CANCELLED DUE TO RAIN Saturday\, May 18 – 10 am -1 pm – Family Fun Day in the Park\, Alcova Heights Park\, 901 S George Mason Drive.

Saturday\, May 25 – 11 am-2:30 pm – Shirlington Library \, 4200 Campbel l Avenue \; 11-1: activation outside-(drop by anytime)\, 1-2:3 0: artist talk in library and community performance/procession from librar y to Jennie Dean park. There is limited space for the artist talk indoors. Free. Sign up here.

Image: Monica Jahan Bose in Water Resistance per formance\, Paris\, France\, 2019\, photo credit: Amirul Arham

Please join us for a communit y workshop to create SWIMMING\, a new public art project that explores the deep and essential connections we have to water as our world faces increa sed flooding and rising sea levels due to climate change. If weather permi ts\, the workshop wil be outdoors on the sidewalk. When installed in June 2024 at the Marie Reed Community & Aquatic Center in Washington DC\, SWIM MING will feature a “pool” of art-embellished saris\, along with a sound w alk\, performances\, film screenings\, and poetry readings. Artist and cl imate activist Monica Jahan Bose will lead a poetry and art workshop where we will create poetry and art inspired by the healing properties of water and swimming and inequities in access. SWIMMING is part of Bose’s art and advocacy project Storytelling with Saris. Started over a decade ago\, th e project has fostered collaboration with women from Bose’s ancestral isla nd in Bangladesh as well as residents of DC and people around the world.\n

ASL interpretation will be provided. Please email storytellingwiths aris@gmail.com with any questions or accommodation needs. Register for th e event on Eventbrite.

Curator: Sarah Tanguy. Photography/livestream: Paris Preston Music & Sound Design: Sonia Herrero .

Community partners: Marie Reed Elementary School and Community & Aquatic Center\, Adams Morgan Partnership BID\, DC Arts Center\, Calvary Women’s Services.

Monica J ahan Bose is a Bangladeshi-American artist and climate activist whose work spans painting\, printmaking\, film\, performance\, and installation. Her socially engaged work highlights the intersection of climate\, racial\, g ender\, and economic injustice through co-created workshops\, art actions\ , and temporary installations and performances. She has exhibited her work extensively in the US and interna tionally (22 solo shows\, numerous group exhibitions\, and more than 25 pe rformances) including solo exhibit ions at the Bangladesh National Museum and MACRO Museum of Contemporary Ar t Rome. Her ongoing decade-long co llaborative project STORYTELLING WITH SARIS with women farmers from her ancestral island village has travele d to eight countries and 12 US states\, engaging thousands of people. Her work has appeared in the Miami Her ald\, the Washington Post\, Art Asia Pacific\, the Milwaukee Sentinel\, the Honolulu Star Advertiser\, the t he Japan Times\, Prothom Alo and all major newspapers in Bangladesh. The S mithsonian Anacostia Community Museum has acquired and group of her painti ngs\, saris\, and archival materials for its collection. Monica has a BA in the Practice of Art (Painting) from Wesleyan University\, a post-gradua te diploma in art from Santiniketan\, India\, and a JD from Columbia Law S chool.

Join artist/ filmmaker Monica Jahan Bose for the DC premiere of “Darchira River\,” a ne w performance film. The film is based on a performance about cimate ch ange let by Monica in Katakhali Village\, Bangladesh\, on the banks of the Darchira River\, which has been destroyed by climate change. The stunning footage shows women farmers of the village engage in singing\, writing\, and rituals towards healing climate change. In this ecofeminist work\, the women reframe a Muslim ritual of writing wishes\, into a feminist ritual of hope and renewal\, using writing\, turmeric and water. The film feature s village women’s oral tradition songs along with an original score by DC musician and sound designer Sonia Herrero. Cinematography: Shefali Akhter Shetu. Editing: Shefali Akhter Shetu and Monica Jahan Bose.

Monica Jahan Bose bio: Monica Jahan Bose is a Bangladeshi-American artist and climate ac tivist whose work spans painting\, printmaking\, film\, performance\, and public art. Her socially engaged work highlights the intersection of clim ate\, racial\, gender\, and economic injustice through co-created workshop s\, art actions\, and temporary installations and performances. Bose uses the sari — a precolonial 18-foot- long unstitched garment that is always recycled and never discarded — to r epresent women’s lives and the cycle of life on our planet. She has exhibi ted her work extensively in the US and internationally (20 solo shows\, nu merous group exhibitions\, and more than 25 performances) including solo e xhibitions at the Bangladesh National Museum and MACRO Museum of Contempor ary Art Rome. Her ongoing collabor ative project STORYTELLING WITH SARIS with women farmers from her ancestra l island village has travelled to 10 states and seven countries and engage d thousands of people. Her work has appeared in the Miami Herald\, the Washington Post\, Art Asia Pacifi c\, the Milwaukee Sentinel\, the Honolulu Star Advertiser\, the Japan Time s\, and all major newspapers i n Bangladesh. She has a BA in the Practice of Art (Painting) from Wesleyan University\, a post-graduate Diploma in Art from Santiniketan\, India\, a nd a JD from Columbia Law School.

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Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co m/e/903620080987?aff=oddtdtcreator.
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240522T160000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240522T180000 LOCATION:The LINE Hotel DC @ 1770 Euclid Street Northwest\, Washington\, DC 20009 SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Sewing workshop for SWIMMING URL:https://storytellingwithsaris.com/event/sewing-workshop-for-swimming/ X-COST-TYPE:external X-WP-IMAGES-URL:thumbnail\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/upl oads/2024/05/20PrestonSewing-150x150.jpg\;150\;150\;1\,medium\;https://sto rytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/20PrestonSewing-300x200. jpg\;300\;200\;1\,large\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/uplo ads/2024/05/20PrestonSewing-1024x683.jpg\;960\;640\;1\,full\;https://story tellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/20PrestonSewing.jpg\;1800\ ;1200\; X-TICKETS-URL:https://www.eventbrite.com/e/903620080987?aff=oddtdtcreator END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:ai1ec-4319@storytellingwithsaris.com DTSTAMP:20260510T155645Z CATEGORIES: CONTACT:Shirlington LIbrary\; 703-228-6545\; https://arlingtonva.libcal.com /event/12063852 DESCRIPTION:
How can you literally draw attention to the issue of climate change? Participate in CLIMATE HOPE by a rtist Monica Jahan Bose\, presented by the Arlington Art Truck and curated by Cynthia Connolly. Join us on Saturday\, May 25 for the culminating eve nt at Shirlington Library\, an Artist Talk and Community Performance (1:00 -2:30 p.m.) in which participants will have the opportunity to add climate pledges\, drawings\, and poetry to Bangladeshi saris\, sew them together in a community sewing circle\, and then carry the 80-100 foot-long-massive sari billowing with your messages of hope in a procession through the str eets of Shirlington and across the Four Mile Run waterway to Jennie Dean P ark. Address for the artist’s talk and performance: Shirlington Library\, 4200 Campbell Avenue\, Arlington\, VA. In the event of rain\, the performa nce will be inside the library. All ages welcome and no sewing experience needed! Arlington County provides accommodations to individuals with disab ilities upon request. Please contact us at least five (5) business days i n advance.Phone: 703-228-5993 Email: Jberg@arlingtonva.us
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This act ivation is part of an ongoing project called ‘Storytelling with Saris’ by Monica Jahan Bose. A multilayered collaborative art and advocacy project\, it uses woodblock prints on saris\, writing\, oral history\, performance\ , and film to empower communities in the U.S. and Europe to address climat e justice in solidarity with the women of Katakhali Village\, Barobaishdia Island\, Bangladesh\, Bose’s ancestral village situated on the frontlines of climate change. Through performance art and advocacy workshops and cli mate art actions in the U.S.\, Bangladesh\, and Europe\, communities are e ngaged to take action to fight against the devastation of our planet. Amer icans are learning about climate change and reducing climate anxiety throu gh the project by writing poetry and making written commitments on saris i n an act of cross-border solidarity.
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Launching to acclaim in 2018 with a major grant from the National Endowment for the Arts\, the Arlingto n Art Truck was a finalist for Americans for the Arts’ 2019 Gard Award for Arts and Community Life. The Arlington Art Truck embodies the Arlington A rts mission to revolutionize the traditional model of an arts venue. Packe d with digital and traditional creative tools\, the “Truck” is a curated m obile toolbox for artists. From April through November\, three artists-in- residence hit the streets engaging the public in art projects which are de signed to blur the line between participant and presenter.
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The com munity partner for this project is the County’s Eco-Action Arlington with guest partners Climate4Change. Learn how simple things you can do at home can help slow climate change.
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~~About Monica Jahan Bose:~~ Monica Jahan Bose is a Bangladeshi American artist and climate activ ist whose work spans painting\, printmaking\, film\, performance\, and ins tallation. Her socially engaged work highlights the intersection of climat e\, racial\, gender\, and economic injustice through co-created workshops\ , art actions\, temporary installations\, and performances. She has exhibi ted her work extensively in the US and internationally (23 solo shows\, fi ve large-scale public art projects\, and more than 25 performances) includ ing solo exhibitions at the Bangladesh National Museum and MACRO Museum of Contemporary Art Rome. Her ongoing collaborative art and advocacy project STORYTELLING WITH SARIS (since 2012) with women farmers from her ancestra l island village has traveled to eight countries and 12 US states\, engagi ng thousands of people. Her work has appeared in the Miami Herald\, the Wa shington Post\, Art Asia Pacific\, the Milwaukee Sentinel\, the Honolulu S tar Advertiser\, the Japan Times\, the BBC\, Prothom Alo\, and all major n ewspapers in Bangladesh. She was an artist delegate to the COP28 climate c onference in Dubai\, presenting sari installations\, workshops\, and film screenings. She has a BA in the Practice of Art (Painting) from Wesleyan U niversity\, a post-graduate diploma in art from Santiniketan\, and a JD fr om Columbia Law School.

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#arttruckarlington #arlingtonarttruck #arl ingtonarts #arlingtonva #freeevents #freeartproject #sociallyengagedart #s torytellingwithsaris #climatechange #climatehope #climateartaction #ecofem inist #socialpractice #climatejustice #healingart
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Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climate-hope-artists-talk-and-pa rticipatory-performance-tickets-904866830047?aff=oddtdtcreator.
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240525T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240525T153000 LOCATION:Shirlington Library @ 4200 Campbell Avenue\, Arlington\, VA SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Climate Hope Talk & Performance URL:https://storytellingwithsaris.com/event/climate-hope-talk-performance/ X-COST-TYPE:external X-WP-IMAGES-URL:thumbnail\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/upl oads/2024/05/4.7.24-70small-150x150.jpg\;150\;150\;1\,medium\;https://stor ytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/4.7.24-70small-300x200.jp g\;300\;200\;1\,large\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/upload s/2024/05/4.7.24-70small-1024x683.jpg\;960\;640\;1\,full\;https://storytel lingwithsaris.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/4.7.24-70small-scaled.jpg\;25 60\;1708\; X-TICKETS-URL:https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climate-hope-artists-talk-and-pa rticipatory-performance-tickets-904866830047?aff=oddtdtcreator END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:ai1ec-4284@storytellingwithsaris.com DTSTAMP:20260510T155645Z CATEGORIES;LANGUAGE=en-US:art\,climate\,poetry' CONTACT:Monica Jahan Bose\; storytellingwithsaris@gmail.com\; storytellingw ithsaris.com DESCRIPTION:
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SW IMMING\, a temporary public art project by Monica Jahan Bose\, explores th e deep and essential connections we have to water as our world faces incre ased flooding\, drought\, and rising sea levels due to climate change. Par ticipants in DC and Bangladesh join workshops to co-create poetry and art inspired by the healing properties of water and swimming and by inequities in access. Featuring 22 blue Bangladeshi saris arranged to evoke a swimmi ng pool and a massive wave\, the exhibit is augmented by a VideoSoundwalk with QR codes that interweave poetry with sounds of water\, nature\, and m usic and images of Bose and participants creating\, wearing\, and interact ing with the saris. The project is part of the ongoing climate justice co llaboration Storytelling with Saris.
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Marie Reed is the forme r Morgan school\, which was desegregated along with the Adams school\, giv ing the name to the Adams Morgan neighborhood. The Marie Reed pool is now being used by DC to teach swimming to children from various schools\, a pr oject that aims to redress racial discrimination in access to swimming. SW IMMING is a visual representation of sustainability\, inclusion\, and resi lience and is part of Bose’s ongoing climate justice collaboration Storyte lling with Saris.
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Lead Artist: Monica Jahan Bose
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Curator : Sarah Tanguy
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DCPS Collaboration: Valeria Monfrini\, Art Teacher \, Marie Reed Elementary School
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Photography/Livestream: Paris Pres ton
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Sound design & Music: Sonia Herrero
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Marketing design/ Social media: Jen Saavedra
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Installation support: Timotheo Murphy a nd Maps Glover
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Press/media inquiries: Kelly Davidson. Email: info@kellymavenmedia.com. Phone: 301-300-4011
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Funded by the DC Commission on the Arts are Humanitie s\, Public Art Building Communities Grant Program.
