Please stop by for the final day of “Nourish: Storytelling with Saris”!  Monica Jahan Bose will be there during gallery hours from noon to 4 pm and will be happy to give you a tour of the exhibition.

Nourish: Storytelling with Saris

Location:  The Nicholson Project, 2310 Nicholson Project SE, Washington DC, Bus B2 and many others

Exhibition Dates: September 10-November 4, 2023

Gallery Hours: Wednesdays 2-6pm + Saturdays 12 noon – 4pm

Link to Washington Post Review.

Nourish: Storytelling with Saris is an installation of video, drawings, poems, saris, and kanthas inspired by plants and herbs. Touching the soil and growing food are grounding and nourishing. For the last two years, Bangladeshi-American artist Monica Jahan Bose and DC participants in her Storytelling with Saris project have been connecting with the soil and Earth and food justice issues by nurturing plants on windowsills and planting neighborhood vegetable gardens. This year they planted and harvested in the garden at The Nicholson Project. Bose led a series of planting workshops that included poetry and art inspired by soil and plants. Using performance, sari art, writing, and film, Storytelling with Saris, which commenced in 2012, links DC residents with Bangladeshi coastal women farmers in solidarity to address climate and food injustice.  There is a concurrent  exhibition by Stephanie J. Williams.

Monica Jahan Bose bio: Monica Jahan Bose is a Bangladeshi-American artist and climate activist whose work spans painting, printmaking, film, performance, and public art.  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. 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 National 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 work has appeared in the Miami Herald, the Washington Post, Art Asia Pacific, the Milwaukee Sentinel, the Honolulu Star Advertiser, the Japan Times, and all major newspapers in Bangladesh. She has a BA in the Practice of Art (Painting) from Wesleyan University, a post-graduate Diploma in Art from Santiniketan, India, and a JD from Columbia Law School.

This project was supported by the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities.

Join Monica Jahan Bose  for an interactive sari workshop during the open house for Hope House in the Arts District.  The event and Monica’s sari installation will take place during the COP28 climate conference in Dubai.  It will be part of Hope House in the arts district and accessible to all (no blue or green badge needed).

Address:  Jossa, Warehouse 45 Alserkal Avenue – 17th St – Dubai – United Arab Emirates

Interactive Climate Sari workshop:  November 30 from 7-10 pm at Open House (RSVP at link here)

Hope House is a “canvas for hope,” a place of rest, resilience, culture and inspiration set in a warehouse space in the vibrant Alserkal arts district in Dubai.  All visitors to COP28 are invited to come and join us.  More details about Hope House at this link.

7:00 pm – 10:00 pm: OPEN (HOPE) HOUSE – A warm welcome to COP28 UAE from Time for Better and celebration of Earth featuring an interactive media opportunity to share your climate story with Imagine5. Women’s Environmental and Climate Action (WECAN) will provide an Earth Dedication to inspire optimistic outcomes at COP28 UAE. *Hope House guests are welcome to bring rocks, soil, and water from their homelands to combine into vessels which will symbolize our collective efforts to make a positive difference.

Monica Jahan 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, gender, and economic injustice through co-created workshops, art actions, installations and performances. Monica 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 including solo exhibitions at the Bangladesh National Museum and MACRO Museum of Contemporary Art Rome. Her decade-long collaborative project STORYTELLING WITH SARIS with women farmers from her ancestral island village has traveled to eight countries and 11 US states, engaging thousands of people. She has a BA in the Practice of Art (Painting) from Wesleyan University, a Diploma in Art from Santiniketan, India, and a JD from Columbia Law School.

Monica Jahan Bose will be presenting at the Bangladesh Pavilion on December 1 at 3:30 to 5 pm.

The Pavilion is in Blue Zone B2, Building 21, ground floor.

