Article by Jahnavi S.

On May 18th, the Indian American Community Services (IACS) sponsored a night of dance performances at the Kirkland Performance Center. The dances addressed community challenges and stigmas faced by many. As encapsulated by the IACS Facebook page, this show was “a dance show where art meets advocacy”. The theme of this night was “Rhythms of Resilience.”

Big round of applause to our artists Adithi Siva, Dhiya Souresh, and Mahathi Anshitha Barrenkala who presented their paintings highlighting stories of resilience. They caught the audience’s attention as the opening act for the event! 

Article by Anvika B.

At a recent AI in Traditional Arts workshop organized by Deepti Designs, two young artists, Anvika Bheemarasetty, a 7th grader, and Srinidhi Kodemala, a 9th grader, demonstrated exceptional understanding of artificial intelligence and its transformative potential in the art world, impressing all attendees. They held the workshop at the Bothell Library and had everyone buzzing with questions and ideas about using AI to create images, ethical considerations, AI hallucinations, and more. 

One participant said, "I witnessed the most incredible session yesterday. They demonstrated how they are using AI to draw inspiration for creating art forms of all types and eras. The whole experience made me truly believe that AI will not take jobs away, it is here as our assistant to help ease our lives in all fields." 

These students not only engaged the audience with their lesson but also used hands-on activities to demonstrate innovative AI techniques, proving that AI is a friend to traditional arts. These young artists are leading us into a future where AI is a creative partner instead of a threat to human creativity. So, say goodbye to reference pictures in class and say hello to AI-generated images!

Article by Manavi Shukla

We have an important announcement to make for our students in Redmond! Starting on June 21st, the Friday classes will be held at Redmond Senior Center (Address: 8703 160th Ave NE. Redmond, WA 98052) instead of the Redmond Community Center at Marymoor Village. Make sure to mark this down!

Article by Anvika B.

The India Day Parade organized by TTA on Sat, May 25th, was a blast! Deepti Designs stole the show with their Kuteer, a Madhubani-decorated wooden house, placed on top of a float. The float, consisting of an open trailer, was followed by a group of talented youth artists proudly displaying their paintings and Indian flags. The council general of India from the Indian consulate graced the event as the guest of honor, and the parade also featured numerous other local organizations with their colorful floats. Kuteer was the star of the show, receiving compliments and admiration from the crowd at the parade.

Thank you to the volunteers, Anugraha Ganesh, Rasika Ganesh, Ritisha Saraogi, Riyanshi Saraogi, Prayan Mittal, Rama Panchap, Riya Subramaniam, and Ruthvi Subramaniam who helped and participated in the event!

Article by Anishka G.

Last month on May 12th, the Veda Temple in Redmond buzzed with creativity as over 40 kids dove into the vibrant world of Madhubani decoupage art! Guided by the adult mentor Ms. Annapoorni Panchap and our amazing student volunteers - Oumshri, Anika, Rama, and Akshara - the young artists learned to transform ordinary birdhouses into colorful decoupage masterpieces. 

The workshop was a success, filling the room with beautiful birdhouses and beaming smiles. A huge shoutout to our dedicated volunteers for making this event so awesome! Here's to more artistic adventures ahead!

Article by Jahnavi S.

Indus Creations is hosting a play in Tamil called Googly on June 29th and 30th at the Kirkland Performance Center. The play is a fundraiser for the Heart to Heart Foundation, a non-profit effort dedicated to making healthcare more accessible. They are also collaborating with the famous cricket player, Sunil Gavaskar, to bring this production to us.

Deepti Designs School of Art was invited to create a set for this play. The volunteers from our school who helped create the set are Sai Keerthana, Nethra Mahesh, Ruchika Saraogi, Divya Bansai, Shachi Sinha, Ms. Deepti Agarwal, and Ms. Nikita Sobby. They created a remarkable part of the set for the sports-themed play: the pillars in the background. They intricately designed four pillars with Madhubani motifs, as can be seen in the picture on the left.

Congratulations to our chief editor and original founder of the Beacon, Harini Thiagarajan, for her acceptance into MIT! We are immensely proud of all her achievements and thankful for her hard work and contributions to the newsletter over the years.

We also extend our heartfelt congratulations to the studio's other 2024 graduates - we wish you the best in your college endeavors and are confident you will accomplish great things!