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Community partn ers: The Adams Morgan Partnership BID\, Marie Reed Elementary School & Aqu atic Center\, The DC Arts Center\, Calvary Womens Services\, and Moms Clea n Air Force.
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Exhibition Schedule [All dates weather dependent]:
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Location: Marie Reed Plaza\, 2201 18th St NW\, Washington\, DC 2000 9
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Exhibition dates June 6-20\, 2024\, outdoor exhibition\, open 24 hours.
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Friday\, June 7\, 2024 @ 5-8 PM: Opening Event. Dedication \, poetry recital\, and livestream starting at 6 pm. [We are goin g with our raindate: June 7]
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Saturday\, June 8\, 2024 @ 3 -5 pm: Artist/curator walkthrough talk at site
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Tuesday\, June 11\, 2024 @ 7:30 pm: Walkthrough tour and screening “Swimming” short film as p art of Adams Morgan Movie Night (film at dusk).
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Saturday\, June 15 \, 2024 @ 5 pm: Performance
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Tuesday\, June 18\, 2024 @ 7:30 pm: Wa lkthrough tour and screening short film as part of Adams Morgan Movie Nigh t
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June 20\, 2022 Final Day – Monica will be there from 8-10 pm for photo shoot and dancing under the saris!
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PR ESS RELEASE
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< strong>BROCHURE/ESSAY
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Sari art\, poetry\, and fabrication Washingt on DC:
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Sonja Berry\, < /span>Elizabeth Brandt\, Sherri Gales\, Lala Forbes\, Rashika Johnson \, Philip Mecham\, Lia Totty\, Hasini Shyamshundar\, Isaiah Washington\, Kathryn Wichmann\, Juli a Rosenbaum\, Marjorie Thomas\, Ashanee Kottage\, Maria Crupi\, Joel Groomes\, Niquida Browne\, Nyrabia\, Janet Gao\, Sam Schmitz\, Stephanie Reese\, Reese Wi lkerson\, Rowin Wilkerson\, Paris Burton\, Hakim\, Liam Toohey \, Leo Toohey\, Elena Sholomitskaya\, Anne Simmons\, Emilio Ra mos\, Manuel Ramos\, Sofia Maria Ramos\, Herschel\, Jenia\, Estephane Gomez\, Alexa Gomez\, Thomas Belcher\, Ava Belcher\, < /span>Sarah Christie\, Isaac Martin\, VEnessa Acham\, Sara Akbar\, Kayed Akbar\, Austin Ray\, Ann Farley\, Raine Jeff\, Isabel Fowlkes\, Eleshia Simms-Harris\, Neko Harris\, and many others.
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SWIMMING Bangladesh Team:
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Project assistant: Moumita Nabila
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< span style='font-weight: 400\;'>Project support and song transcription: Su netra
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Sari artists/singers : Noor Sehera\, Nasima\, Sha hida\, Zulekha\, Zakia\, Par veen\, Hawa\, Shima\, Fatema \, Sarbanu\, Aleya\, Rekha\, and many others.
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W atch the Livestream of the Dedication:
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About Monica Jahan Bo se: Monica Jahan Bose is a Bangladesh i-American artist and climate activist whose work spans painting\, printma king\, film\, performance\, and installation. Her socially engaged work hi ghlights the intersection of climate\, racial\, gender\, and economic inju stice through co-created workshops\, art actions\, and temporary installat ions and performances. She has exhibited her work extensively in the US an d internationally (23 solo shows\, five public art projecs\, numerous group exhibitions\, and more than 30 p erformances) including solo exhibi tions at the Bangladesh National Museum and MACRO Museum of Contemporary A rt Rome. Her ongoing decade-long c ollaborative project STORYTELLING WITH SARIS with women farmers from her < /span>ancestral island village has travel ed to eight countries and 12 US states\, engaging thousands of people. Her work has appeared in the Miami He rald\, the Washington Post\, Art Asia Pacific\, the Milwaukee Sentinel\, the Honolulu Star Advertiser\, the the Japan Times\, Prothom Alo and all major newspapers in Bangladesh. The Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum has acquired and group of her paint ings\, saris\, and archival materials for its collection. Monica has a BA in the Practice of Art (Painting) from Wesleyan University\, a post-gradu ate diploma in art from Santiniketan\, India\, and a JD from Columbia Law School.
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About Sarah Tanguy: Washington\, DC-based Sarah Tanguy is an independent curator and arts writer\, who bel ieves in hands-on\, face-to-face collaboration with artists and the power of art to connect with the general public and our lived experience. Many o f her projects have explored the intersection of art with such topics as s cience\, food\, tools\, and books\, inspiring new ways to engage the world around us. Recent exhibitions include At One with the Elements\, Reveal: The Art of Reimagining Scientific Discovery\, and Traces\, in Washington\, DC\; and Synergy Unbound\, the last of an ongoing series at the American Center for Physics\, College Park\, MD. From 2004-2019\, Sarah was a curat or for Art in Embassies\, U.S. Department of State\, where she curated ove r 100 exhibitions and 12 permanent collections featuring U.S. and host cou ntry artists for U.S. diplomatic facilities overseas. The daughter of a U. S. diplomat\, Tanguy holds a BA in Fine Arts from Georgetown University\, and a MA in Art History from the University of North Carolina\, Chapel Hil l.
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240607T170000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240621T080000 LOCATION:Marie Reed Plaza @ 2201 18th St NW\, Washington\, DC 20009 SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:SWIMMING\, a public art project URL:https://storytellingwithsaris.com/event/swimmingpublicartproject/ X-COST-TYPE:free X-WP-IMAGES-URL:thumbnail\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/upl oads/2024/03/swimming-visualization-e1711214379350-150x150.jpg\;150\;150\; 1\,medium\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sw imming-visualization-e1711214379350-300x232.jpg\;300\;232\;1\,large\;https ://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/swimming-visualiza tion-e1711214379350-1024x791.jpg\;960\;742\;1\,full\;https://storytellingw ithsaris.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/swimming-visualization-e1711214379 350.jpg\;2200\;1700\; END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:ai1ec-4400@storytellingwithsaris.com DTSTAMP:20260510T155645Z CATEGORIES;LANGUAGE=en-US:art\,climate\,earth day\,gardening\,gender\,plant s\,poetry' CONTACT:Monica Jahan Bose\; 2025096282\; monicajahanbose@gmail.com\; https: //www.thenicholsonproject.org/ DESCRIPTION:
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Join the Storytelling with Saris team to help harvest the vegetables from the Nicholson Project neighborhood garden. We helped out in the garden in the spring and and are thrilled to go back to see what ha s been growing. We will do some earthing exercises with Monica Jahan Bose and work with the gardener in residence\, Peter Lewis.
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Peter Lewi s is an avid gardener\, artist\, and chef. He has been working with Nichol son Project since 2022 and is the main point of contact for garden activit ies and distribution during peak growing season. Peter also manages seeds starts and runs the Community Composting Program at Koiner Farm in Silver Spring\, MD.
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Monica Jahan Bose is a Bangladeshi-American artist an d climate activist whose work spans painting\, printmaking\, film\, perfor mance\, and public art. Her socially engaged work highlights the intersec tion of climate\, racial\, gender\, and economic injustice through co-crea ted workshops\, art actions\, and temporary installations and performance s. Bose uses the sari — a precolonial 18-foot-long unstitched garment that is always recycled and never discarded — to represent women’s lives and t he cycle of life on our planet. She has exhibited her work extensively in the US and internationally (23 solo shows\, numerous group exhibitions\, a nd more than 25 performances) including solo exhibitions at the Bangladesh National Museum and MACRO Museum of Contemporary Art Rome. Her ongoing co llaborative project STORYTELLING WITH SARIS with women farmers from her an cestral island village has travelled to 12 US states and eight countries a nd engaged thousands of people. Her work has appeared in the Miami Her ald\, the Washington Post\, Art Asia Pacific\, the Milwaukee Sentinel\, th e Honolulu Star Advertiser\, the Japan Times\, and all major newspaper s in Bangladesh. She has a BA in the Practice of Art (Painting) from Wesle yan University\, a post-graduate Diploma in Art from Santiniketan\, India\ , and a JD from Columbia Law School.
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The Nicholson Project is an artist res idency program and neighborhood garden in Ward 7’s Fairlawn neighborhood. Its mission is to support\, provide opportunities\, engage\, and amplify a rtists and creatives from our community and the local artist community—par ticularly artists of color and those from Ward 7 and 8—while engaging our neighbors through community-based programming. Its vision is to serve as a cultural hub and community anchor celebrating Ward 7’s authentic identity \, while infusing new vibrancy into Southeast DC. We hope to inspire other s to use similar non-traditional arts and community-centered projects as a pathway toward stronger\, more vibrant communities.
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Stortyelling with Saris is supported by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities.\n
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Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/gardening-and-poetr y-workshop-tickets-877706412507?aff=oddtdtcreator.
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240626T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240626T110000 LOCATION:The Nicholson Project @ 2310 Nicholson St SE\, Washington DC SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Harvest Time! URL:https://storytellingwithsaris.com/event/harvest-time-2/ X-COST-TYPE:external X-WP-IMAGES-URL:thumbnail\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/upl oads/2023/11/DSC08360-150x150.jpg\;150\;150\;1\,medium\;https://storytelli ngwithsaris.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/DSC08360-300x200.jpg\;300\;200\ ;1\,large\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/DS C08360-1024x683.jpg\;960\;640\;1\,full\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/ wp-content/uploads/2023/11/DSC08360-scaled.jpg\;2560\;1707\; X-TICKETS-URL:https://www.eventbrite.com/e/gardening-and-poetry-workshop-ti ckets-877706412507?aff=oddtdtcreator END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:ai1ec-4349@storytellingwithsaris.com DTSTAMP:20260510T155645Z CATEGORIES: CONTACT:https://jedsi.yale.edu/new-horizons-in-conservation DESCRIPTION:
Monica Jahan Bose will be leading a hands-on climate sari workshop for participants in the New Horizons in C onservation Convening organized by the Yale School of the Environment.
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Storytelling with Saris is thrilled to be part of this important conv ening.
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https://jedsi.yale.edu/new-horizons-in-conservation
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Tickets: https://jedsi.yale.edu/new-horizons-in-con servation.
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240628T093000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240628T170000 LOCATION:Westin Downtown @ 999 9th St NW\, Washington DC SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:New Horizons in Conservation URL:https://storytellingwithsaris.com/event/new-horizons-in-conservation/ X-COST-TYPE:external X-WP-IMAGES-URL:thumbnail\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/upl oads/2024/06/unnamed-150x150.png\;150\;150\;1\,medium\;https://storytellin gwithsaris.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/unnamed-300x169.png\;300\;169\;1 \,large\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/unna med.png\;900\;507\; X-TICKETS-URL:https://jedsi.yale.edu/new-horizons-in-conservation END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:ai1ec-4079@storytellingwithsaris.com DTSTAMP:20260510T155645Z CATEGORIES;LANGUAGE=en-US:art\,climate\,workshop CONTACT: DESCRIPTION:
Bangladeshi-American artist and climate activist Monica Jahan Bose will lead a hands-on sari workshop wit h high school students at Georgetown Day School’s Policy Institute address ing environmental and gender justice. Participants will discuss strategie s for climate action and gender justice and draw\, paint\, and write on a hand-woven cotton sari from Bangladesh. For over ten years\, Bose has bee n co-creating saris with communities as part of her Storytelling with Sari s art and advocacy project. The sari will be used in installations and per formances and worn by Bangladeshi women. This is a private workshop for st udents at the GDS Policy Institute.
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240708T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240708T120000 SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Sari workshop with students URL:https://storytellingwithsaris.com/event/sari-workshop-with-students/ X-COST-TYPE:free X-WP-IMAGES-URL:thumbnail\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/upl oads/2023/06/IMG_1170-150x150.jpeg\;150\;150\;1\,medium\;https://storytell ingwithsaris.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/IMG_1170-300x225.jpeg\;300\;22 5\;1\,large\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ IMG_1170-1024x768.jpeg\;960\;720\;1\,full\;https://storytellingwithsaris.c om/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/IMG_1170-scaled.jpeg\;2560\;1920\; END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:ai1ec-4384@storytellingwithsaris.com DTSTAMP:20260510T155645Z CATEGORIES: CONTACT: DESCRIPTION:
NOTICE REGARDING
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PROPOSED PUBLIC ART PROJECT
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“STRETCH”
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ARTIST: MONICA JAHAN BOSE
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The art project STRETCH proposes to stretch sari fabric (temporary) across the building and create a tile mural (permane nt) at the exterior of 1724 California St NW\, Washington\, DC 20009. The saris are massive colorful cotton fabric covered with woodblocks designed by Bose along with writings\, art\, and poetry by community members in Was hington DC and Katakhali Village\, Bangladesh. The tile mural would be the dimensions of a sari\, 4 ft. x 19 ft. and would be affixed on the alley wall close to California Street . Bose will lead community wor kshops in DC and Bangladesh to create saris and get feedback on the tile m ural. “Stretch” refers to the activities in Mint and across the street at Marie Reed Aquatics and Commun ity Center. “Stretch” also refers to stretching our minds and our boundari es to be inclusive and expansive\, dissolving borders and building communi ty.
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When: The project would be installed in Summer/Fall 2024. The fabric installation would be for up to two weeks\, while the tile mural would remain in place .