Join internationally-acclaimed artist and climate activist Monica Jahan Bose for multimedia storytelling and art-making on a six-meter-long Bangladeshi sari

Storytelling with Saris connects people around the world through art with action steps to address climate change in solidarity with women farmers from artist Monica Jahan Bose’s ancestral village on Barobaishdia Island, Patuakhali District, Bangladesh. Monica is working to preserve the intangible heritage of these women’s folk dances and oral tradition Bangla songs, which may be lost due to climate change.  She will show images and video and share stories about climate impacts in coastal Bangladesh and the resilience of these communities even in the face of losing crops, land, and intangible heritage.  Everyone will join in drawing and writing on a sari. This hands-on art workshop builds cross-border community and climate resilience.

Monica Jahan 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, gender, and economic injustice through co-created workshops, art actions, installations and performances. Monica 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 including solo exhibitions at the Bangladesh National Museum and MACRO Museum of Contemporary Art Rome. Her decade-long collaborative project STORYTELLING WITH SARIS with women farmers from her ancestral island village has traveled to eight countries and 11 US states, engaging thousands of people. She has a BA in the Practice of Art (Painting) from Wesleyan University, a Diploma in Art from Santiniketan, India, and a JD from Columbia Law School.

We will be doing workshops and talks and an exhibition in Dhaka and Patuakhali, Bangladesh.  Stay tuned for details.

চলমান  Ongoing

“চলমান” প্রদর্শনীতে শিল্পী মনিকা জাহান বোস তুলে ধরেছেন শাড়ি, চলচিত্র এবং কৃতকলার মাধ্যমে তাঁর দীর্ঘমেয়াদী প্রকল্প “শাড়ীর  মধ্যে  জীবনগাথা”। এই চলমান প্রকল্পে তিনি কাজ করছেন জলবায়ু পরিবর্তন এবং নারী, খাদ্য ও পরিবেশের উপরে এর বিরূপ প্রভাব নিয়ে। তিনি এক দশক ধরে তার মায়ের গ্রাম (কাটাখালী গ্রাম, বড়বাইশদিয়া দ্বীপ, পটুয়াখালী জেলা), আমেরিকা এবং ইউরোপে বসবাসরত নারীদের যৌথ সহযোগিতায় জলবায়ু পরিবর্তন সম্পর্কিত চিত্র, লেখা, এবং আলোচনা দিয়ে শিল্প করেছেন| “চলমান” শব্দটির বাংলা প্রচলিত সমার্থক অর্থ হল, অগ্রসরমান, অনবরত, অবিরাম, নিরন্তর ইত্যাদি, বিশেষ করে যা ব্যবহৃত হয় চলমান চলচিত্রের ক্ষেত্রে। 

তত্ত্বাবধায়ক: রুক্সমিনি চৌধুরী 

স্থান; শালা, আলোকি, ২১১ গুলশান-তেজগাঁও লিঙ্ক রোড, ঢাকা – ১২০৮

১-৯ মার্চ, ২০২৪, বিকাল ৩টা থেকে ৯টা

‘চলমান’ প্রদর্শনীর উদ্বোধনী অনুষ্ঠানে আপনাকে সাদর আমন্ত্রণ। সময় বিকাল চারটা, ১লা মার্চ, ২০২৪।

Choloman presents an in progress snapshot of Monica Jahan Bose’s ongoing Storytelling with Saris collaborative art project, addressing climate change and its impact on women, food, and our environment through saris, film, and performance. The word “choloman” in Bangla means ongoing, moving, or continuous and is especially used to refer to films that are running. Monica has worked for more than a decade with women farmers from her ancestral village in Katakhali, Barobaishdia Island, Patuakhali District along with residents of her home in Washington DC and others around the world.

Curator: Ruxmini Choudhury.

The exhibition will run from 3pm to 9pm everyday from 1-9 March, 2024.

Venue: Shala, Aloki, 211 Gulshan – Tejgaon Link Road, Dhaka -1208

You are cordially invited to the inauguration of the exhibition চলমান on 1st March, 2024 at 4pm.

