India: Art, Science, Play

Eli Whitney Museum

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2018 Summer Program

India is vast. Her population is 4 times larger than ours. She is the cradle of ancient cultures and myriad languages. But you can begin to see her by looking through the eyes of a remarkable scientist and remarkable artists.

Arvind Gupta is an inventor and educator. For more than 30 years, he has translated basic science into experiments that any curious child can construct.His nearly 200 short videos appear in 5 languages. He uses cast-off plastic bottles, matchboxes and tape. He develops universal ideas but often with an Indian flavor. Construct a Dug Dughi, a pull toy that drums rhythms. Build a magnetic spinner that will work with Indian, but not American, coins. Build balancing tropical birds and balancing figures that dance. Construct string figures that have followed travelers around the world. And sample Gupta's stories honoring the trees of India.

Gita Wolf is an artist, author and publisher. For over 20 years, her imprint, Tara Books, has produced books for children with art from the Meena, Gond, and Bhil regions of India. Wolf set out to publish stories for children in India with art that is distinctly and uniquely Indian. Tara Books are an unrivaled treasury of India's traditions.

The books are silkscreened by hand on handmade paper. The pages are breathtaking. The stories will enchant you.They will teach you to draw elephants, paint fish, construct puppets and play with mud. And, of course, Tara Books, has produced a lovely anthology celebrating Indian trees.

Begin and end each day with movement and dance that stretch from yoga that stretch form yoga, traditional dances, and Bollywood.


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