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the Banyan Tree
Beneath
The Banyan Tree - Teacher's Resources
We
will have a variety of educational resources available for
your use, both during your visit to the Gallery and in your
classroom. These include:
The exhibition catalog, which contains four 3000-word essays
(one on each of the four major art forms included in the
exhibit) by preeminent scholars in the field and images
of many of the :
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The
catalog can be obtained for your students at $5 per copy.
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A
video created by preeminent scholar Joseph Miller that
documents the week-long creation of a par painting. This
video can be viewed during the Gallery visit.
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Pre-viewing
lectures by Sue Wadley, Ford Maxwell Professor of South
Asian Studies.
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Two par painters and an interpreter from Rajasthan will
be in the Gallery for a one-month artist residency (visas
permitting), during which time they will demonstrate their
craft of making story scrolls. Visiting classes will be
able to watch the artists work and converse with them
through the interpreter.
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Trained
storytellers who will accompany visiting classes through
the exhibition (by appointment), performing the scroll
paintings in the manner they are meant to be experienced.
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Films,
which can be borrowed from the South Asia Center for viewing
in the classroom or in the Lowe Gallery. Contact the South
Asia Center at 443-2553:
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The
Living Arts of India (Length: 41 minutes):
This film explores the artistic traditions and celebrations
that accompany milestones in the cycle of life, and discusses
the ways in which these traditions are changing through
economic development.
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Mithila
Paintings: Five Village Artists from Madhubani (Length:
40 minutes):
This film traces the lives of five Mithila painters, discussing
their individual themes and styles, as well as the role
painting plays in their religion, rituals, and the life
of the family and village.
bullet Working Processes of the Potters of India: Terra
Cotta, and Working Processes of the Potters of India:
Bindapur (Length: Approx. 30 minutes each):
These two films discuss the technical aspects of various
Indian pottery traditions, highlighting the role of the
potter within the social framework of the village and
the economics of the pottery business.
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Retooling a Tradition: A Rajasthani Puppet Takes Umbrage
at his Stringholders (Length: 47 minutes):
A three-act fictive documentary on the string puppetry
of Rajasthan, India, with themes of national unity, Indian
folk arts heritage, population control, democracy, strife
between opposing religions, democracy, and international
affairs.
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Bengali
Pat performances by Gurupada Chitrakor (Length: 20 minutes):
Gurupada sings the stories and shows his scrolls of the
Atom Bomb; The Abduction of Sita; Goddess Durga; Clearly
subtitled.
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The South Asia Center also has a small library of books
available to lend to faculty.
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Note:
To schedule films and visits with storytellers, please
contact the South Asia Center at 443-2553, or southasia@maxwell.syr.edu
