Mandala Arts presents its fourth annual Mandala Makers Festival June 16–26, returning to in-person performances after two years of digital programming.
The festival features nationally recognized and emerging artists who reside in the community in and around Devon Avenue, a hub for immigrants and members of the South Asian diaspora. “One of the festival’s goals is to amplify voices and draw attention to the generations of artists, communities, and culture in the neighborhood to promote positive change through better representation of and advocacy for artistic communities of color,” said Mandala Associate Artistic Director Ashwaty Chennat, who is curating the festival.
Artists and collaborators, who represent performance disciplines including music, dance, drag, storytelling, community-devised work, and interdisciplinary creations. Participants—all responding to specific cultures, art forms, and perspectives from South Asian traditions—include:
• Laksha Dantran, dance artist creating Indian classical theatre with LGBTQ perspectives
• Radia Ali, multidisciplinary performance artist exploring themes of transcendence in music and dance
• Abhijeet, drag performer who is curating artists highlighting South Asian Pride
• Masood Haque & Vikram Pandya, Desi storytellers and comedians
• Max ZT, dubbed the "Jimi Hendrix of the Hammer Dulcimer", performing a solo set
• Anvita Hariharan, Carnatic (South Indian classical) saxophonist
• PM Tummala, multi instrumentalist and experimental sound artist taking cues from from Tropicalia, Dub, Jazz, Ambient Indian cinematic and popular music
• Ochin Pakhi, a group of Bengali musicians representing folk styles from Bangladesh and West Bengal, India
• Ishti Collective, performing site-specific dance work drawing from folk forms and classical dances of South Asia and beyond
• Priya Darshini, a vocalist and composer combining folk, Indian classical, jazz, and pop whose album Periphery was Grammy-nominated in the “Best New Age” category
Learn more at makersfestival.mandalaarts.org