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Where: The proposed site for the public art project i s the exterior front and the alley behind Mint at 1724 California St NW\, Washington\, DC 20009.
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THE “STRETCH” PROPOSAL WILL BE P RESENTED AND DISCUSSED AT THE ANC 1C VIRTUAL PUBLIC MEETING ON JULY 10\, 2 024 from 7-9 pm. You may join the meeting here. Join on Zoom App or via Web: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85075682967?pwd=aGQ1bzBrZktZT0 JueGZhbmpIZ21IQT09
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Meeting ID: 850 7568 2967
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Passcode: 890562
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Call-in: 301-715-8592 | On Phone: STAR-9 to raise hand\; STAR-6 to unmute
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Watch on YouTube: https://youtube.com/live/506iD4d4Xl4
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\n< p class='p3'>THE PUBLIC IS INVITED TO JOIN AND ASK QUESTIONS AND PROVIDE F EEDBACK. Monica Jahan Bose wou ld like to design the project with the feedback of the community. The project is contingent on receiving grant funding from DCCAH. Co ntact: monicajahanbose@gmail.com storytellingwi thsaris.com @storywithsari
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240710T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240710T210000 LOCATION:Zoom @ https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85075682967?pwd=aGQ1bzBrZktZT0Ju eGZhbmpIZ21IQT09 SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Public Presentation on “Stretch” Proposal URL:https://storytellingwithsaris.com/event/public-presentation-on-stretch- proposal/ X-COST-TYPE:free X-WP-IMAGES-URL:thumbnail\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/upl oads/2024/07/Screenshot-2024-07-02-at-6.56.52 PM-150x150.png\;150\;150\;1\ ,medium\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Scre enshot-2024-07-02-at-6.56.52 PM-229x300.png\;229\;300\;1\,large\;https://s torytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot-2024-07-02- at-6.56.52 PM-781x1024.png\;781\;1024\;1\,full\;https://storytellingwithsa ris.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot-2024-07-02-at-6.56.52 PM.png \;828\;1086\; END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:ai1ec-4373@storytellingwithsaris.com DTSTAMP:20260510T155645Z CATEGORIES;LANGUAGE=en-US:art\,climate\,earth day\,gardening\,gender\,plant s\,poetry' CONTACT:Monica Jahan Bose\; 2025096282\; monicajahanbose@gmail.com\; https: //www.thenicholsonproject.org/ DESCRIPTION:
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Join the Storytelling with Saris team to help harvest the vegetables from the Nicholson Project neighborhood garden. We helped out in the garden in the spring and and are thrilled to go back to see what ha s been growing. We will do some earthing exercises with Monica Jahan Bose and work with the gardener in residence\, Peter Lewis. Location: 2310 N icholson St\, SE\, Washington DC. Buses B2\, 32\, 36. Free street parkin g available.
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Peter Lewis is an avid gardener\, artist\, and chef. He has been working with Nicholson Project since 2022 and is the main poin t of contact for garden activities and distribution during peak growing se ason. Peter also manages seeds starts and runs the Community Composting Pr ogram at Koiner Farm in Silver Spring\, MD.
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Monica Jahan Bose is a Bangladeshi-American artist and climate activist whose work spans paintin g\, printmaking\, film\, performance\, and public art. Her socially engag ed work highlights the intersection of climate\, racial\, gender\, and eco nomic injustice through co-created workshops\, art actions\, and temporary installations and performances. Bose uses the sari — a precolonial 18-fo ot-long unstitched garment that is always recycled and never discarded — t o represent women’s lives and the cycle of life on our planet. She has exh ibited her work extensively in the US and internationally (23 solo shows\, numerous group exhibitions\, and more than 25 performances) including sol o exhibitions at the Bangladesh National Museum and MACRO Museum of Contem porary Art Rome. Her ongoing collaborative project STORYTELLING WITH SARIS with women farmers from her ancestral island village has travelled to 12 US states and eight countries and engaged thousands of people. Her work h as appeared in the Miami Herald\, the Washington Post\, Art Asia Pacifi c\, the Milwaukee Sentinel\, the Honolulu Star Advertiser\, the Japan Time s\, and all major newspapers in Bangladesh. She has a BA in the Practi ce of Art (Painting) from Wesleyan University\, a post-graduate Diploma in Art from Santiniketan\, India\, and a JD from Columbia Law School.
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The Nic holson Project is an artist residency program and neighborhood garden in W ard 7’s Fairlawn neighborhood. Its mission is to support\, provide opportu nities\, engage\, and amplify artists and creatives from our community and the local artist community—particularly artists of color and those from W ard 7 and 8—while engaging our neighbors through community-based programmi ng. Its vision is to serve as a cultural hub and community anchor celebrat ing Ward 7’s authentic identity\, while infusing new vibrancy into Southea st DC. We hope to inspire others to use similar non-traditional arts and c ommunity-centered projects as a pathway toward stronger\, more vibrant com munities.
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Stortyelling with Saris is supported by the DC Commissio n on the Arts and Humanities.
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Tickets: https://www.event brite.com/e/gardening-and-poetry-workshop-tickets-877706412507?aff=oddtdtc reator.
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240815T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240815T113000 LOCATION:The Nicholson Project @ 2310 Nicholson St SE\, Washington DC SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Harvest Time! URL:https://storytellingwithsaris.com/event/harvest-time/ X-COST-TYPE:external X-WP-IMAGES-URL:thumbnail\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/upl oads/2023/11/DSC08360-150x150.jpg\;150\;150\;1\,medium\;https://storytelli ngwithsaris.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/DSC08360-300x200.jpg\;300\;200\ ;1\,large\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/DS C08360-1024x683.jpg\;960\;640\;1\,full\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/ wp-content/uploads/2023/11/DSC08360-scaled.jpg\;2560\;1707\; X-TICKETS-URL:https://www.eventbrite.com/e/gardening-and-poetry-workshop-ti ckets-877706412507?aff=oddtdtcreator END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:ai1ec-4427@storytellingwithsaris.com DTSTAMP:20260510T155645Z CATEGORIES: CONTACT: DESCRIPTION:
“DC Art Now” Exhibition
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DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities\, I St Gallery\, 200 I Street\, SE\ , Washington DC\; metro: Waterfront
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Hours: Monday -Friday\, 9 am t o 5:30 pm\, from September 20-December 13\, 2025
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This is an exciti ng exhibition of art by DC area artists being considered for the Washingto n DC Art Bank public art collection to be displayed in DC government build ings. There are dozens of artists in the show\, selected by a panel of 18 judges. We are thrilled to see the collaborative “Capitol Kantha” on disp lay. It is made from a sari that was part of the 2019 WRAPture installatio n\, then later worn by a Bangladeshi woman farmer on Barobaishdia Island\, and then cut\, layered in three\, and embroidered\, painted and printed b y women of the island and Monica Jahan Bose. The original sari also has wo odblock by people of DC. Saris are never discarded. When worn thin or torn \, they are cut\, layered in three\, and embroidered into blankets\, swadd les\, shawls\, and wall hangings called kanthas.
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240920T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20241213T112800 SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:DC Art Now URL:https://storytellingwithsaris.com/event/dc-art-now/ X-COST-TYPE:free X-WP-IMAGES-URL:thumbnail\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/upl oads/2024/10/IMG_0574-150x150.jpeg\;150\;150\;1\,medium\;https://storytell ingwithsaris.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_0574-225x300.jpeg\;225\;30 0\;1\,large\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/ IMG_0574-768x1024.jpeg\;768\;1024\;1\,full\;https://storytellingwithsaris. com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_0574-scaled.jpeg\;1920\;2560\; END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:ai1ec-4424@storytellingwithsaris.com DTSTAMP:20260510T155646Z CATEGORIES: CONTACT:Katrina Lashley\; https://cej.swoogo.com/wel-summit-2024/6452227?i= S9a9ObjxSP5nRk8Y2fI7t7tqqJjvzI0V DESCRIPTION:
The 2024 Women’s Envi ronmental Leadership Summit is a two-day virtual event hosted by Smithsonian’s Center for Environmental Justi ce at the Anacostia Community Museum. It will take place from October 18-19\, 2024 via Zoom meetings. The summit aims to bring together individu als for mentorship\, education\, training\, and leadership opportunities i n the field of environmental justice.
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Join Bangladeshi-American ar tist and climate activist Monica Jahan Bose for a hands-on workshop focuse d on the power of art and poetry to build climate resilience and hope. In this workshop\, we will learn how to connect with the Earth and recenter o urselves towards unity with other creatures\, soil\, plants\, and farmer w omen in Bangladesh\, as part of the global climate justice art project Storytelling with Saris\, on going for more than a decade. We will reflect on our own climate stories a nd actions\, create short and long form poems\, pledges\, and writings\, h ave a collective poetry slam\, and transform our poems into visual poems i ncorporating imagery and color. The final works will be finished and shar ed on Day Two as a virtual exhibition and performance. The works will als o be shared with the participants\, the Smithsonian\, and as part of the S torytelling with Saris project. No prior experience in poetry or art is n eeded. Please come ready to share your positive energy for the Earth and our sisters across the planet.
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The workshop is in two parts — Octo ber 18 from 1:45 to 3:15 pm and October 19 from 1:45 to 2:45 pm.
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T ickets: https://cej.sw oogo.com/wel-summit-2024/6452227?i=S9a9ObjxSP5nRk8Y2fI7t7tqqJjvzI0V. DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20241018T134500 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20241019T144500 LOCATION:Zoom SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Workshop at Smithsonian Summit URL:https://storytellingwithsaris.com/event/workshop-at-smithsonian-summit/ X-COST-TYPE:external X-WP-IMAGES-URL:thumbnail\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/upl oads/2024/10/headshot-with-forest-150x150.jpg\;150\;150\;1\,medium\;https: //storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/headshot-with-fores t-300x200.jpg\;300\;200\;1\,large\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-co ntent/uploads/2024/10/headshot-with-forest-1024x683.jpg\;960\;640\;1\,full \;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/headshot-wi th-forest-scaled.jpg\;2560\;1707\; X-TICKETS-URL:https://cej.swoogo.com/wel-summit-2024/6452227?i=S9a9ObjxSP5n Rk8Y2fI7t7tqqJjvzI0V END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:ai1ec-4435@storytellingwithsaris.com DTSTAMP:20260510T155646Z CATEGORIES;LANGUAGE=en-US:art\,climate\,earth day\,gardening\,gender\,plant s\,poetry' CONTACT:Monica Jahan Bose\; 2025096282\; monicajahanbose@gmail.com\; https: //www.thenicholsonproject.org/ DESCRIPTION:
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Join the Storytelling with Saris team to help harvest the vegetables from the Nicholson Project neighborhood garden. We helped out in the garden in the spring and summer\, and and are thrilled to go back t o see what has been growing. We will do some earthing exercises with Moni ca Jahan Bose and work with the gardener in residence\, Peter Lewis. Loca tion: 2310 Nicholson St\, SE\, Washington DC. Buses B2\, 32\, 36. Free street parking available.
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Peter Lewis is an avid gardener\, artist \, and chef. He has been working with Nicholson Project since 2022 and is the main point of contact for garden activities and distribution during pe ak growing season. Peter also manages seeds starts and runs the Community Composting Program at Koiner Farm in Silver Spring\, MD.
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Monica Ja han Bose is a Bangladeshi-American artist and climate activist whose work spans painting\, printmaking\, film\, performance\, and public art. Her s ocially engaged work highlights the intersection of climate\, racial\, gen der\, and economic injustice through co-created workshops\, art actions\, and temporary installations and performances. Bose uses the sari — a prec olonial 18-foot-long unstitched garment that is always recycled and never discarded — to represent women’s lives and the cycle of life on our planet . She has exhibited her work extensively in the US and internationally (23 solo shows\, numerous group exhibitions\, and more than 25 performances) including solo exhibitions at the Bangladesh National Museum and MACRO Mus eum of Contemporary Art Rome. Her ongoing collaborative project STORYTELLI NG WITH SARIS with women farmers from her ancestral island village has tra velled to 12 US states and eight countries and engaged thousands of people . Her work has appeared in the Miami Herald\, the Washington Post\, Ar t Asia Pacific\, the Milwaukee Sentinel\, the Honolulu Star Advertiser\, t he Japan Times\, and all major newspapers in Bangladesh. She has a BA in the Practice of Art (Painting) from Wesleyan University\, a post-gradua te Diploma in Art from Santiniketan\, India\, and a JD from Columbia Law S chool.
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The Nicholson Project is an artist residency program and neighborhoo d garden in Ward 7’s Fairlawn neighborhood. Its mission is to support\, pr ovide opportunities\, engage\, and amplify artists and creatives from our community and the local artist community—particularly artists of color and those from Ward 7 and 8—while engaging our neighbors through community-ba sed programming. Its vision is to serve as a cultural hub and community an chor celebrating Ward 7’s authentic identity\, while infusing new vibrancy into Southeast DC. We hope to inspire others to use similar non-tradition al arts and community-centered projects as a pathway toward stronger\, mor e vibrant communities.
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Stortyelling with Saris is supported in par t by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities.
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Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/gardening-and-poetry-workshop-tickets-877 706412507?aff=oddtdtcreator.
