This is a panel discussion with several other speakers. It is an EPA event but others may come with registration. Please let know if you are planning to attend (monicajahanbose@gmail.com).

This panel discussion is hosted by the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS). It is moderated by Floyd Mori, President and CEO of APAICS.

Chief guest: US Ambassador Dan Mozena.
Inauguration to be followed by iftar. Monica Jahan Bose and Nandita Ahmed will be present along with Katakhali artists Roksana and Khuku Rani. Please join us for the exhibition’s premiere and book launch in Bangladesh!

This is the last chance to see the installation of saris, video and journals and Monica Jahan Bose speak about the Storytelling with Saris project. A short version of the film will also be screened.

Storytelling with Saris is featured in a Group Exhibition “Prologue-Epilogue” in Newark, NJ
The Gateway Project, 2 Gateway Center, Newark, NJ (near Newark Penn Station) )
Dates: October 9- November 20, 2014
Opening: October 9 from 6 to 9 pm
Exhibition hours: Tues-Thurs 11 am to 6 pm
There is an installation of performance photos, video and saris in this show. Monica Jahan Bose will be doing a performance/installation called “Water” on opening night at 7:30 pm. Curated by Jasmine Wahi and Rebecca Jampol.
More details here.

We will be having a ribbon-cutting for my brand new solar panels, a short film screening, an update on the Storytelling with Saris project, climate change news, and what we each can do to reduce our individual carbon footprint. There will also be information sharing with solar company GreenBrilliance as well as a demonstration of their mobile solar kit.

Drinks and snacks served.

Metro: Woodley Park, Red Line. Bus: 42, 43, L-1, L-2, Circulator. We encourage walking, biking or public transport.
Limited parking in neighborhood.

Supported in part by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, which is funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Storytelling with Saris will be featured at the Gallery Cosmos booth (Booth C3) along with other artists. The exhibition is curated by Leah Stoddard. There will be a mini sari-video installation, photos, and prints.

There will also be a special performance by Monica Jahan Bose called JALOBAYU (Climate. Water. Wind) on Friday, Dec. 5 at 4 pm.

VIP Preview: Dec. 2 from 4-8 pm (please contact for invitation)
Select Fair hours: Dec. 3-7, 2014 11 am to 8 pm everyday except Sunday (closing at 5 pm).

Please come and join us in Miami! The entrance to the fair is near the beach on Ocean Parkway and 73rd Street.

JALOBAYU জলবায়ু
Climate . Water . Wind

a performance/installation by
MONICA JAHAN BOSE

The body, wrapped in a 216-foot sari written on and worn by 12 coastal women in Bangladesh, collaborates with wind, sand, and water to speak to increasing cyclones, sea level rise, and loss of food and heritage caused by climate change. “Jalobayu” means climate in Bengali and is a combination of the words for water and wind. The performance alludes to rituals in Islam, Hinduism, and Christianity.

JALOBAYU references narratives, both real and mythological, including the Indian myth of Draupadi, the eternal virgin who was married to five brothers, as well as the true story of the artist’s grandmother Johora, who was married at age seven and years later swept away by a cyclone. In South Asian and other cultures, water symbolizes death, destruction, purification, and renewal. Draupadi bathes and become a virgin daily.

The endless sari is part of STORYTELLING WITH SARIS, a collaborative art and advocacy project highlighting gender and climate change. JALOBAYU juxtaposes women’s words and their worn saris against the backdrop of the rising ocean in Miami Beach.

SELECT MIAMI, 73rd & Ocean Terrace, Friday, Dec. 5, 2014, 4:00 pm

Please join me for the scoop on Art Basel-Miami Beach, the SELECT Art Fair, and the Jalobayu performance. This is the final salon of the year! I will be sharing images and telling you about the my next journey to Katakhali, which starts on January 30th, 2015.

Please join Monica Jahan Bose, creator of STORYTELLING WITH SARIS, for an interactive workshop about women’s empowerment in the face of climate change. Monica is collaborating on an art and advocacy project with women from her ancestral coastal village in Katakhali, Bangladesh. In 2014, she was invited to do public presentations at the Brooklyn Museum, at the Edward M. Kennedy Center in Bangladesh, and during Art Basel-Miami Beach. The goal of the SARI PLEDGE & EMPOWERMENT WORKSHOP is to create links between Americans and Bangladeshis by emphasizing personal stories of empowerment and resilience to inspire Americans to reduce our carbon footprint. Participants will learn about the project through an audio-visual presentation and then write and do woodblock printing on saris, documenting their personal stories and making pledges to protect our planet. Participants are also invited to join a DC public performance with the saris in Fall 2015. The saris will ultimately be returned to Bangladesh to be worn by coastal women. The workshop is free and open to women and men over age 15.

See storytellingwithsaris.com for more details about the project. Funded in part by the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities, which is partially supported by the National Endowment for the Arts.

It is going to be a fun and inspiring workshop on a critical issue that impacts us all. Please come and invite friends and colleagues.

Photo credit: Peter Howard.