Vismitha Viskam - reaching out to the world

The 'Vismita Viskam Nirmana Sansadhaya' an organization that supports the development of arts and crafts in the country is to hold its first exhibition on August 29-30, 2009 at the Kala Bhavana Art Gallery.

Over 270 talented artists, including soldiers from the Ranaviru Sevana will participate in this event. This exhibition will showcase a wide range of traditional handicrafts. Most of the products that will be displayed at the exhibition will be made using local eco-friendly raw materials and resources.

The objective of the exhibition is to provide a platform for the artists to market their handicrafts locally and internationally.

The best displayed handicraft will be awarded Rs. 100,000 with the second place winner set to receive Rs. 50,000 and third place winner to receive Rs. 25,000. In addition, ten participants will be selected to receive Rs. 5,000 as special commendations for their work.

Speaking on this, President of the 'Vismita Viskam Nirmana Sansadhaya' Shashini Ranasinghe said, 'I am extremely pleased with how far our foundation has progressed, especially now having a base of 300 members who are all talented artists in their own right. This exhibition will be just the first step from a wide range of community based projects that we plan to hold in future.

This only proves that there is a lot of talent and creativity in our country that needs to be nurtured and showcased on a local as well as international level." The exhibition is the result of the successful completion of a workshop at the Maharagama Youth Centre, where 350 artists from across the country were given the opportunity to better develop their skills through hands on training.