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20241023T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20241023T120000 LOCATION:The Nicholson Project @ 2310 Nicholson St SE\, Washington DC SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Harvest Time! URL:https://storytellingwithsaris.com/event/harvest-time-3/ X-COST-TYPE:external X-WP-IMAGES-URL:thumbnail\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/upl oads/2023/11/DSC08360-150x150.jpg\;150\;150\;1\,medium\;https://storytelli ngwithsaris.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/DSC08360-300x200.jpg\;300\;200\ ;1\,large\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/DS C08360-1024x683.jpg\;960\;640\;1\,full\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/ wp-content/uploads/2023/11/DSC08360-scaled.jpg\;2560\;1707\; X-TICKETS-URL:https://www.eventbrite.com/e/gardening-and-poetry-workshop-ti ckets-877706412507?aff=oddtdtcreator END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:ai1ec-4549@storytellingwithsaris.com DTSTAMP:20260510T155646Z CATEGORIES: CONTACT: DESCRIPTION:
The Business of Public Art
\nFriday\, January 31\, 2025
\n11 am – 12:30 pm ET
\nVirtual vi a Zoom
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Join Public Art Coordinator Kerry Kennedy and three art pro fessionals—Monica Jahan Bose\, Jessie Himmelrich\, and Antoine Williams—as they share their experiences navigating the unique challenges of creating art in the District. From communicating an artist’s vision to writing gra nt applications\, engaging the community\, and installing public art\, the process demands a diverse and intricate skill set.
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Discover what it takes to successfully navigate the Public Art Building Communities (PAB C) grant application and bring stunning artworks to life in the Nation’s C apital.
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For full details and to RSVP please visit dcarts.dc.gov or grab the direct link from our Linktree in our bio!
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Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/business-of-the-arts-the-business-of- public-art-tickets-1200431174959?aff=oddtdtcreator.
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250131T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250131T123000 SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:CAH Panel on Public Art URL:https://storytellingwithsaris.com/event/cah-panel-on-public-art/ X-COST-TYPE:external X-WP-IMAGES-URL:thumbnail\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/upl oads/2025/01/Screenshot-2025-01-30-at-10.42.24 PM-300x273.png\;300\;273\,m edium\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Screen shot-2025-01-30-at-10.42.24 PM-300x273.png\;300\;273\,large\;https://story tellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Screenshot-2025-01-30-at-1 0.42.24 PM-300x273.png\;300\;273\,full\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/ wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Screenshot-2025-01-30-at-10.42.24 PM-300x273.pn g\;300\;273 X-TICKETS-URL:https://www.eventbrite.com/e/business-of-the-arts-the-busines s-of-public-art-tickets-1200431174959?aff=oddtdtcreator END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:ai1ec-4390@storytellingwithsaris.com DTSTAMP:20260510T155646Z CATEGORIES;LANGUAGE=en-US:art\,climate\,gardening\,workshop CONTACT: DESCRIPTION:
Storytelling with Saris workshop s will take place in February 2025 in Bangladesh. The workshops will incl ude sari printing\, new kantha creations from worn saris from Storytelling with Saris\, new song creation\, and performance.
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250215T153100 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250223T163100 LOCATION:Katakhali @ Patuakhali District\, Bangladesh SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Workshops in Bangladesh URL:https://storytellingwithsaris.com/event/workshops-in-bangladesh-3/ X-COST-TYPE:free X-WP-IMAGES-URL:thumbnail\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/upl oads/2024/03/IMG_3489-150x150.jpeg\;150\;150\;1\,medium\;https://storytell ingwithsaris.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_3489-300x225.jpeg\;300\;22 5\;1\,large\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ IMG_3489-1024x768.jpeg\;960\;720\;1\,full\;https://storytellingwithsaris.c om/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_3489-scaled.jpeg\;2560\;1920\; END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:ai1ec-4551@storytellingwithsaris.com DTSTAMP:20260510T155646Z CATEGORIES;LANGUAGE=en-US:art\,climate CONTACT:Monica Jahan Bose\; 2025096282\; monicajahanbose@gmail.com\; storyt ellingwithsaris.com DESCRIPTION:
Please come to the unveiling of Monica Jahan Bose’s first ceramic sari\, called “Rising\,” which will be i nstalled in the Kalorama Triangle alley behind her studio. The ceramic til e mural will be mounted on the garage wall of the home of Mary Miller and Dennis Farley. We will have an unveiling celebration on March 9 from 3-5 p m in the alley behind 2015 and 2017 Belmont Rd\, NW. Monica’s studio will also be open and there will be a film screening of the performances that i nspired the “Rising” ceramic work.
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“Rising” speaks to our connecti on as humans with the outdoor environment\, including the water\, the tree s\, and other species. It is designed with ceramic tiles using the same t echniques and design concepts as the Storytelling with Saris saris. As in the fabric saris\, the border tiles feature woodblock patterns. The tiles were rolled out by hand out of reclaimed clay. Monica pressed her sari w oodblocks into the wet clay to create impressions. These border tiles were then handpainted using wax resist technique. The middle tiles of the sar i comprise a figurative painting that Monica painted by hand using glazes.
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Monica worked with ceramic artist and fabricator Elle Brande of M oonlight Studios in Beltsville\, Maryland to create the work over the cour se of several months. Monica and Elle were colleagues at Red Dirt Studio many years ago and Elle assisted Monica in some of her very first perform ances with saris. We are thrilled to share this brand new work with the c ommunity. It serves as a small-scale prototype for future projects.
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250309T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250309T170000 LOCATION:Alley behind Belmont Rd & Allen Place @ 2017 Belmont Rd NW SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Unveiling of Ceramic Sari Mural URL:https://storytellingwithsaris.com/event/unveiling-of-ceramic-sari-mural / X-COST-TYPE:free X-WP-IMAGES-URL:thumbnail\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/upl oads/2025/01/IMG_2322-150x150.jpeg\;150\;150\;1\,medium\;https://storytell ingwithsaris.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/IMG_2322-225x300.jpeg\;225\;30 0\;1\,large\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/ IMG_2322-768x1024.jpeg\;768\;1024\;1\,full\;https://storytellingwithsaris. com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/IMG_2322-scaled.jpeg\;1920\;2560\; END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:ai1ec-4560@storytellingwithsaris.com DTSTAMP:20260510T155646Z CATEGORIES: CONTACT:Marion Chauvy\; +3306 09 91 92 93\; m.chauvy@wanadoo.fr\; https://g aleriefrance.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Materialites-group-show-2025.p df DESCRIPTION:
I am excited to invit e you to see some of my new works on paper and sari fabric in a three-pers on exhibition called “Materialite & He ritage” at Galerie Marion Chauvy\, 16 Rue de la Grange Batelière\, 75009 Paris (near Grand Boulevards metro) . The vernissage is on Thursday\, April 3 from 18 hrs – 21 hrs (6 to 9 pm ) and I will be there. The exhibition is open until April 26. and I will be in Paris until April 10 in case you want a tour of the show. Details h ere. https://galeriefrance.com/ wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Materialites-group-show-2025.pdf.
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Gallery hours are usually M-F noon to 6 pm\ ; Saturdays noon to 6 pm or my appointment.
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Looki ng forward to seeing you! – Monica Jahan Bose
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L’ exposition réunit trois artistes dont le travail interroge le rôle de la m atérialité dans leurs pratiques\, au sein de leur patrimoine et de leur en vironnement. À travers l’exploration de matériaux naturels et de savoir-fa ire ancestraux\, ces artistes façonnent une réflexion sur la transmission culturelle et l’interconnexion entre art\, artisanat et écologie dans un c ontexte de transformations sociétales et économiques inhérentes à la globa lisation.
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The exhibition confronts three artists whose work questions the role of materiality in their practices within the ir heritage and environment. Through their exploration of natural material s and ancestral know-how\, these artists reflect on cultural transmission and the interconnection between art\, craft and ecology in the context of the societal and economic transformations inherent in globalisation.
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L’artiste américano-bangladaise Monica Jahan Bose prés entera ses œuvres sur papier ainsi que ses emblématiques saris\, issus de son projet “Storytelling with Saris”\, initié en 2012. . Bose revitalise l e “kantha”\, une broderie traditionnelle bengalie en collaborant avec des villageoises et des artisans du monde entier. Elle conçoit des blocs de bo is artisanaux pour imprimer à la main des saris en coton qu’elle enrichit de peintures et d’inscriptions en bengali sur le changement climatique. Ex posés et utilisés dans des performances\, certains saris sont ensuite port és par les femmes de Katakhali Vilage\, sur l’île de Barobaishdia\, avant d’être transformés. Une fois usés\, ils sont découpés et superposés en tr ois\, ce qui leur confère texture et densité\, puis brodés par l’artiste e t les villageoises pour créer des “kanthas”. La touche finale est l’étonna nte broderie à la main\, créée par Bose et les femmes du village. Cette re lecture contemporaine de la broderie”kanthas”traditionnelle\, autrefois pr atiquée par les femmes du Bengale pour recycler les saris usagés donne nai ssance à des œuvres d’art porteuses de mémoire et de résilience.
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American-Bangladeshi artist Monica Jahan Bose will present her works on paper alongside her signature saris from the “Storytelling w ith Saris” project\, which she launched in 2012. MONICA JAHAN BOSE MATERIA LITIES AND LEGACIES Bose revitalizes ”kantha”\, a traditional Bengali embr oidery technique\, through collaborations with village women and artisans from around the world. She designs handmade wooden blocks to print cotton saris by hand\, enriching them with paintings and Bengali inscriptions abo ut climate change. These saris are exhibited and used in performances befo re some are worn as garments by the women of Katakhali Village. Once worn out\, the saris are cut\, layered\, and textured\, then further enhanced w ith intricate hand embroidery by Bose and the village women. This contempo rary reinterpretation of kantha— originally practiced by Bengali women to recycle old saris—transforms textile traditions into meaningful works of a rt\, imbued with memory and resilience. The paintings\, saris and artist’s archive were acquired by the Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum\, Was hington DC.
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SHEILA FUSEINI Sheila Fuseini utilise des chutes de cuir\, issues de meubles ou de sacs\, assemblées sur tulle ou sur panneau. Cette approche confère à sa peinture un sens de la matéria lité qui donne au spectateur une expérience tactile\, ouvrant sur de nouve lles interprétations de son travail. Les dernières œuvres sont inspirées p ar les inondations en juillet 2024 au Ghana\, provoquées par le débordemen t des barrages d’Akosombo et de Kpong sur le fleuve Volta. L’inondation de s villages voisins fut suivie d’une pénurie temporaire d’eau. Ces boulever sements contradictoires soulignent les paradoxes des crises environnementa les et la vulnérabilité des populations face aux dérèglements climatiques. Ghanaian artist Sheila Fuseini explores materiality through her use of rep urposed leather scraps from furniture and bags\, which she assembles on tu lle or panel. Her approach gives her work a sense of materiality that give s the viewer a tactile experience\, opening up new interpretations of his work. Her latest series responds to the devastating floods in Ghana in Jul y 2024\, caused by the overflow of the Akosombo and Kpong dams on the Volt a River. These floods displaced entire villages and led\, at the same time \, to a temporary water shortage\, underscoring the paradoxes of environme ntal crises : excess and shortages.
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JOÂO ALEXANDR INO-JAS A travers l’usage du pochoir\, Joào AlexandrinoJAS\, revisite le t extile crocheté\, une expression artistique emblématique de son pays\, le Portugal\, soulignant les liens entre art\, artisanat et mémoire collectiv e. En s’inspirant d’une technique artisanale dans une pratique contemporai ne\, Jas interroge la persistance et la transformation des traditions cult urelles à travers le temps. JAS\, qui travaillait au Portugal pendant la p andémie\, a exploré les thèmes de la solitude et de la communication fragm entée dans sa série « Faces ». L’artiste explore la matérialité à travers les contrastes crées par le relief d’une peinture à l’huile appliquée dire ctement au tube et la planéité de l’acrylique pulvérisée en fines couches sur le papier brun. João Alexandrino-JAS uses stencils to reinterpret croc heted textiles\, a traditional Portuguese craft\, highlighting the connect ions between art\, craftsmanship\, and collective memory. JAS\, working in Portugal during the pandemic\, explored themes of solitude and fragmented communication in his « Faces » series. Using stencils\, he reinterpreted crocheted textiles\, drawing connections between craftsmanship\, collectiv e memory\, and personal distance Black lines created from oil paint applie d directly from a tube create a high relief\, contrasting with the flatnes s and transparency of acrylic sprayed in thin layers on brown paper reveal ing textile crochet patterns.
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250403T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250426T180000 LOCATION:Galerie Chauvy @ 16 Rue de la Grange Batelière\, Paris 750009 SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Materialite et Heritage Exhibition URL:https://storytellingwithsaris.com/event/materialite-et-heritage-exhibit ion/ X-COST-TYPE:free X-WP-IMAGES-URL:thumbnail\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/upl oads/2025/03/2_ConnectingRivers-150x150.jpg\;150\;150\;1\,medium\;https:// storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/2_ConnectingRivers-30 0x288.jpg\;300\;288\;1\,large\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-conten t/uploads/2025/03/2_ConnectingRivers-1024x984.jpg\;960\;923\;1\,full\;http s://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/2_ConnectingRiver s-scaled.jpg\;2560\;2459\; END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:ai1ec-4564@storytellingwithsaris.com DTSTAMP:20260510T155646Z CATEGORIES: CONTACT:Beth Ferraro\; theartisland.dc@gmail.com\; https://www.ymcaanthonyb oweneventspacedc.com/galleryy DESCRIPTION:
“Take Me to the Water” b y Monica Jahan Bose. Curated by Beth Ferraro.
