Artists from across the globe will get an opportunity to learn the various forms of art and craft from master craftsmen of different parts of the State during the Raghurajpur International Art & Craft Exchange - 2012.
It is to be held from October 13 to November 19 at the Heritage Village of Raghurajpur, Puri.
The five-week event will see participation of 35 artists from countries like Australia, Italy, the US, the UK, Ireland, Canada and South Africa this year. The Tourism and Culture Department has decided to showcase traditional crafts like palm leaf carving, coir toy making, stone and wood carving, Patachitra and Tassar painting, papier mache work, cow dung toy making and ‘Ganjapa’ playing card making.
Besides, the event would see performances of Gotipua dance, Odissi, Naga, Durga, Ghoda Nacha and fire dance. In exchange, the international artists will share their ideas about contemporary art with the villagers who can incorporate these ideas into their traditional art forms.
Sources said a study of erotic art of Odisha, significant in Indian cultural history, will also be done during the exchange programme this year.
A preparatory meeting in this regard was held here under the chairmanship of Tourism and Culture Minister Maheswar Mohanty on Wednesday.
Attending the meeting, Secretary Ashok Tripathy said during the event cultural programmes comprising performing art forms that are on the verge of extinction will also be showcased during the weekends. Raghurajpur is home to 120 households having 311 artisans, engaged in various forms of visual and performing art forms, and many of them are national award winners.
Today, in addition to Patachitra, Raghurajpur can claim to be producing some of the finest works in palm-leaf painting and etching, wood carving, papier mache sculptures and stone carving.
Considering the importance of Raghurajpur, Tourism Ministry had a few years back implemented a rural tourism project here.