Monday, 9 June 2014 at 10 a.m. marked the inauguration of a series of 3 joint workshops at the Bengal Centre organised by the Bengal Foundation in collaboration with the American Center of the U.S. Embassy in Dhaka.

Both visiting from the United States, Mr. Andrew Saftel and Mr. Whitney Baker will lead these workshops, of which two will take place in Dhaka and one in Rajshahi. The three workshops will unite both print-making and poetry artists around the common theme of The Urban Experience, a defining feature of contemporary life in Bangladesh. You will find a detailed list of the participants in these workshops at the end of this communiqué.

Director General of the Bengal Foundation, Ms. Luva Nahid Choudhury delivered the welcome speech at the occasion. In her speech, she talked about the Bengal Foundation’s efforts in the conservation of the arts and culture of Bangladesh over the past 25 years, and talked about the long-standing friendship the Foundation enjoys with the American Center. Master print-maker Mr. Andrew Saftel and litterateur Mr. Whitney Baker also spoke on the occasion. During his speech, Mr Baker recited a poem by noted Bangladeshi poet Kaiser Haq. The director of Safiuddin Print-making studio, Prof. Mahmudul Haque addressed those present, welcoming the participants and wishing success upon the event. Lastly, the Cultural Affairs Officer of the American Center in Dhaka, Mr. Calvin Hayes thanked everyone and declared the event open.

The workshop will encourage artists to seek positive and negative aspects of “the urban”. Is living in a city an advantage, or a curse? How to express oneself in enclosed urban spaces? How do artists interpret the, often contradictory, issues raised by rapid urbanization – where congested urban centers are sources of both formidable challenges and opportunities.

On the print-making side, this workshop will bring together Bangladeshi print-makers and Mr. Andrew Saftel, a visiting printmaking artist from the USA. From Tennessee Mr. Saftel (www.andrewsaftel.com) is a professional print-maker, painter and arts educator. He holds a degree in Fine Arts from the San Francisco Art Institute. His works have been displayed in solo and group exhibitions throughout the US. The workshop will be hosted in the premises of the Safiuddin Bengal Printmaking studio, which is headed by Prof. Mahmudul Haque.

On the poetry side, the workshop will bring together 15 aspiring poets from Bangladesh and Mr. Whitney Baker, a visiting poet from Tennessee whose work has been featured in various literary publications, including in the renowned Holler Poetry Series (2009). Both Messrs. Saftel and Baker conducted several workshops in Bangladesh in the past years.

With this new project, Bengal Foundation and the American Center of the U.S. Embassy in Dhaka continue their long term cooperation to the service and the development of the Arts sector in Bangladesh.