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~~Location: Gallery Y\, 1325 W St NW\, Washing ton\, DC 20009~~
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Opening Reception: Friday\, May 2\, 2025 from 6-8 pm< /p>\n
Artist’s Talk and Workshop: Saturday\, June 21\, 2025 fro m 3-5 pm
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Closing Gathering: Thursday\, July 10\, 2025 from 5-7 pm
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Exhibition Dates: May 2-July 11\, 2025. Gallery hours: Monday to Friday 7 am – 9 pm\, Saturdays & Sundays 7 am – 7 pm.
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Curator Statement:
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Take Me to the Water is an invitation to listen to the stories Monica Jahan Bose has collected from Katakhali Village and Washington\, DC that impact us all. T his exhibit speaks to our deep connection to water\, the need to protect i t\, and reminds us of our memories with water.
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< span style='color: #000000\;'>Bose’s saris and kanthas invoke a floating m onument of community action and resilience. She brings together art\, acti vism\, and community engagement with each embroidered kantha\, sari\, poem \, song\, performance\, and work on paper. This immersive experience blend s together all these creative practices and highlights her commitment to h er long-time collaborative project\, Storytelling with Saris\, which she b egan in 2012.
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As a curator\, I am drawn to how Monica Jahan Bose’s work is rooted in storyt elling and the technique with which she engages traditional forms. As a wa ter person\, I feel a deep resonance with her incorporation of water as bo th subject and medium — its symbolism\, its urgency\, and its connective p ower across cultures and bodies.
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Artist statement:
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My work draws on my family’s roots in Katakhali Village\, Baro baishdhia Island\, which is surrounded by multiple rivers and the Bay of B engal. After moving to the Washington area\, I spent my youth with my fri ends exploring and playing at the C&O Canal\, Great Falls\, the Potomac Ri ver\, and neighborhood pools. I discovered the Talking Heads in the late 1 970’s in middle school\, and listened to “Take Me to the River” all the t ime. Water is a recurring theme in my work\, speaking to the essentiality of water to life\, its healing properties\, its centrality in climate chan ge\, and its ability to destroy our homes\, crops\, and heritage.\n
“Take Me to the Water” presents a ne w body of work in keeping with my continuing practice. I created a series of canvas paintings called “Water\,” starting in 2006. My ongoing social ly engaged project Storytelling with Saris works (started in 2012) involve s working in collaboration with women from my ancestral island along with residents of DC to create saris\, climate pledges\, poems\, performances\, and installations that speak to the intersection of climate\, gender\, an d racial justice. I use the precolonial sari as a symbol of sustainability and renewal. Blue saris represent water\, pools\, and rivers.
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In this exhibition\, I have created ne w work using painting\, embroidery\, woodblock\, and collage\, reusing sar is from the Storytelling with Saris project\, including a faded sari from the pool-shaped installation at the “Swimming”public art project (2024\, M arie Reed Plaza and Aquatic Center). The saris from my ongoing work have b een used in multiple installations and performances\, and worn by Katakhal i women. Several used saris were cut\, layered in three\, and embroidered by me and the Katakhali women to create “kanthas\,” a traditional art form where Bangladeshi women recycle old saris to create blankets and wraps. W oodblocks that I have designed have been repeated on the saris\, the works on paper\, and the kanthas. The exhibition also includes a new performan ce film “Rising Up.”
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“Take M e to the Water” speaks to our deep connection to water\, and the need to p rotect our waters and our planet.
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Artist Bio
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Monica Jahan Bose is a Bangladeshi -American artist and climate activist whose work spans painting\, printmak ing\, film\, performance\, and installation. Her socially engaged work hig hlights the intersection of climate\, racial\, gender\, and economic injus tice through co-created workshops\, art actions\, and temporary installati ons and performances. She has exhibited her work extensively in the US and internationally (24 solo shows\, five large-scale public art projects\, a nd more than 25 performances)\, including solo exhibitions at the Banglade sh National Museum and MACRO Museum of Contemporary Art\, Rome.
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Her ongoing decade-long col laborative art and advocacy project\, STORYTELLING WITH SARIS\, with women farmers from her ancestral island village\, has traveled to eight countri es and 12 US states\, engaging thousands of people. Her work has appeared in the Miami Herald\, the Washington Post\, Art Asia Pacific\, the Milwauk ee Sentinel\, the Honolulu Star Advertiser\, the Japan Times\, Prothom Al\ ,o and all major newspapers in Bangladesh. The Smithsonian Anacostia Commu nity Museum has acquired a collection of her paintings\, saris\, and archi val materials. Monica was an artist delegate to the COP28 climate conferen ce in Dubai\, presenting sari installations\, workshops\, and film screeni ngs. She has a BA in the Practice of Art (Painting) from Wesleyan Universi ty\, a post-graduate diploma in art from Santiniketan\, and a JD from Colu mbia Law School.
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Curator Bio
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Beth Ferraro is a social art practitioner\, curator\, pho tographer\, and creative facilitator with a focus on community impact and engagement. She has a BFA in Photography and Design from the Rochester Ins titute of Technology and worked in journalism as a Photo Editor with sever al publications\, including Newsweek and Flaunt magazines. F ollowing her time in New York City and Australia\, she was the Creative Di rector and Curator at Honfleur Gallery and Vivid Solutions Gallery in Anac ostia for seven years. Ferraro has also managed residency programs\, artis ts’ studios\, pop-up spaces\, and placemaking projects in partnership with communities. Recently\, she served as a Cultural & Art Coordinator for an Artisan in Residence pilot program with the Smithsonian Center for Folkli fe and Cultural Heritage and the National Museum of Asian Art\, working wi th artisans from Armenia\, India\, the United Arab Emirates\, Mongolia\, T ibet\, Japan\, and China.
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Ferraro has worked with numerous organizations on site-specific p ublic art initiatives\, community projects\, public programs\, and art ins tallations including the National Museum of Women in the Arts\, Smithsonia n’s Arts and Industries Building\, Martha’s Table\, Department of Energy a nd Environment\, Culture House DC\, Building Bridges Across the River at T HEARC\, Southwest Business Improvement District\, Van Alen Institute\, Cit y First Foundation\, and Washington Project for the Arts.
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Since 2019\, Ferraro has been the Creative Director & Curator at Gallery Y at the YMCA Anthony Bowen. Ferra ro has lived in the District of Columbia since 2004. She is also a yoga te acher for seniors\, a swimmer\, a paddleboarder\, a novice gardener\, and an avid bicyclist.
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This project is supported in part by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities.
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250502T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250711T190000 LOCATION:Gallery Y @ 1325 W St NW\, Washington\, DC 20009 SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Take Me to the Water Exhibition URL:https://storytellingwithsaris.com/event/take-me-to-the-water-exhibition / X-COST-TYPE:free X-WP-IMAGES-URL:thumbnail\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/upl oads/2025/03/IMG_5325-150x150.jpeg\;150\;150\;1\,medium\;https://storytell ingwithsaris.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_5325-300x283.jpeg\;300\;28 3\;1\,large\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/ IMG_5325-1024x965.jpeg\;960\;905\;1\,full\;https://storytellingwithsaris.c om/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_5325-scaled.jpeg\;2560\;2412\; END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:ai1ec-4634@storytellingwithsaris.com DTSTAMP:20260510T155646Z CATEGORIES;LANGUAGE=en-US:art\,gender\,poetry'\,workshop CONTACT:Monica Jahan Bose\; storytellingwithsaris@gmail.com DESCRIPTION:
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Sto rytelling with Saris is thrilled to announce our participation in World Pr ide DC 2025 and our receipt of a World Pride grant from the Capital Pride Alliance.
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. Link to press release from Capital Pride and World Pride DC 2025.
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Weaving Resistance: Storytelling with Saris
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In this moment of human rights crisis created by the c urrent U.S. administration\, it is imperative to build community and fight back for LGBTQ+ rights without apology or retreat. This year’s World Prid e theme is The Fabric of Freedom. Textiles have served as modes of resista nce for centuries\, especially by women and other marginalized groups. Sin ce 2012\, the Storytelling with Saris collaborative art project has been u sing the cotton sari — a 19-foot-long unstitched garment— as a site of com munity expression of bodily autonomy and gender and climate justice. Cotto n saris are covered in woodblock printing\, stencils\, painting\, drawing\ , embroidery\, appliqué\, and poetry and then used for large scale install ations and performances.
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Over the last decade\, Storytelling with Saris workshops\, performances\, and installations have engaged thou sands of people in 13 U.S. states and 8 countries\, including Bangladesh\, Canada\, France\, Greece\, and Italy. Recent Storytelling with Saris proj ects\, performances\, workshops\, and roundtables in the U.S. and Banglade sh have specifically focused on LGBTQ+ issues\, gender roles and identity\ , bodily autonomy\, and increasing understanding and acceptance of gender- nonconforming persons through discussion\, education\, and collaborative a rt and performance.
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For World Pride 2025\, Storytelling with Saris will present five healing and empowering art and poetry workshops o n gender/sexuality/identity to foster greater inclusion\, empathy\, and pr ide in this difficult political climate. The workshops will culminate in a community performance and march. We are partnering with Human Rights Camp aign\, Moms Clean Air Force\, and Asian Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Resource Group. ASL is available for all events. All events in accessib le spaces. Please contact storytellingwithsaris@gmail.com for any accommod ation requests.
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Weaving Resistance: Storytelling wit h Saris Events
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Register for all events at this link on EVENTBRITE.< /a>
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1. < a href='https://www.eventbrite.com/e/weaving-resistance-art-and-poetry-wor kshop-for-world-pride-dc-2025-tickets-1355038309059?aff=oddtdtcreator'>Wor kshop hosted by Moms Clean Air Force\, 555 12th Street NW\, May 16 fro m 5:30 to 7 pm. ASL confirmed.
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Link to register and details.
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2. Display of artwork Prokash/Reveal Sari Scroll on gend er/sexuality/identity at World Pride Welcome Center\, 737 7th Street NW (G allery Place Metro). Washington\, DC 20021\, from May 17-June 8\, Open Sat urday\, May 17th & Sunday\, May 18th
12:00 PM – 8:00 PM\; Saturday\, May 24th & Sunday\, May 25th 12:00 PM – 8:00 PM\; May 30th – June 8th\, o pen daily from
12:00 PM – 8:00 PM
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Link to World Pride Welcome and Visual Arts Center
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3. Workshop hosted by Asian Pacific Island er Domestic Violence Resource Group\, May 29 from 6:00 to 7:30 pm\; ASL re quested.
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Link to register
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4. Drop in workshops at World Pride DC HQ hosted by Human Rights Campaign\, 737 7th St NW\, May 31\, 12:00pm to 3:00pm and June 1 from 12:00pm to 2:00pm. Drop in and contribute to the World Pride saris with art and poetry. ASL requested.
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Link to register for workshop on May 31
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Link to reg ister for wor kshop on June 1
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5. Drop in workshop at the Human Rights Conference at JW Marriott\, 1331 Pennsylvania A venue NW\, June 5 from 10 am to 2 pm
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Link to register for the Conference
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6. Outdoor “Weaving Resistance” community sewing performance\, Marie Reed Plaza\, 2201 18th St NW\, June 6 from 6 pm to 7:30 pm
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Link to Register for the June 6 Performance
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7. Cu lminating event: international march with massive “Weaving Resistance” sar i from Lincoln Memorial to the Capitol on Sunday June 8\, from 10 am to 12 noon. Meet at Foggy Bottom Metro between 9:30 am & 10 am. Step off at 10 am to go to Lincoln Memorial.
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Link to register to carry sari to the Capitol on June 8
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The project is spons ored by Capital Pride Alliance. Community partners: Human Rights Campaig n\, Moms Clean Air Force\, and Asian/Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Re source Project. The project is also supported in part by the DC Commissi on on the Arts and Humanities.
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Tickets: https://www.eventbrite .com/o/monica-jahan-bosestorytelling-with-saris-14030164452.
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250516T053000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250608T063000 SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Weaving Resistance World Pride Events URL:https://storytellingwithsaris.com/event/world-pride-events/ X-COST-TYPE:external X-WP-IMAGES-URL:thumbnail\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/upl oads/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-08-at-3.53.04 PM-150x150.jpeg\;150\;150\;1 \,medium\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Scr eenshot-2025-05-08-at-3.53.04 PM-300x270.jpeg\;300\;270\;1\,large\;https:/ /storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-0 8-at-3.53.04 PM-1024x921.jpeg\;960\;863\;1\,full\;https://storytellingwith saris.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-08-at-3.53.04 PM.j peg\;1216\;1094\; X-TICKETS-URL:https://www.eventbrite.com/o/monica-jahan-bosestorytelling-wi th-saris-14030164452 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:ai1ec-4617@storytellingwithsaris.com DTSTAMP:20260510T155646Z CATEGORIES: CONTACT:Monica Jahan Bose\; storytellingwithsaris@gmail.com DESCRIPTION:
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Plea se join Storytelling with Saris for the launch of World Pride DC 2025 with a special workshop hosted by Moms Clean Air Force. We will be discussing human rights and equality for all genders and sexualities and the negative impact of climate change and plastics on the LGBTQ+ community and women. The workshop will be appropriate for all ages and we will create art and p oetry together and transfer our creativity to a 19-foot-long cotton sari f rom Bangladesh. Light refreshments will be served. Workshop hosted by Moms Clean Air Force ℅ EDF\, 555 12th Street NW\, May 16 from 5:30 to 7 pm You will need to sign in at the lobby and show ID. Ask the receptionist to go upstairs to EDF for a workshop.
