Workshops Events Celebrate India’s Vibrant Culture

ROCKPORT, Maine – August 10 and 11, Maine Media Workshops partners with The Strand Theatre in Rockland and the Center for Maine Contemporary Art (CMCA) in Rockport to present several special events celebrating the people and culture of India.

Today all eyes are on India. The popularity of the Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire has raised public interest in the culture and locales of that country.

Monday August 10 at 4PM, the Workshops and the Strand Theatre in Rockland host Views of India. This special presentation features two renowned photographers, John Isaac and Stephen Hyler, each with a life-long passion for India, and emerging photographer Emma Simmons whose recent fascination with the country has resulted in breathtaking new photographs. The three artists will share their work, experiences, and reflections of this intriguing land.

A United Nations photographer for three decades, John Isaac’s career has spanned the globe, yet he is always drawn back to his native country. He has also taught at Maine Media Workshops for many years, meeting student Emma Simmons when she was enrolled in the Workshops’ 2007 photography residency program. Emma later traveled to Rajasthan, India for the first time in October 2008 as a teaching assistant for Isaac’s Maine Media destination workshop there. Workshops alum and now member of the Maine Media’s National Advisory Council, Stephen Huyler has been traveling in India since 1971, recording the common pulse of the peoples of India and conveying his discoveries through books, exhibitions, films and lectures.

Celebrating India follows on Tuesday, August 11, when the town of Rockport is transformed into a multimedia extravaganza. Evening events beginning at 6:30 PM include an outdoor projection of photographs by Workshops students in India; and simultaneous receptions at CMCA and at the Workshops Gallery in Union Hall, where an exhibition opens with work from photographers Isaac, Huyler, and Simmons. John Isaac and Stephen Huyler will also be available to sign copies of their latest photographic books.

At 8PM in Union Hall Theatre, Karen Lukas of Folk Arts Rajasthan presents a short documentary film MERASI MURLIE on the creation of one musical instrument from the Thar Desert in north west India dating back more than 1200 years. The evening continues with a Workshops faculty presentation by photographer Arlene Collins. All events are free and open to the public.

The Strand Theatre is located at 345 Main Street in Rockland. CMCA, at 162 Russell Avenue, and the Workshops Gallery at in Union Hall, 2 Central Street, are both located at the heart of Rockport Village. The Views of India exhibition is open through August 28. Workshops Gallery hours are Monday – Wednesday 11:30am - 8:30pm, Thursday & Friday 11:30am - 5:00pm, and Saturday 9:00am - 3:00pm.For information contact Maine Media Workshops be phone at 207-236-8581, email info@theworkshops.com, or visit www.theworkshops.com.