Join the curator of the San Francisco Asian Art Museum for a talk about a new exhibit featuring a style of painting by primarily women artists in India that has become a catalyst for economic growth and social change.

Associate Art Curator Qamar Adamjee will share a slideshow presentation and answer questions. Light refreshments will be provided.

• Date: Tuesday, Sept. 18
• Time: 12–1 p.m.
• Location: Franklin 5320

The talk is organized by the Asian Pacific Islander Staff Association.

A specialist in Indian and Persian paintings, Adamjee has written, lectured and organized exhibitions on subjects such as Islamic art, Hindu and Sikh art, 19th century photography, painting and prints, Indian paintings, sculpture and contemporary art.

Her latest exhibit, “Painting Is My Everything: Art from India’s Mithila Region,” opens Sept. 7 at the museum. Discover the bold artistic vision of 17 contemporary artists, many of them women, from the provincial Mithila region of India. Their visually delightful work has received commercial success, bringing much-needed income to their families and catalyzing social change in the region. Working within a traditional painting style, these artists address topics that are at once local and global, personal and universal, from reflections on piety to current events.

Mithila style painting, characterized by visually striking compositions, stylized images, delicately detailed surfaces and vibrant colors, was originally practiced exclusively by women on the walls of their homes. In the wake of a severe drought in the 1960s, this mural tradition was transferred to paper, a format that could be sold to bring much-needed income to rural villages.

For many women, artistic success has translated into financial independence and community respect. Dulari Devi, a woman from a lower caste community who was a housemaid before earning her living as an artist, said, “Ever since I started painting, I do it like worship … painting is my everything.”

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