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Please email storytellingwithsaris@g mail.com with any questions or accommodation needs.
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“Weaving Resistance: Storytelling with S aris”
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In this moment of human righ ts crisis created by the current US administration\, it is imperative to b uild community and fight back for LGBTQ+ rights without apology or retreat . This year’s World Pride theme is The Fabric of Freedom. Textiles have s erved as modes of resistance for centuries\, especially by women and other marginalized groups. Since 2012\, the Storytelling with Saris collaborati ve art project has been using the cotton sari — a 19-foot-long unstitched garment— as a site of community expression of bodily autonomy and gender a nd climate justice. Cotton saris are covered in woodblock printing\, stenc ils\, painting\, drawing\, embroidery\, appliqué\, and poetry and then use d for large scale installations and performances.
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Over the last decade\, Storytelling with Saris workshops\, performa nces\, and installations have engaged thousands of people in 12 U.S. state s and 8 countries\, including Bangladesh\, Canada\, France\, Greece\, and Italy. Recent Storytelling with Saris projects\, performances\, workshops\ , and roundtables in the U.S. and Bangladesh have specifically focused on LGBTQ+ issues\, gender roles and identity\, bodily autonomy\, and increasi ng understanding and acceptance of gender-nonconforming persons through di scussion\, education\, and collaborative art and performance. For World Pr ide 2025\, Storytelling with Saris will present five healing and empowerin g art and poetry workshops on gender/sexuality/identity to foster greater inclusion\, empathy\, and pride in this difficult political climate. The w orkshops will culminate in a community performance and march.
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All the Weaving Resistance events:
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1. Workshop hosted by Moms Clean Air F orce\, 555 12th Street NW\, May 16 from 5:30 to 7 pm \n\n< /p>\n
~~Link to register and details.~~
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\n\n 2. Display of artwork Prokash/Reveal Sari Scroll on gender/sexuality/identity at World Pride Headquarters\, 901 7th Street NW\, 4th Floor\, Washington\ , DC 20001\, from May 17-June 8\, open noon to 8 pm most days
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\n\n Link to World Pride Center
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\n\n 3. Workshop hosted by Asian Pacific Islander Domestic V iolence Resource Group\, May 29 from 6:00 to 7:30 pm
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\n\n 4. Dro p in workshops at World Pride DC HQ hosted by Human Rights Campaign\, 737 7th St NW\, May 31\, 12:00pm to 3 :00pm and June 1 from 12:00pm to 2:00pm. Drop in and contribute to the Wor ld Pride saris with art and poetry.
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5. Drop in workshop at the Human Rights Conference at JW Marriott\, 1331 P ennsylvania Avenue NW\, June 5 from 10 am to 2 pm
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\n\n 6. Outdoo r “Weaving Resistance” community sewing performance\, June 6 during the 17 th Street Dupont Circle Block Party\, 5 to 8 pm
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\n\n 7. Culminat ing event: international march with massive “Weaving Resistance” sari to t he Capitol on June 8
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This projec t is supported and sponsored by Capital Pride Alliance.
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Community. partners: Human Rights Campaign\, Moms Clean Air Force\, and Asian/Pacif ic Islander Domestic Violence Resource Project.
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Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/weaving-resistance-art-and-poetry-w orkshop-for-world-pride-dc-2025-tickets-1355038309059?aff=oddtdtcreator.
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250516T173000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250516T190000 LOCATION:Moms Clean Air Force @ 555 12th Street NW\, Washington DC SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Weaving Resistance World Pride Launch & Workshop 1 URL:https://storytellingwithsaris.com/event/weaving-resistance-world-pride- workshop/ X-COST-TYPE:external X-WP-IMAGES-URL:thumbnail\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/upl oads/2025/05/pridecompositesmall-150x150.jpg\;150\;150\;1\,medium\;https:/ /storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/pridecompositesmall- 300x169.jpg\;300\;169\;1\,large\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-cont ent/uploads/2025/05/pridecompositesmall-1024x575.jpg\;960\;539\;1\,full\;h ttps://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/pridecomposite small.jpg\;1210\;680\; X-TICKETS-URL:https://www.eventbrite.com/e/weaving-resistance-art-and-poetr y-workshop-for-world-pride-dc-2025-tickets-1355038309059?aff=oddtdtcreator END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:ai1ec-4606@storytellingwithsaris.com DTSTAMP:20260510T155646Z CATEGORIES: CONTACT:https://buildingbridgesdc.org/arf/ DESCRIPTION:
Join the Phillips@THEARC and Monica Jahan Bose for a special event at the Anacostia River Festival
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Anacostia River Festival 2025
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Sankofa on the River: Bridging Legacies
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Organized by 11^th Street Bridge Park
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Location:
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An acostia Park\, Good Hope Road SE & Anacostia Drive SE . If you’re planning to take the Metro\, get off at Anacostia Station on the Green/Yellow line . If you’re planning on driving\, you can park at Anacostia Station.
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From River to River in collaboration with Monica Jahan Bose
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18-foot-long blue Bangladeshi saris are laid out on long table s\, and the community joins together to make collaborative art work with p ainting\, writing\, and wood-block printing\, expressing their intentions to protect and enjoy the Anacostia River and honor its history.
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Bi o: Monica Jahan Bose is a Bangladeshi-American artist and climate activis t whose work spans painting\, printmaking\, film\, performance\, and insta llation. Her socially engaged work highlights the intersection of climate\ , racial\, gender\, and economic injustice through co-created workshops\, art actions\, and temporary installations and performances. She has exhibi ted her work extensively in the US andinternationally (23 so lo shows\, five large-scale public art projects\, and more than 25 perform ances) including solo exhibitions at the Bangladesh National Museum and MA CRO Museum of Contemporary Art Rome.
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Her ongoing decade-long collaborative art and advocacy project STORYTELLIN G WITH SARIS with women farmers from her ancestral island village has trav eled to eight countries and 12 US states\, engaging thousands of people. H er work has appeared in the Miami Herald\, the Washington Post\, Art Asia Pacific\, the Milwaukee Sentinel\, the Honolulu Star Advertiser\, the Japa n Times\, Prothom Alo and all major newspapers in Bangladesh. The Smithson ian Anacostia Community Museum has acquired a collection of her paintings\ , saris\, and archival materials. Monica was an artist delegate to the COP 28 climate conference in Dubai\, presenting sari installations\, workshops \, and film screenings. She has a BA in the Practice of Art (Painting) fro m Wesleyan University\, a post-graduate diploma in art from Santiniketan\, and a JD from Columbia Law School.
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250517T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250517T170000 LOCATION:Anacostia Park @ Good Hope Road SE & Anacostia Drive SE ( SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:From River to River URL:https://storytellingwithsaris.com/event/from-river-to-river/ X-COST-TYPE:free X-WP-IMAGES-URL:thumbnail\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/upl oads/2025/04/headshot-with-forest-150x150.jpg\;150\;150\;1\,medium\;https: //storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/headshot-with-fores t-300x200.jpg\;300\;200\;1\,large\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-co ntent/uploads/2025/04/headshot-with-forest-1024x683.jpg\;960\;640\;1\,full \;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/headshot-wi th-forest-scaled.jpg\;2560\;1707\; END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:ai1ec-4405@storytellingwithsaris.com DTSTAMP:20260510T155646Z CATEGORIES: CONTACT: DESCRIPTION:
The Paglees are coming to North C arolina! Link to Review of debut show in Chicago.
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Location: McColl Center\, 7 21 N Tryon St\, Charlotte\, NC 28202
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Opening Reception: May 22\, 2025 with activations by Shelly Bahl and Monica Jahan Bose.
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Public lecture by Prof. Melia Belli-Bose: June 12\, 2025. + performance by Moni ca Jahan Bose
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The Paglees: Between Reason and Madnes s
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The Paglees is a feminist collective of artists of South Asian origin living across the United Stat es. Paglee or pagli means crazy woman in a number of South A sian languages.
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In their exhibition\, The Paglees inves tigate – with fierceness\, beauty\, and wit – the impact on women of gener ations of patriarchy\, religion\, white supremacy\, colonialism\, violence \, capitalism\, and environmental plunder.
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The title of the exhibition derives from Rosa Parks’ words: “There is just so much hur t\, disappointment and oppression one can take. The bubble of life grows l arger. The line between reason and madness grows thinner.” (Rosa Parks: Wr itings\, Notes and Statements\,1956-58).
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Featuring mixe d-media works on paper\, fabric\, and canvas\, sculpture\, performance\, p hotography\, installation\, and moving image\, The Paglees: Between Rea son and Madness\, questions and reframes the labeling of non-conformin g women as crazy and the marginalization of immigrant women of color. This collective exhibition presents new decolonial narratives that center the reason and wisdom of brown women of the Global South and diaspora\, and pr ovide pathways to a creative feminist future. The Paglees believe in worki ng in collaboration with other marginalized communities to build bridges a nd demand social\, environmental\, and legal justice for all.
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The seven Paglees are South Asian American artists living and working across N orth America: Shelly Bahl (New York City)\, Monica Jahan Bose (Washington\, DC)\, Fawzia Khan (Minneapol is\, Minnesota)\, Indrani Nayar-Gall (Charlotte\, North Carolina)\, Renluk a Maharaj (Boulder\, Colorado)\, Nirmal Raja (Milwaukee\, Wisconsin and Bo ston\, Massachusetts)\, and Pallavi Sharma (San Ramos\, California). We are diasporic South Asians with roots in Bangladesh\, India\, Pakistan\, and Trinidad & Tobago.
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250522T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250629T190000 LOCATION:McColl Center @ 721 N Tryon St\, Charlotte\, NC 28202 SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Paglees show in Charlotte! URL:https://storytellingwithsaris.com/event/paglees-show-in-charlotte/ X-COST-TYPE:free X-WP-IMAGES-URL:thumbnail\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/upl oads/2024/08/DSC01106-150x150.jpg\;150\;150\;1\,medium\;https://storytelli ngwithsaris.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/DSC01106-200x300.jpg\;200\;300\ ;1\,large\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/DS C01106-683x1024.jpg\;683\;1024\;1\,full\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com /wp-content/uploads/2024/08/DSC01106-scaled.jpg\;1707\;2560\; END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:ai1ec-4655@storytellingwithsaris.com DTSTAMP:20260510T155647Z CATEGORIES: CONTACT: DESCRIPTION:
NOTICE REGARDING
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PROPOSED PUBLIC ART PROJECT
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“RESILIENCE”
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ARTIST: MONICA JAHAN BOSE
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T he art project RESILIENCE proposes to create a hand-made ceramic tile mura l at the exterior of 1001 4th Street SW\, Washington DC 20024. The tile mural will be affixed on the exterior grey wall on the south side of the building\, which is adjacent to a private driveway but viewable from t he street. The tile mural would be approximately 4 ft. x 19 ft.\, the size of a fabric sari. Bose is a Bangladeshi-American artist known for her fab ric sari installations\, and this will be a more permanent sari in ceramic . RESILIENCE will be created using sari woodblocks\, hand painting\, and s tenciled poetry. As part of the project\, Bose will lead several community poetry and art workshops. “Resilience” speaks to community resilience in the face of climate change and other challenges\, and our deep connection to the water and the environment. Bose will seek a public art grant from D CCAH\; the completion of the project is contingent on the grant.
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When: The project would be installed in Spring/Summer 2026.
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Where: The proposed site for the public art project is the exterior wall at 1001 4th Street SW\, Washington DC 20024.
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THE “RESILIENCE” PROPOSAL WILL BE PRESENTED AND DISCUSSED AT THE ANC 6D VIRTUAL PUBLIC MEETING ON JUNE 16\, 2025 from 7-9 pm. To attend the meeting use this link: https://dc-gov.zoom.us/j/83836436659
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To access the meeting by phone: 1 301 715 8592\, Meeting ID 838 3643 6659
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THE PUBLIC IS INVITED TO JOIN AND ASK QUESTIONS AND PROVIDE FEEDBACK. The project is contingent o n receiving grant funding from DCCAH. Contact: monicajahanbose@gmail.com< /span> sto rytellingwithsaris.com @storywithsari
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LINK TO SLIDE PRESENTATION TO ANC6D.
