The Indo-American Arts Council’s
 Erasing Borders 2009: Exhibition of Contemporary Indian Art of the Diaspora
Opens at The Gallery at Penn College Pennsylvania College of Technology on November 13th, 2009

* Sixth Annual Traveling Community Exhibition curated by Vijay Kumar

Reception: Thursday November 19th, 2009 4:30pm – 6:30pm 5:30 Gallery talk
Exhibition Dates: November September 13th –, November 13th, 2009
Venue: The Gallery at Penn College Pennsylvania College of Technology One College Avenue Williamsport, PA
On View:

New York, NY-November 5th, 2009: The Indo-American Arts Council, (IAAC) is proud to present the Sixth Annual IAAC Erasing Borders 2009: Exhibition of Contemporary Indian Art of the Diaspora curated by Vijay Kumar. This community group exhibition explores the themes of cultural dislocation, memory, exile and spiritual inheritances implicit in the word; Diaspora. The exhibition comprising of 27 contemporary artists is a mix of painting, drawing and prints, photographs, C-prints, photomontages and videos; sculpture and installation. After successful exhibitions at Dowd Gallery in Cortland, NY and Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts and Queen’s Museum of Art in New York, NY; the show now travels to The Gallery at Penn College from November 13th - December 13th. with a reception on Thursday, November 13th, 2009 from 4:30pm-6:30pm. The show will end its 2009 journey at The Gallery at Penn College, on view from November 13^th - December 13^th.

This traveling exhibition explores and draws from the experiences of artists whose origins can be traced to the Indian subcontinent. Cultural dislocation often produces unexpected and profound results; memory collides with exile, culture engages with adaptation to understand the powerful and often disturbing concepts of change and assimilation. The artists confront issues of sexuality, terror, disease and multiple identities to weave together existence in a globalized context while subject matter is often drawn from the country of origin, many of the aesthetic values and political concerns come from the artists' newfound situations. The result deserves a new "ism", a new journey to an old destination.

"Quite a few of the artists--both abstract and figurative--describe their work (or the impetus behind it) in spiritual terms, and many of the works comment directly on environmental and political issues. Khalil Chishtee's figures are made out of plastic bags. Jagdish Prabhu has 'drawn' his figures in soot (carbon), the much maligned but primal substance… (whose)...’fluidity and etherealness embody the ephemeral nature of existence.’ Pritika Chowdhry's installation titled "What the Body Remembers" is comprised of sculptures’ that investigate the potential of the… fragmented body to invoke collective narratives of trauma’, says, Vijay Kumar, curator of the exhibition.

The exhibition features works by Niyeti Chadha Kannal, Nandini Chirimar, Khalil Chishtee, Neil Chowdhury, Pritika Chowdhry, Anjali Deshmukh, Anujan Ezhikode, Indira Freitas Johnson, Asha Ganpat, Ina Kaur, Adil Mansuri, Divya Mehra, Samanta Batra Mehta, Indrani Nayar-Gall, Jagdish Prabhu, Antonio Puri, Alka Raghuram, Gautam Rao, Amin Rehman, Tara Sabharwal, Pallavi Sharma, Mumtaz Hussain, Reeta Gidwani Karmarkar, Haresh Lalvani, Alakananda Mukerji, Veru Narula and Prince Varughese Thomas.

About The Gallery at Penn College

The Gallery at Penn College strives to be an important instructional resource for students and a cultural asset to Pennsylvania College of Technology and local communities. The Gallery is dedicated to promoting art appreciation and understanding through its exhibitions of traditional and contemporary art. Through the presentation of exhibits, lectures, and special events, The Gallery upholds the mission of Penn College and offers opportunities to develop intellectually, ethically, socially, culturally, and personally.
The Gallery at Penn College is host to numerous exhibitions throughout the year, including the Current View Artist Series, sponsored by the Art Department. This series of six exhibits scheduled during the academic year showcases contemporary artists working in a variety of media, and typically includes a student lecture and gallery talk, along with an occasional workshop or demonstration. The Current View Artist Series provides an opportunity to broaden and enrich the educational experience at Penn College. Entries for this series are juried and selected by a committee of art faculty (see Exhibitor Information for submission and guidelines).
The Gallery is also the venue for special exhibits and events highlighting works that range from local collections to international traveling exhibitions. All exhibits are open to the public free of charge.

About Pennsylvania College of Technology :
Pennsylvania College of Technology became an affiliate of The Pennsylvania State University in 1989, after establishing a national reputation for education supporting workforce development, first as a technical institute and later as a community college. Today, Penn College is a special mission affiliate of Penn State, committed to applied technology education. Conveniently located in Williamsport (Central Pennsylvania), Penn College attracts the second-highest enrollment in the Penn State system; over 6,500 students are enrolled in associate- and bachelor-degree programs relating to more than 100 different career areas. In addition, Penn College manages the state's largest worker training program through its Workforce Development and Continuing Education unit. The modern Penn College campus offers students hands-on instruction and access to the latest equipment, leading to excellent graduate placement and "degrees that work".

