaspora, or those who can trace their roots to the Indian Subcontinent. The exhibition was founded in 2004, and is curated by Sundaram Tagore. The exhibition tours across the boroughs of New York City at
Film
IAAC screens newly released Indian films throughout the year, both
New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF)
NYIFF is IAAC's annual film festival which is held in
The first MIAAC Film Festival took place on November 1-4th, 2001 at Manhattan’s
The festival also holds a sidebar retrospective on a prominent Indian filmmaker, actor, or artist. Past retrospectives have included Smita Patil, Mira Nair, and Rabindranath Tagore.[citation needed]
Fashion
IAAC infrequently holds fashion shows featuring the work of Indian designers, and also offers invitations to international fashion shows. The council frequently collaborates with the boutique Misha Nicole, jewelry designer Amrita Singh, and Top Chef host and jewelry designer Padma Lakshmi.[14]
Other featured designers:
- Naeem Khan
- Payal Singhal
- Shekhar Rahate
- Stephanie Singh
- Babita Malkani
- Sachin + Babi
Dance
Several dance performances are held throughout the year. IAAC's largest is the Erasing Borders: Festival of Indian Dance. The Erasing Borders
Music
IAAC holds concerts and CD release performances for
Performances have been held
On July 30, 2006, IAAC held its first music festival in Central Park, with performances by Salman Ahmad, Marina Ahmad Alam, Sivamani, and Karsh Kale.[17]
Literature
IAAC hosts book launches and signings for Indian authors in New York City, and are usually held at a local art gallery. The genres of books released include
The council has hosted book launches for authors such as:
- Anupama Chopra’s King of Bollywood: Shah Rukh Khan and the seductive world of Indian cinema (2007).
- Madhur Jaffrey’s Climbing the Mango Trees: A Memoir of a Childhood in India (2006).
- Salman Rushdie’s The Enchantress of Florence (2008).
- Vivan Sundaram's Amrita Sher-Gil: A Self-portrait in Letters & Writings (2010).
- Keshni Kashyap’s Tina’s Mouth (2012).
References
- ^ a b "'Indo-American arts council': Council set up exclusively to support". India Abroad. October 16, 1998.
- ^ a b Bhushan, Nyay (24 January 2011). "New York Indian Film Festival Gets New Dates, New Name". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
- ^ a b "About The Exhibition". Indo-American Arts Council. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
- ^ "About The Festival". Indo-American Arts Council. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
- ^ "About Us - Indo-American Arts Council". Retrieved 20 March 2012.
- ^ "Theatre". Indo-American Arts Council. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
- ^ "Midnights Children". Indo-American Arts Council. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
- ^ "Bengal Tiger". Indo-American Arts Council. Archived from the original on 22 August 2011. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
- ^ "Blue Mug". Indo-American Arts Council. Archived from the original on 5 August 2011. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
- ^ "Broken Images". Indo-American Arts Council. Archived from the original on 12 November 2011. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
- ^ "Barriers". Indo-American Arts Council. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
- ^ "Art". Indo-American Arts Council. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
- ^ "Film". Indo-American Arts Council. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
- ^ "Fashion Show". Indo-American Arts Council. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
- ^ Macaulay, Alastair (18 August 2011). "Stopping Traffic Downtown With a Subcontinent's Movements". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
- ^ "Music". Indo-American Arts Council. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
- ^ "IAAC Music Festival". Red Hot Curry. Archived from the original on 23 November 2011. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
- ^ "Books". Indo-American Arts Council. Retrieved 20 March 2012.