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250616T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250616T210000 LOCATION:Zoom @ https://dc-gov.zoom.us/j/83836436659 SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Presentation on Public Art Proposal URL:https://storytellingwithsaris.com/event/presentation-on-public-art-prop osal/ X-COST-TYPE:free X-WP-IMAGES-URL:thumbnail\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/upl oads/2025/06/resilience-visualization-small-150x150.jpg\;150\;150\;1\,medi um\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/resilienc e-visualization-small-300x225.jpg\;300\;225\;1\,large\;https://storytellin gwithsaris.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/resilience-visualization-small-1 024x768.jpg\;960\;720\;1\,full\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-conte nt/uploads/2025/06/resilience-visualization-small.jpg\;1210\;907\; END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:ai1ec-4663@storytellingwithsaris.com DTSTAMP:20260510T155647Z CATEGORIES: CONTACT:Monica\; 2025096282\; storytellingwithsaris@gmail.com DESCRIPTION:
Join us on Tuesday\, July 22\, 20 25 for a gardening and poetry workshop at the Well at Oxon Run\, 300 Valle y Ave SE\, Washington\, DC 20032. Bus C15 will take you right there. You can catch the bus from Anacostia Metro.
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Storytelling with Saris co ntinues its tradition of connecting with the soil and plants. We will be helping out at a huge urban farm\, taking vegetables home\, plus doing mov ement and breathing exercises\, writing some poetry\, and making art on a sari. We will also be remembering our dear friend Sherri Gales\, a big pa rt of Storytelling with Saris for so many years.
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Please sign up at this link. < /p>\n
The links says 11 am to 4 pm but we will only be there for two hou rs. If you have joined prior Storytelling with Saris workshops\, please b ring with you your folder of materials — journal\, pencil etc. Looking for ward to seeing you! Please email storytellingwithsaris@gmail.com with any questions or accommodation needs.
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This project is supported by a grant from the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities.
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250722T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250722T130000 LOCATION:The Well at Oxon Run @ 300 Valley Ave SE\, Washington\, DC 20032 SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Gardening & Poetry Workshop URL:https://storytellingwithsaris.com/event/gardening-poetry-workshop/ X-COST-TYPE:free X-WP-IMAGES-URL:thumbnail\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/upl oads/2025/07/IMG_7181-150x150.jpg\;150\;150\;1\,medium\;https://storytelli ngwithsaris.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/IMG_7181-225x300.jpg\;225\;300\ ;1\,large\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/IM G_7181-768x1024.jpg\;768\;1024\;1\,full\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com /wp-content/uploads/2025/07/IMG_7181-scaled.jpg\;1920\;2560\; END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:ai1ec-4713@storytellingwithsaris.com DTSTAMP:20260510T155647Z CATEGORIES;LANGUAGE=en-US:art\,climate CONTACT:https://lmcc.net/events/works-on-water-triennial-exhibition/ DESCRIPTION:
Join me on Governors Isla nd for the Works on Water Triennial.
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Opening Reception: Thursday\, August 28\, 5-9 pm (Remarks at 7pm)
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Exhibition dates: August 28-O ctober 26\, 2025
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Open Fridays from 2-5:30 pm\; Saturdays a nd Sundays from noon to 5:30 pm | Additional hours by appointment
\nLMCC’s The Arts Center at Governors Island\, Upper & Lower Galleri es\, 110 A ndes Rd\, New York\, NY 10004
\nAugust 28* – October 26
\nOp ening Night: Thursday\, August 28\, 5-9pm (Remarks at 7pm).   It’s right w hen you get off the Governors Island ferry from Manhattan (seven minute ri de from South Ferry and $5 fare).
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Artists roundtable on September 27 at 4-5 pm with Monica Jahan Bose and Dana Harper and the WoW team.
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Ride the ferry from South Ferry to Governors Island with Monica Jahan Bose on September 28 at 2 pm and join her for a walkthrough tour of her i nstallation.
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LMCC’s The Arts Center at Governors Island will ser ve as the hub and central exhibition space for The Works on Water 2025 Triennial\, a multi-site exhibition and series of public art intervent ions made on\, in\, and with bodies of water\, created in response to the global climate crisis. The exhibition\, curated by Emily Blumenfeld and Ke ndal Henry with the Works on Water team\, frames the growing genre of Wate r Art as a defining environmental art form of the 21st century\, exploring themes of access\, exploitation\, conservation\, remediation\, and care. I’m excited to feature the “Darchira River” performance video installatio n in the exhibition\; cinematography: Shefali Akter Shetu\; music and soun d design: Sonia Herrero.  I will be at the opening on Thursday\, August 28 \, from 5-9 pm.
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Works on Water 2025 Triennial art ists: Nora Almeida / iki nakagawa\, Frank Bloem\, Monica Jahan Bose\, Dona ld Hài Phú Daedalus\, Jeremy Dennis\, Sherese Francis\, Jana Harper\, Perr in Ireland\, Art Jones\, Marie Lorenz\, sTo Len\, Stacy Levy\, Mare Liberu m\, Mary Mattingly\, Wes Modes\, Lize Mogel\, Eve Mosher\, Nancy Nowacek\, Jean Shin\, Sarah Cameron Sunde\, Sunk Shore (Carolyn Hall and Clarinda M ac Low)\, Elizabeth Velazquez\, and Marina Zurkow.
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250828T170000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251026T180000 LOCATION:LMCC Gallery @ 110 Andes Rd\, New York\, NY 10004 SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Works on Water Triennial URL:https://storytellingwithsaris.com/event/work-on-water-triennial/ X-COST-TYPE:free X-WP-IMAGES-URL:thumbnail\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/upl oads/2025/07/darchira-6-small-150x150.jpg\;150\;150\;1\,medium\;https://st orytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/darchira-6-small-300x19 9.jpg\;300\;199\;1\,large\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/up loads/2025/07/darchira-6-small-1024x681.jpg\;960\;638\;1\,full\;https://st orytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/darchira-6-small.jpg\;1 504\;1000\; END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:ai1ec-4741@storytellingwithsaris.com DTSTAMP:20260510T155647Z CATEGORIES;LANGUAGE=en-US:art CONTACT:Nathalie Von Veh\; nvonveh@wpadc.org\; https://wpadc.org/exhibition s/braids-threads-connecting-legacies/ DESCRIPTION:
Braids & Threads: Connecting Legacies\, organi zed by artists Monica Jahan Bose and Autumn Spears
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Location: Washington Project for the Arts\, 1350 Connecticut Ave NW (ground floor\, wheelchai r accessible)\, Washington DC\; metro: Dupont Circle (Red Line)\, Buses D7 2\, D74 and more.
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Opening reception: Saturday\, December 13\, 2025 from 3-5 pm
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Exhibition dates: D ecember 13\, 2025 – March 8\, 2025.
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Gallery hours: Wednesday–Friday\, 12–6:00pm\, an d Saturday\, 1:00–5:00pm.
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Tea Time with the Art ists- Fridays from 3-5 pm.
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Artists’ Conversation & Heritage Meal\, Sunday\, February 8\, 2026\, 6-8 pm @ Eaton House\, 1201 K St NW
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Woodblock Workshop- Friday\, February 13 \, 2026\, 3-5 pm
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Crochet Circle- Friday\, Februa ry 20\, 2026\, 3-5 pm
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Closing Day- & Performance- March 8\, 2026\, 1-5 pm\, with performance beginning at WPA at 3 pm and m oving to Dupont Circle and Heurich House
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Washington Project for the Arts (WPA) is pleased to present the inaugural project of their new space in Dupont Circ le (1350 Connecticut Ave. NW)\, opening December 13.
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Braids & Threads: Connecting Leg acies\, organized by artists Monica Jahan Bose and Autum n Spears\, is a part of WPA’s open call project series\, “Lineages: Ge nerations of Creative Resiliencein the District.”
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Both Bose and Spears lean into their dias poric heritage in their practices\, incorporating skills they learned from their elders: sewing/textiles (Bose) crocheting and hair braiding techniq ues (Spears).
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The ir ongoing conversations—across generations\, between Gen X and Gen Z—have opened up new energy and direction in both of their practices. This is th eir first collaboration.
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For this project\, Bose and Spears will engage in a series of conv ersations—some recorded as podcasts—about the relevance of exploring conne ction with heritage\, mothers\, and ancestors. Together\, they will consid er how weaving inherited knowledge into contemporary work can promote resi lience.Using the concepts\, stories\, and ideas arising from these convers ations\, the two artist-organizers will create an installation in WPA’s pr oject space using multilingual text\, embroidery\, braiding\, sewing\, fib er art and printmaking. It will be an evolving exhibition and work-space\, where other artists and community members are invited to drop in and cont ribute with their own stories and art-making. Listen to their podcast on Spotify.
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Braid s & Threads: Connecting Legacies will begin on Saturday\, December 13\, 2025 with an Opening Rec eption from 3:00–5:00pm. Attendees are invited to bring vintage vinyl to play along with the artists’ selection of intergenerational grooves. Th e project will be presented in
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WPA’s new location in Dupont Circle\, 1350 Connect icut Avenue NW\, Washington DC.
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Public Programs
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A regular weekly Tea Time with the artists\, on F ridays from 3:00–5:00pm\, will welcome visitors to join in conversation an d collaborate on the evolving installation. Workshops focused on crochetin g and block printing will also occur onsite throughout the project’s durat ion.
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About th e Organizing Artists
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Monica Jahan Bose is a Bangladeshi-American artist and acti vist whose work spans performance\, painting\, printmaking\, film\, and in stallation. Her socially engaged work highlights the intersection of clima te\, racial\, gender\, and economic injustice through co-created workshops \,installations\, and performances. She has exhibited her work extensively in the US and internationally including solo exhibitions at the Banglades h National Museum and MACRO Museum of Contemporary Art Rome. She has been awarded five large-scale public art grants in DC\, each centering communit y co-creation and featuring multiple workshops\, film/projections\, perfor mances\, and site-specific installation.
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Her ongoing collaborative art and advocacy project Storytelling with Saris\, started in 2012 with women farmers from her ancestral island village\, has traveled to eight countries and 13 US s tates\, engaging thousands of people. Her work has appeared in The Miami Herald\, The Washington Post\, BBC\, Art Asia Pacific\, Th e Milwaukee Sentinel\, The Honolulu Star Advertiser\, The Japan Times\ , Prothom Alo and all major newspapers in Bangladesh. The Smithsoni an Anacostia Community Museum has acquired a collection of her paintings\, saris\, woodblocks\, and archival materials. She has a BA in studio art a nd mathematics from Wesleyan University\, a diploma in art from Santiniket an\, India\, and a JD from Columbia Law School. She lives and works in Was hington\,
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DC.
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Autumn Spears is a DC native whose art serves as a powerful medium for reimagining Blac k histories and diasporic narratives. Her upbringing within communities of color\, alongside her experiences navigating predominantly white institut ions\, has deeply shaped both her identity and artistic vision. Moving bet ween these contrasting spaces sparked her commitment to exploring Black re presentation and identity across the African diaspora. In 2020\, she received her BFA in Art Education f rom Albright College. In 2023\, Spears held her inaugural solo exhibition\ , Becoming\, at the Freedman Gallery in Reading\, Pennsylvania. Thi s milestone event showcased her distinctive style and marked the beginning of a promising artistic journey. Additionally\, Spears’ work has been fea tured in local cultural institutions such as the MLK Memorial Library\, Ch arles Sumner School\, Anacostia Arts Center\, and the Anacostia Community Museum. Spears is also a 2024 DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities grant recipient and 2025 Art Bank finalist.
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About WPA
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Founded in 1975\, Washington Project for the Arts (W PA) is a nonprofit incubator and laboratory for artist-organized projects\ , headquartered in Dupont Circle\, Washington\, DC. Since its founding\, W PA has presented more than 500 exhibitions\; 1\,000 performances\; 700 lec tures\, workshops\, and symposia\; 250 screenings\; and 58 public art proj ects. Over the past four decades\, nearly every major visual artist in the District has been part of WPA’s programming. After renewing its mission i n 2018\, WPA has carved out a new identity with a national and internation al scope\, uplifting values of collaboration\, experimentation\, and inclu sivity in all of its programmatic and operational activities. Learn more a t wpadc.org.
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251213T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260308T170000 LOCATION:Washington Project for the Arts @ 1350 Connecticut Avenue\, NW\, W ashington DC SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Braids & Threads: Connecting Legacies URL:https://storytellingwithsaris.com/event/braids-treads-connecting-legaci es-2/ X-COST-TYPE:free X-WP-IMAGES-URL:thumbnail\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/upl oads/2025/11/Web_Braids_and_Threads-1-150x150.jpg\;150\;150\;1\,medium\;ht tps://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Web_Braids_and_ Threads-1-300x169.jpg\;300\;169\;1\,large\;https://storytellingwithsaris.c om/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Web_Braids_and_Threads-1-1024x575.jpg\;960\; 539\;1\,full\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11 /Web_Braids_and_Threads-1-scaled.jpg\;2560\;1438\; END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:ai1ec-4730@storytellingwithsaris.com DTSTAMP:20260510T155647Z CATEGORIES;LANGUAGE=en-US:art CONTACT:Nathalie Von Veh\; nvonveh@wpadc.org\; https://wpadc.org/exhibition s/braids-threads-connecting-legacies/ DESCRIPTION:
Braids & Threads: Closing Day & Performance
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Sunday\, March 8\, International Women’s Day
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1 -5 pm\, performance begins at 3 pm.
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WPA\, 1350 Connecticut Ave NW (Storefront). Metro: Dupont Circle (South Exit).
