Meridian International Center is now accepting submissions for a crowd-sourced exhibition on Indian faiths and religious traditions in the United States. Funded by U.S. Embassy New Delhi and implemented by Meridian International Center, this project is designed to capture the diversity of the Indian American community and represent the broad range of religious traditions celebrated by various Indian faiths. The exhibition will reach India, where it will travel to various cities, in the fall of 2016.
Submissions are due by March 31st, 2016, 11:59 pm (EST)
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About the Project
Meridian International Center (Meridian) has partnered with the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi (India) to create an Indian faiths multimedia exhibition using photography, video, and audio. This presentation will illustrate how Indian Americans practice their faith traditions – such as Diwali, the Eids, Guru Nanak’s birthday, Holi, etc. – in the United States, and how Indian faith traditions have been adopted by American communities.
This exhibition will travel across India beginning in the fall of 2016. It is intended to spark dialogue between individuals and leaders from the civic, academic, business, faith, and government sectors. The exhibition aims to encourage conversations about diversity and religious tolerance across Indian communities.
Multimedia objects will be entirely crowd-sourced, and a jury will select the final works for inclusion in the exhibition. A website, digital edition, catalogue, and posters will complement the exhibition.
Project Goals
- Capture the diversity of the Indian American community and represent the broad range of religious traditions celebrated by various Indian faiths
- Demonstrate how Indian traditions have been adopted and are practiced by a multicultural population in the United States
- Spark a conversation among Indian leaders and community members about diversity and religious tolerance
Organizing Institution and Partners
Founded in 1960, Meridian International Center is a non-profit educational and cultural institution dedicated to promoting international understanding through the exchange of people, ideas, and the arts. The Meridian Center for Cultural Diplomacy (MCCD) designs and develops cultural exhibitions, exchanges, and related programming. Meridian works with the U.S. government, embassies, museums, and artists worldwide. For more information about MCCD, please visit meridian.org/mccd.
Dr. Diana Eck, Professor of Comparative Religion and Indian Studies at Harvard University, will be a co-curator for this exhibition. Her academic work has a dual focus—India and the United States—and in both cases she is interested in religious pluralism in a multi-religious society. She also founded The Pluralism Project, which includes a network of some 60 affiliates exploring such topics as the growth of Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Jain, and Zoroastrian communities in the United States. For more information about Dr. Eck and her work, please visit scholar.harvard.edu/dianaeck. To learn more about The Pluralism Project, please visit pluralism.org.
The U.S. Embassy in New Delhi is one of the largest U.S. diplomatic missions in the world. Diplomatic ties with India were established in 1947 after India gained independence. The U.S.-India bilateral relationship is based on five pillars: strategic cooperation; energy and climate change; education and development; economics, trade, and agriculture; science and technology, health, and innovation. Richard R. Verma is the 25th U.S. Ambassador to India. For more information about the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, please visit newdelhi.usembassy.gov.
Program Timeline
Submissions due: March 31, 2016
Submissions reviewed: April 2016
Final submissions selected and approved: May 2016
Exhibition development: May-August 2016
Exhibition reaches U.S. Embassy New Delhi: September 2016
Submission Process
Meridian is requesting photograph, audio, video, or other multimedia submissions. Submissions should show how you and/or your community celebrate Indian traditions, such as Diwali, the Eids, Guru Nanak’s birthday, or Holi. Entries emphasizing that Indian traditions are celebrated by a broad range of American communities and are not exclusively recognized by Indian Americans are highly encouraged.
Acceptable submissions include photographs, artworks, short videos, and audio files. Final selections will be chosen based off of the following criteria:
- Relevance – Diversity in celebrating Indian faith traditions in the United States
- Storytelling – A compelling narrative is depicted
- Tolerance – Material is culturally and religiously sensitive and politically neutral
- Aesthetics – Material is visually pleasing (e.g. balance, contrast)
- If submitting photographs, candid images will be prioritized over posed group images
Required technical specifications:
- Photographs: Resolution must be at least 300 pixels per inch. Files must be in *.jpg, *.jpeg, or *.tiff format. Please omit watermarks or descriptive text.
- Video: Videos cannot exceed three minutes in length. Files should be submitted in one of the following formats: *.mpg, *.mp4, *.mov, *.avi, or *.wmv.
- Audio: Audio files cannot exceed three minutes in length. Files should be submitted in one of the following formats: *.m4a, *.mp3, or *.wav.
How to Submit Files
The exhibition Call for Entries is an online application. Please follow instructions carefully. All multimedia files must be submitted through Meridian’s online Call for Entries at meridianccd.submittable.com/submit.
Eligibility
This application is free and open to people residing in the United States who are 18 years of age or older.
Project summary
| Indian faiths and religious traditions in the United States – Call for Entries | |
|---|---|
| Regions: | South and Central Asia, Western Hemisphere |
| Countries: | India, United States |
| Impact Areas: | Cultural Diplomacy |
| Program Areas: | Culture |
| Partners: | Diplomatic Corps, Individuals/Donors, Public |
