'Diwali: Festival Of Lights' Comes To Worcester Art Museum

WORCESTER, MA—Via Worcester Art Museum: On Saturday, Nov. 3, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Worcester Art Museum (WAM) hosts a festive community day that commemorates the triumph of light over darkness. “Diwali: Festival of Lights” is the theme of the Museum’s popular Fall Community Day. Diwali is India’s most celebrated national holiday, a colorful and joyous time when family, food, beautiful adornments, and displays of light all herald the embrace of knowledge over ignorance, of light over darkness.

This third annual community event is held in partnership with the India Society of Worcester. In a feast for the senses, the Museum will be filled with sights, smells, and sounds of India during this full day of programming and special performances. Activities and programs include:

· Indian Dress Try-ons: Get a close-up view of the luminance and color of India’s traditional garments and learn how to drape a Sari. Presented by India Society of Worcester.

· Mehndi: See how a mehndi artist works and receive henna of your own. The art of mehndi has been a long-standing tradition stemming from many ancient cultures but is mostly known today for its history and prevalence in India.

· Hands-on Activities: Make paper marigolds, Diwali door hangings, and Madhubani art coasters to bring home

· Music and Dance: The India Society of Worcester presents a full line-up of traditional, modern, and contemporary Indian performances in the Museum’s grand Renaissance Court.

· Food: Traditional Indian food will be available for purchase. (Please note the Museum Café will not be open on this day due to the Community Day activities.)

· Gallery Tours: 10:30 a.m. – Family Tour; 12 noon—Zip Tour: "The Genius of Louis Tiffany and John LaFarge" (in theRadiance Rediscovered exhibition); 2 p.m. – Tour of the Month: The Art of India and Iran

· Related Exhibition: This year’s Fall Community Day coincides with the special exhibition, Preserved Pages: Book as Art in Persian and India, 1300-1800.

Photo Credit: Charlene Arsenault