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To honor International Women’s Day and the conclusi on of their project with WPA\, collaborating artists Monica Jahan Bose and Autumn Spears invite audiences to join them for a closing day performance that highlights their heritage and the fiber skills learned from women elders. The artists will lead a procession from WPA’s Project Space to Heurich House Museum in Dupont Circle\, guiding the audience through a ritualized per formance featuring garments and wearable art made by Bose and Spears durin g their residency. They will be joined by 12 participants and audience mem bers are also welcome to take part. Bose and Spears’ procession functions as a solemn protest against racism and the active erasure of the multiple cultures and stories that make up the U.S. Audience members are encouraged to join the artists after for a closing celebration in the biergarten at Heurich House Museum. WPA’s Project Space will be open especially for this program from 1-5pm. Please arrive before 3 pm to view the exhibition\, because several parts wil l be dismantled and used as part of the performance. WPA’s new location in Dupont Circle\, 1350 Connecticu t Avenue NW\, Washington DC (storefront).
\nGather at WPA’s Project Space (1350 Connecticut Ave NW) before 3pm. Latecomers should join the performance at Heurich House Museum (1307 New Hampshire Ave NW) or find the performers en route.
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Braids & Threads: Closing Performance is presented in par tnership with Heurich House Museum.
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Monica Jahan Bose< /b> is a Bangladeshi-American artist and activist whose work spans perform ance\, painting\, printmaking\, film\, and installation. Her socially enga ged work highlights the intersection of climate\, racial\, gender\, and ec onomic injustice through co-created workshops\,installations\, and perform ances. She has exhibited her work extensively in the US and internationall y including solo exhibitions at the Bangladesh National Museum and MACRO M useum of Contemporary Art Rome. She has been awarded five large-scale publ ic art grants in DC\, each centering community co-creation and featuring m ultiple workshops\, film/projections\, performances\, and site-specific in stallation.
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Her o ngoing collaborative art and advocacy project Storytelling with Saris\, started in 2012 with women farmers from her ancestral island village\ , has traveled to eight countries and 13 US states\, engaging thousands of people. Her work has appeared in The Miami Herald\, The Washington Post\, BBC\, Art Asia Pacific\, The Milwaukee Sentinel\, The Ho nolulu Star Advertiser\, The Japan Times\, Prothom Alo and all major newspapers in Bangladesh. The Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum has acquired a collection of her paintings\, saris\, woodblocks\, and arc hival materials. She has a BA in studio art and mathematics from Wesleyan University\, a diploma in art from Santiniketan\, India\, and a JD from Co lumbia Law School. She lives and works in Washington\,
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DC.
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Autumn Spears is a DC native whose art ser ves as a powerful medium for reimagining Black histories and diasporic nar ratives. Her upbringing within communities of color\, alongside her experi ences navigating predominantly white institutions\, has deeply shaped both her identity and artistic vision. Moving between these contrasting spaces sparked her commitment to exploring Black representation and identity acr oss the African diaspora. In 2 020\, she received her BFA in Art Education from Albright College. In 2023 \, Spears held her inaugural solo exhibition\, Becoming\, at the Fr eedman Gallery in Reading\, Pennsylvania. This milestone event showcased h er distinctive style and marked the beginning of a promising artistic jour ney. Additionally\, Spears’ work has been featured in local cultural insti tutions such as the MLK Memorial Library\, Charles Sumner School\, Anacost ia Arts Center\, and the Anacostia Community Museum. Spears is also a 2024 DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities grant recipient and 2025 Art Bank finalist.
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Abou t WPA
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Founded in 1975\, Washington Project for the Arts (WPA) is a nonprofit incubator and laboratory for artist-organized projects\, headquartered in Dupont Cir cle\, Washington\, DC. Since its founding\, WPA has presented more than 50 0 exhibitions\; 1\,000 performances\; 700 lectures\, workshops\, and sympo sia\; 250 screenings\; and 58 public art projects. Over the past four deca des\, nearly every major visual artist in the District has been part of WP A’s programming. After renewing its mission in 2018\, WPA has carved out a new identity with a national and international scope\, uplifting values o f collaboration\, experimentation\, and inclusivity in all of its programm atic and operational activities. Learn more at wpadc.org.
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260308T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260308T170000 LOCATION:Washington Project for the Arts @ 1350 Connecticut Avenue\, NW\, W ashington DC SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Braids & Threads Performance & Closing Day URL:https://storytellingwithsaris.com/event/braids-threadsperformance/ X-COST-TYPE:free X-WP-IMAGES-URL:thumbnail\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/upl oads/2025/11/IMG_1782-150x150.jpeg\;150\;150\;1\,medium\;https://storytell ingwithsaris.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/IMG_1782-225x300.jpeg\;225\;30 0\;1\,large\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/ IMG_1782-768x1024.jpeg\;768\;1024\;1\,full\;https://storytellingwithsaris. com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/IMG_1782-scaled.jpeg\;1920\;2560\; END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:ai1ec-4830@storytellingwithsaris.com DTSTAMP:20260510T155647Z CATEGORIES: CONTACT:Monica Jahan Bose\; 2025096282\; monicajahanbose@gmail.com DESCRIPTION:
Join us on Earth Day for a speci al Storytelling with Saris workshop focused on care of the Earth\, ourselv es\, and our community. Come and write short form poetry and make art on a sari from Bangladesh in solidarity with climate-impacted communities aro und the world. This is a drop-in workshop and all supplies will be provid ed.
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Address: Anniversary Park\, F Street between 21st and 2nd Str eets NW\, Washington DC. On GW campus. Closest metro: Foggy Bottom (Blue . Orange\, Silver lines)\; buses D74\, D10 and others.
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Date/Time: Earth Day\, April 22\, 2026\, 11 am to 1 pm.
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The workshop is part of an event on community care organized by George Washington University a nd Corcoran School of Art. There will be various groups participating wit h tables focused on crafting and care with opportunities for creativity\, education\, and reflection. The event will include tables for as zine and button-making\, as well as resources for fo stering engagement with campus and city-wide organizations that promote so cial justice and mutual aid. Focused on the values of equity\, accessibili ty\, peace\, and agency\, the community tables will be designed to facilit ate dialogue\, learning\, and collective action for the building of a more inclusive and empowering community.
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We look forward to seeing you there!
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260422T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260422T130000 LOCATION:Anniversary Park @ F St NW\, between 21st and 22nd St NW\, Washing ton DC SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Care: Earth Day Sari Art and Poetry Workshop URL:https://storytellingwithsaris.com/event/care-earth-day-sari-art-and-poe try-workshop/ X-COST-TYPE:free X-WP-IMAGES-URL:thumbnail\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/upl oads/2022/06/IMG_8390-150x150.jpeg\;150\;150\;1\,medium\;https://storytell ingwithsaris.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/IMG_8390-300x225.jpeg\;300\;22 5\;1\,large\;https://storytellingwithsaris.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/ IMG_8390-1024x768.jpeg\;960\;720\;1\,full\;https://storytellingwithsaris.c om/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/IMG_8390-scaled.jpeg\;2560\;1920\; END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:ai1ec-4141@storytellingwithsaris.com DTSTAMP:20260510T155647Z CATEGORIES;LANGUAGE=en-US:art\,climate\,earth day\,gardening\,gender\,plant s\,poetry' CONTACT:Monica Jahan Bose\; 2025096282\; monicajahanbose@gmail.com\; https: //www.thenicholsonproject.org/ DESCRIPTION:
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Join us for a gardening\, poetry\, and art workshop at The Nicholson Project’s garden. We will be helping with setting up the soil b eds in the garden with Peter Lewis\, the Garden Manager at Nicholson. Arti st Monica Jahan Bose will lead us in creating poetry and art inspired by c are of the soil and Earth and each other. NOTE: Date has been changed to May 13 due to weather forecast.
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Looking forward to seeing you! Si gn up AT THIS LINK.
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Nicholson Pr oject address:
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2310 Ni cholson St SE\, Washington\, DC 20 020
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Many buses go ther e including D10\, C15\, C31.
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\n< p>Please email storytellingwithsaris@gmail.com with any questions or accom modation needs.
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If you have joined prior Storytelling with Saris w orkshops\, please bring with you your folder of materials — journal\, penc il etc. Looking forward to seeing you! Please email storytellingwithsaris @gmail.com with any questions or accommodation needs.
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Monica Jahan Bose is a Bangladeshi-American artist and climate activist whose work spa ns painting\, printmaking\, performance\, film\, and interdisciplinary pro jects. Her social practice work highlights the intersection of climate\, r acial\, gender\, and economic injustice through co-created workshops and t emporary public art installations and performances. She is the creator of STORYTELLING WITH SARIS\, a long-term art and advocacy project with her an cestral village of Katakhali\, Bangladesh. She has a BA in the Practice of Art (Painting) from Wesleyan University\, a Diploma in Art from Santinike tan\, India\, and a JD from Columbia Law School.
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Peter Lewis is an avid gardener\, artist\, and chef. He has been working with Nicholson Pro ject since 2022 and is the main point of contact for garden activities and distribution during peak growing season. Peter also manages seeds starts and runs the Community Composting Program at Koiner Farm in Silver Spring\ , MD.
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Monica Jaha n Bose bio: Monica Jahan Bose is a Bangladeshi-American artist and climate activist whose work spans paintin g\, printmaking\, film\, performance\, and public art. Her socially engag ed work highlights the intersection of climate\, racial\, gender\, and eco nomic injustice through co-created workshops\, art actions\, and temporary installations and performances. Bose uses the sari — a precolonial 18-foot-long unstitched garment that is always recycled and never discarded — to represent women’s lives and the cycle of life on our planet. She has exhibited her work extensively in the US and internationally (20 solo shows\, numerous group exhibitions\, and more than 25 performances) including solo exhibitions at the Bangladesh Na tional Museum and MACRO Museum of Contemporary Art Rome. Her ongoing collaborative project STORYTELLING WITH SARIS with women farmers from her ancestral island village has travelled to 10 states and seven countries and engaged thousands of people. Her wor k has appeared in the Miami Her ald\, the Washington Post\, Art Asia Pacific\, the Milwaukee Sentinel\, th e Honolulu Star Advertiser\, the Japan Times\, and all major newspapers in Bangladesh. She has a BA in t he Practice of Art (Painting) from Wesleyan University\, a post-graduate D iploma in Art from Santiniketan\, India\, and a JD from Columbia Law Schoo l.
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The Nic holson Project is an artist residency program and neighborhood garden in W ard 7’s Fairlawn neighborhood. Its mission is to support\, provide opportu nities\, engage\, and amplify artists and creatives from our community and the local artist community—particularly artists of color and those from W ard 7 and 8—while engaging our neighbors through community-based programmi ng. Its vision is to serve as a cultural hub and community anchor celebrat ing Ward 7’s authentic identity\, while infusing new vibrancy into Southea st DC. We hope to inspire others to use similar non-traditional arts and c ommunity-centered projects as a pathway toward stronger\, more vibrant com munities.
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This project is supported by the DC Commission on the Ar ts and Humanities.
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Tickets: h ttps://www.eventbrite.com/e/care-earth-day-gardening-and-art-workshop-tick ets-1987193583502?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true.
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The Pagle es are coming to Minnesota! Link to Review of debut show in Chicago.
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Location: Catherine G\, Murphy Gallery at St Catherine University\,
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Visual Arts Building\, 2004 Randolph Avenue\, St. Paul\, MN 55105< /p>\n
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Opening Reception: September 12\, 2026\, 3-5 pm.
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Exhibition dates: September 12- December 12\, 2026.
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The Paglees: Between Reason and Madness
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The Paglees is a feminist collective of artists of South Asian origin living across the United States. Paglee or pagli means crazy woman in a number of South Asian languages.
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In their exhibition\, The Paglees investigate – with fierceness\, beaut y\, and wit – the impact on women of generations of patriarchy\, religion\ , white supremacy\, colonialism\, violence\, capitalism\, and environmenta l plunder.
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The title of the exhibition derives from Ros a Parks’ words: “There is just so much hurt\, disappointment and oppressio n one can take. The bubble of life grows larger. The line between reason a nd madness grows thinner.” (Rosa Parks: Writings\, Notes and Statements\,1 956-58).
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Featuring mixed-media works on paper\, fabric\ , and canvas\, sculpture\, performance\, photography\, installation\, and moving image\, The Paglees: Between Reason and Madness\, questions and reframes the labeling of non-conforming women as crazy and the margina lization of immigrant women of color. This collective exhibition presents new decolonial narratives that center the reason and wisdom of brown women of the Global South and diaspora\, and provide pathways to a creative fem inist future. The Paglees believe in working in collaboration with other m arginalized communities to build bridges and demand social\, environmental \, and legal justice for all.
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The seven Paglees are South Asian Am erican artists living and working across North America: Shelly Bahl (New York City)\, Monica Jahan Bose (Washington\, DC)\, Fawzia Khan (Minneapolis\, Minnesota)\, Indrani Nayar- Gall (Charlotte\, North Carolina)\, Renluka Maharaj (Boulder\, Colorado)\, Nirmal Raja (Milwaukee\, Wisconsin and Boston\, Massachusetts)\, and Pall avi Sharma (San Ramos\, California). We are diasporic South Asians with roots in Bangladesh\, India\, Pa kistan\, and Trinidad & Tobago.
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