TUSCUMBIA-The Tennessee Valley Art Association will be hosting a cultural festival celebrating India on Saturday, March 19, from 2 p.m. until sundown at the Tennessee Valley Museum of Art. The festival–which will feature art, dance, music, storytelling, and food–is the kick-off event for Darshan: Visions of India, a series of art exhibitions and events hosted by the Tennessee Valley Museum of Art and the Ritz Theatre.
Outdoors on the Commons, the open green space in front of the museum, there will be hands-on art activities, demonstrations, and a stage with rotating performances. In the evening, there will be a bonfire and celebration of the Indian spring festival of Holi. The rain location for the outdoor events will be the Ritz Theatre. A full schedule with the timing of festival events will be available at tennesseevalleyarts.org the week of the festival.
Inside the museum, multiple exhibitions of India-related art will be opening. Exhibitions include
Art by Getta Dave
Moments of Radiance: Art by Amita Bhakta, as well as an invitational art show featuring 20
Indian American artists from across the country, an exhibit by Baton Rouge-based artist Geeta Dave and her students, and an installation representing a rural Indian home. Several of the artists featured in these exhibitions will be at the museum for a meet-and-greet, and admission to the museum will be free on the day of the festival.
Art by Amita Bhakta
The festival will be a unique opportunity for people of all backgrounds to come together to explore the arts, cultures, and traditions of India. Participating artist Amita Bhakta, who has also chaired the project committee, hopes people will “come experience India in the form of a festival” and is excited to continue the tradition of cultural exchange.
“In 1955, Helen Keller, beloved daughter of Tuscumbia, went to India,” says Bhakta. “On March 19, 2022, the Tennessee Valley Museum of Art brings India to Tuscumbia, just across the street from Helen Keller’s home, Ivy Green.”
This project is made possible by grants from the Alabama State Council on the Arts; the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency; and the Alabama Humanities Alliance, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. It is also supported by the Quality Inn of Florence.
