June 2024
Happy Pride Month!
Artwork of the Month:
Bride's Toilet, 1937, by Amrita Sher-Gil
When Sher-Gil returned to India in 1934, her approach towards art changed significantly. A number of later artworks revolved around the poor and the underprivileged, the common folk and their struggles.
A work of modernism, this painting draws influence from the frescoes of Ajanta and the miniatures of Mughal art, thereby resulting in a masterful amalgam of Indian and European styles. Part of Sher-Gil's well known South Indian trilogy, comprising also Brahmacharis and South Indian Villagers Going to Market, Bride's Toilet explores the simplicity and uniqueness of rural life, a recurring subject in her later paintings.
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Podcast: Native Narratives
Episode 4 - Museum Musings
The fourth episode of our podcast, Museum Musings, was released on International Museum Day, 18th May!
You can watch it on YouTube or listen to it on Spotify!
This episode is all about museums and the stories that are told through them! This episode was hosted by Madhura Deshmukh, ARISA's Senior Program Coordinator! She spoke to Zheel Naganur and Sayli Kulkarni, who work at the Zapurza Museum of Art & Culture. They gave us insights into what goes on behind the scenes of curations of exhibits or setting up events at a museum, why they feel so passionately about their roles at Zapurza, and why museums are, and always will be, important to our culture!
Research
Engaging with art “in-the-wild” at the Barnes Foundation and Penn Museum

Another preprint is out! ‘Engaging with art “in-the-wild” at the Barnes Foundation and Penn Museum’ - a project by our own Dr. Kohinoor Darda and amazing co-authors from the Penn Center of Neuroaesthetics including Vicente Estrada Gonzalez, Alexander P. Christensen, Isabella Bobrow, Amy Krimm, Zuha Nasim, Eileen R. Cardillo, William Perthes, and Anjan Chatterjee. You can find the preprint here.
The study investigates how art is perceived and appreciated in physical museums versus digital platforms. It examines the cognitive and emotional impacts of artworks on viewers in these different contexts. Findings indicate that aesthetic experiences are similar across both settings, but viewers report gaining more understanding from art in museums than from digital views. Additionally, individual traits like art experience and openness to experience affect aesthetic impacts differently in museum and lab environments. The study underscores the potential for museums to use digital technologies to enhance their educational missions.
Workshop - The Science of Engaging With The Arts 🧠🎨
We held our first in a series of workshops targeting people at different career stages and in different fields! This workshop fused the sciences and the arts to explore how we experience the world around us and how that experience shapes us. In particular, the attendees were introduced to how arts and aesthetic experiences can measurably change the body, brain, and behaviour and how this knowledge is translated into specific practices that advance health and well-being.
The workshop was conducted by Dr. Megha Sharda, a cognitive neuroscientist with expertise in understanding the role of music in the brain and its impact on well-being!

For more information about our future workshops and events follow our socials and stay tuned!
Upcoming Events
Queer Roundtable
Join us for an open discussion on LGBTQIA+ topics in a safe space on the 8th of June, from 4 to 6 pm! This is a space for asking questions about queer issues and sharing your experiences. Whether you're part of the community, questioning, wanting to support loved ones, or simply looking to learn more, you're welcome here. We can't promise all your questions will be answered, but we can definitely start the conversation. This event is for individuals 18 and older. The venue and other details will be emailed to you once you register.
Register for it through this link and spread the word about it to anyone who might be interested!
Aesthetics Journal Club
The Aesthetics Journal Club (AJC) is a platform to discuss research in the fields of empirical aesthetics, neuroaesthetics, arts, and everything related, whilst also engaging in insightful conversations with people all across the globe virtually. Members are welcome to present their data, practice talks, or get feedback on a new project idea. Our next meeting is already around the corner, and here are the details:
Anna Izountouemoi, will be leading this meeting by exploring how dance expertise enhances sensitivity, drawing from the following research paper - ‘Does Dance Expertise Enhance Sensitivity? A Comparative Study’ by Izountouemoi and Esteves, 2023.
We hope you can familiarize yourself with the literature and join the discussions. If you’re interested in joining the meetings, you can fill out this form or email us at samrddhee.pathare@arisafoundation.org to join the AJC.
Queer Film Screening
Celebrate Pride Month with ARISA by joining us for a special screening of Margarita with a Straw, on the 14th of June! It’s a film that celebrates the beauty of queer narratives through the story of Laila, a young student living with cerebral palsy, who falls in love with a woman and discovers newer horizons in the process.
Date: 14th June
Time: 5:30 pm
Venue: 15, Cinderella Society, Yogi Park, Baner, Pune
Queer Mehfil
Do you want to jam out with queer artists?
Join us on the 22nd of June for Queer-a-Mehfil! An evening full of music by queer people, for everyone where you can sing alongside artists of Pune!
If you would like to perform yourself please reach out to us! It could be a dance, poetry, songs, instrumentals - we would be delighted to have you!
Date: 22nd June
Venue: 15, Cinderella Society, Yogi Park, Baner, Pune
It'll be a night to remember! Stay tuned to our socials for more details :)