Directions: http://www.pct.edu/visit/campus/directions.htm

For the 2009 Exhibition Schedule, catalogue and further information, please visit or contact: Amina Begum Ahmed, IAAC Director of Exhibitions: amina@iaac.us or Penny Lutz, Gallery Assistant
http://www.pct.edu/gallery or gallery@pct.edu

Exhibition Dates: Erasing Borders 2009 exhibition calendar:
Dowd Gallery: February 27th – April 25th
Crossing Art: April 29th – May 3rd
Asian Contemporary Art Week: May 10th – May 18th
The Elizabeth Foundation of the Arts: August 6th – August 27th
The Queens Museum of Art: September 13th - October 18th
The Gallery at Penn: November 13th – December 13th

Special thanks to the Consulate General of India, NYSCA, DCA, Dowd Gallery, Crossing Art, The Elizabeth Foundation For the Arts, Queens Museum of Art, Pennsylvania College of Technology, India Abroad and Rediff.com and the Navila Group.

About the Indo-American Arts Council:
The is a registered 501(c)3 not-for-profit, secular service and resource arts organization charged with the mission of promoting and building the awareness, creation, production, exhibition, publication and performance of Indian and cross-cultural art forms in North America. The IAAC supports all artistic disciplines in the classical, fusion, folk and innovative forms influenced by the arts of India. We work cooperatively with colleagues around the United States to broaden our collective audiences and to create a network for shared information, resources and funding. Our focus is to work with artists and arts organizations in North America as well as to facilitate artists and arts organizations from India to exhibit, perform and produce their works here. IAAC Executive Director Aroon Shivdasani For more information, please visit

Press Contacts: Peepul PR
Gayatri Hingorani-Dewan: gayatri@mypeepul.com 917.346.0551
High resolution pictures are available upon request

The Indo-American Arts Council’s
Erasing Borders 2009: Exhibition of Contemporary Indian Art of the Diaspora
Opens at the Queens Museum of Art on September 13th, 2009

* Sixth Annual Traveling Community Exhibition curated by Vijay Kumar

Opening Reception:  Sunday, September 13th, 2009, 1pm – 4pm
2:00 pm: A conversation between Mary Birmingham and the Artists 
3:00 pm: Music by Amir Elsaffar and Friends
Exhibition Dates:  Sunday, September 13th – Sunday, October 18th, 2009
Venue:  Queen’s Museum of Art, Flushing Meadows Corona Park Queens, NY 11368 
On View: Wednesday - Sunday: 12:00pm - 6:00 pm

New York, NY- September 9th, 2009: The Indo-American Arts Council, (IAAC) is proud to present the Sixth Annual IAAC Erasing Borders 2009: Exhibition of Contemporary Indian Art of the Diaspora curated by Vijay Kumar. This community group exhibition explores the themes of cultural dislocation, memory, exile and spiritual inheritances implicit in the word; Diaspora. The exhibition comprising of 27 contemporary artists is a mix of painting, drawing and prints, photographs, C-prints, photomontages and videos; sculpture and installation. After successful exhibitions at Dowd Gallery in Cortland, NY and Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts in New York, NY; the show now travels to the Queen’s Museum of Art with an opening reception on Sunday, September 13th, 2009 from 1pm-4pm. The show will then go to the Gallery at Penn College from November 13th - December 13th.

Opening Reception: Thursday, August 6th, 2009, 7pm – 9pm
Exhibition Dates: Thursday, August 6th – Thursday, August 27th, 2009
Venue: Elizabeth Foundation For The Arts, Project Space
323 West 39th Street (between 8th & 9th Avenue)
2nd Floor, New York, NY 10018
On View: Monday – Saturday, 11:00am – 5:00pm

New York, NY- July 31st, 2009: The Indo-American Arts Council, (IAAC) is proud to present Erasing Borders 2009: Exhibition of Contemporary Indian Art of the Diaspora curated by Vijay Kumar. The exhibition explores the themes of cultural dislocation, memory, exile and spiritual inheritances implicit in the word; Diaspora. The exhibition comprising of 27 contemporary artists is a mix of painting, drawing and prints, photographs, C-prints, photomontages and videos; sculpture and installation. The show opens at the Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts on Thursday, August 6th 2009 with an opening reception from 7pm - 9pm. The show will travel to the Queens Museum of Art and the Gallery at Penn in the coming months.