Monica Jahan 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, gender, and economic injustice through co-created workshops, art actions, and temporary installations and performances. She has exhibited her work extensively in the US and internationally (26 solo shows, numerous group exhibitions, and more than 25 performances) including solo exhibitions at the Bangladesh National Museum and MACRO Museum of Contemporary Art Rome. Her ongoing decade-long collaborative project Storytelling with Saris with women farmers from her ancestral island village has traveled to eight countries and 12 US states, engaging thousands of people. Her work has appeared in the Miami Herald, the Washington Post, Art Asia Pacific, the Milwaukee Sentinel, the Honolulu Star Advertiser, the Japan Times, Prothom Alo and all major newspapers in Bangladesh. The Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum is acquiring a collection of her paintings, saris, and archival materials. Monica was an artist delegate to the COP28 climate conference in Dubai, presenting sari installations, workshops, and film screenings. She has a BA in the Practice of Art (Painting) from Wesleyan University, a post-graduate diploma in art from Santiniketan,India, and a JD from Columbia Law School.

Image: © 2018, Monica Jahan Bose, Rising Up, performance still, Miami Beach, Florida; photo credit: Ben Droz.

We are excited to announce the Climate Hope project by Monica Jahan Bose presented by the Arlington Art Truck of Arlington County Government.  Curated by Cynthia Connolly, eight activations will occur at various locations across Arlington, Virginia.  Contribute to a community created art project by writing a poem, pledge, or an illustration directly onto an 18-foot-long cotton sari that is adorned by woodblocks from the artist’s ancestral village in Bangladesh. The poems and pledges will complete the sari which already includes climate themed wood block prints. On the last day, the public is invited to join a procession with over 70 feet of saris through an Arlington neighborhood to a waterway.  Here is the PRESS RELEASE.

Activation dates:

Wednesday, April 3 – Barcroft School, not open to public 

Sunday, April 7 – 9 am -1 pm – Columbia Pike Farmers Market, 2820 Columbia Pike

Saturday, April 20 – 8 an -noon – Lubber Run Farmers Market opening day, 4401 N Henderson Road

Sunday, April 21 – 11 am -5 pm – Earth Day, Every Day, 4500-4550 Cherry Hill Road

Sunday, May 5 – 9 am -1 pm – Fairlington Farmers Market opening day, 3308 S Stafford Street Special guest: Arlington Poet Laureate Courtney LeBlanc will be with us 9-11am 

Thursday, May 16 – 3-7 pm – MoCA on the Move with MoCA Arlington at MET Park, South Elm Street between South 13th and South 14th Streets  

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 Campbell Avenue ;  11-1: activation outside-(drop by anytime), 1-2:30: artist talk in library and community performance/procession from library to Jennie Dean park. There is limited space for the artist talk indoors. Free. Sign up here.  

Check here for latest information  

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

Join artist/filmmaker Monica Jahan Bose for the DC premiere of “Darchira River,” a new performance film. The film is based on a performance about cimate change 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 features 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.

Join us at lunchtime on Friday for the DC premiere at Artomatic.

Running time 20 minutes, followed by Q&A with artist

Artomatic, Friday, April 19 at 12:15 pm, 6th floor

2100 M St NW, Washington, DC (metro; Dupont Circle)

Monica Jahan Bose bio: Monica Jahan Bose is a Bangladeshi-American artist and climate activist whose work spans painting, printmaking, film, performance, and public art.  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. 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 National 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 work has appeared in the Miami Herald, the Washington Post, Art Asia Pacific, the Milwaukee Sentinel, the Honolulu Star Advertiser, the Japan Times, and all major newspapers in Bangladesh. She has a BA in the Practice of Art (Painting) from Wesleyan University, a post-graduate Diploma in Art from Santiniketan, India, and a JD from Columbia Law School.