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Immigrant Status: Contributions

Artists

Shakun Maheshwari (India)

". . . I remain in touch with my own ethnic background,
so I am constantly finding ways to bridge the gap
between old and new, modern and ancient,
and trying to connect this timeline
for coming generations of artists."

It is hard to separate life from art. During my childhood in India, I spent time with my grandmother, mother and relatives learning how to decorate the floor of our house with chalk powder or rice flour, decorate our hands and feet with henna, and our clothes with embroidery. In school and college, I paid more attention to drawing and coloring than to my textbooks. After college, I started to learn more oil painting and different craftworks.

My artwork is always influenced by my feelings and surrounding. I started my journey as a folk artist in India, learning traditional forms of Indian art that is useful in daily life. Henna, rangoli, embroidery, doll-making, etc.

Maheshwari went to North Hennepin Community College and completed a graphic design program. There she expanded her knowledge of oil painting in different mediums -- photography, pastel, pen and ink, monoprint, watercolor. She then freelanced as a graphic designer, designing everything from magnets and posters to industrial design and photography while she continued to create her own art.

In 1995, she opened her own gallery in downtown Minneapolis, where she learned about the business side of art. The gallery had to close down in 1997 due to the demolition of the entire downtown block for high-rise constructions.

As a Roster Artist for the Minnesota Arts in Education program, she has taught in numerous art classes, camps, colleges and universities and local galleries. The real point for her teaching came in 2001 when she became a Roster Artist for Young Audiences of MN, a program which opened up teaching residency opportunities, requiring her to come up with creative new ideas for coursework, projects and installations, "each one unique nand has an energy all its own."

Over the years, Maheshwari has worked in various media -- watercolor, ink, oil, acrylic, pencil, pastels, chalk, photography, block printing, batik, clay, glass.

To view more of Maheshwari's work, go to
http://www.shakuntaladesign.com

Exhibited works:
Looking Back, Moving Forward (water color)
In Touch (water color)
Sunflower 1 (mixed media batik on paper)
Henna & Aisha (digital print)
Three Sisters (digital print)
Folk Artist I Jaiselmer (digital print)
Folk Artists II Jaiselmer (digital print)
Three Friends Waiting For a Ride (color photograph)
Men with Safas Waiting For A Ride (color photograph)
Coming Home (digital print)