tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41767710538234601112024-03-19T01:40:23.668-07:00"Naming Place" Eco-Art Exchange"Naming Place" is an interactive eco-art pilot project to share cultural and environmental knowledge between young students in Portland, Maine, USA and Udaipur, Rajasthan, India. This first phase focuses on water awarenessRita Dixit-Kubiakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12022281730905528406noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176771053823460111.post-79433308410699012582012-03-24T09:34:00.006-07:002012-03-26T03:33:20.542-07:00Naming Place Eco-Art Project - Thanks to Udaipur Helpmates<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBurqtAowmTCxbYHB9NHLIWZM_nviAcxiylv3awtef9V4YJI4y0lhcUbmK6tjwVeFlwTIV0ckrh-CnkpT4k8IMrmPQ7_xi1hTeXE4RjWFCNUxaUabDre_FYdY50p0M0PTKngnw9re_iO8p/s1600/water+planet+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBurqtAowmTCxbYHB9NHLIWZM_nviAcxiylv3awtef9V4YJI4y0lhcUbmK6tjwVeFlwTIV0ckrh-CnkpT4k8IMrmPQ7_xi1hTeXE4RjWFCNUxaUabDre_FYdY50p0M0PTKngnw9re_iO8p/s200/water+planet+2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
The Naming Place Eco-Art Exchange project was initiated by Jamie Andrews, Community Engagement Coordinator of the Children's Museum & Theater of Maine, and myself on behalf of Udaipur's Big Medicine Charitable Trust. Though the program was launched without funding as a bare-bones pilot project, it has proved to be a deeply meaningful and satisfying endeavor thanks to all those who participated and helped us along the way. The most rewarding aspect of the project has been the contagious symmetrical enthusiasm of our target audiences - the 4th graders of Presumpscot Elementary school in Portland, Maine and their counterparts in Maharana Mewar Vidya Mandir, Udaipur, Rajasthan.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbN76n4Sxc6u1xGjQt-9ukyZlB5LdyVsvPDFEac52iTxoZOX5lPQ5iEmbNseO4XAGRvreRjrP4hPB44L-iH3eGtRra7X2LUMNg_iE8fAH51GdECGUNZA2dHbkcclcwzUAhK22QiZOcPQXt/s1600/Hanuman+Mandir+at+Brahmpole.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbN76n4Sxc6u1xGjQt-9ukyZlB5LdyVsvPDFEac52iTxoZOX5lPQ5iEmbNseO4XAGRvreRjrP4hPB44L-iH3eGtRra7X2LUMNg_iE8fAH51GdECGUNZA2dHbkcclcwzUAhK22QiZOcPQXt/s200/Hanuman+Mandir+at+Brahmpole.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hanumanji Temple <br />
for cool and fresh water</td></tr>
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In Udaipur, our gratitude goes to Sri. Lakshayaraj Singhji Mewar, trustee of the Maharana Mewar Charitable Foundation, Sri Sanjay Dutta, Principal of Maharana Mewar Public School (MMPS) and Smt. Jhumur Ghelot, Headmistress of Maharana Mewar Vidya Mandir (MMVM) for welcoming the project and providing valuable in-kind support.<br />
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We also deeply appreciate the invaluable aid of Sri Maqbool Abassi, senior art teacher at Maharana Mewar, in facilitating our initial conversation with Mr. Dutta regarding the project, overseeing its progress and video documenting it for future use. We thank MMPS art teacher Sri Bhaskar Choudary for assisting the project, counseling the 4th graders during their art work and videoing them as well. MMVM Science teacher Taranjeet Kaur Gambhir deserves a special vote of thanks for developing <a href="http://namingplaceudaipur.blogspot.jp/p/questionnaires-for-maharana-mewar-4th.html" target="_blank">a multiple choice questionnaire on "Water and Water Bodies"</a> for the students to gauge their understanding before and after the project. We thank MMVM computer teachers Kavita Pandya and Shreejay Singh Rathore for their technical assistance and Kaushaliya for the helpful service during the classroom presentations.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoOVEIQtzvNQl_vkWpxziOPjpMJF7DggI-1O1JKQhlfN_-GQoLw7UF7dsXqwGLJ1A7cKrSkI0orYG17ZLjJVMsJocDATJCFE_H4Wi9BDGFreA4YKsv11-MgspmKRHmg_-M8zg5rsACHe-0/s1600/water+supply+for+public+at+Ambamata+Temple.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoOVEIQtzvNQl_vkWpxziOPjpMJF7DggI-1O1JKQhlfN_-GQoLw7UF7dsXqwGLJ1A7cKrSkI0orYG17ZLjJVMsJocDATJCFE_H4Wi9BDGFreA4YKsv11-MgspmKRHmg_-M8zg5rsACHe-0/s200/water+supply+for+public+at+Ambamata+Temple.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ambamata Goddess Temple<br />
public drinking water facilities</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Big Medicine Charitable Trust (BMCT) also received generous support from the extended Udaipur community that enabled this project. Sri Manish Golcha, part time staff of BMCT, took me all over the city to photograph the Udaipur lakes, the Ayar River, the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) water towers, hand pumps, pipelines and the Udaipur Municipal Department's sewage lines and garbage dumpsters in the city's watershed area. Many of these photos were included in our <a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1-O-46P46MeouY8iBdHycXS4W6H2zWp5zJNSazP64Mt0/edit" target="_blank">Powerpoint presentation to the 4th graders on the cultural and historical context of our water bodies and their current state</a>. My presentation also touched on the water supply and sewage system available in the city. Sri. Jera Ram, senior PHED engineer kindly informed us about the city's water supply infrastructure and Dr. Bhupender Soni of the Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board explained the nitrate & phosphate contamination of Udaipur's lakes and their low dissolved oxygen levels.<br />
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BMCT trustee Dr. Kiran Murdia visited Udaipur's Chief Medical Officer to collect information on water-borne diseases in the city. The CMO's office takes water samples from both PHED water supply sources and non-PHED sources. The CMO's office informed Dr. Murdia that their recent PHED & non-PHED water samples had satisfactory results.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7bX5UIEkgoyPC4F54xZkf1Jh4QVx2_vaTTjSdAXRmz-xDJ22evLgc8g1vQgEPCLIkd5GcnFwMaEzoZ1Lxa1ikbg2qWvfyy3GHGEkGlzxPEqE-BCDsN99MnUAkcL7xOFzTkCOjAi5Xm-gs/s1600/Vishwakarma+Building+Works+Water+Truck.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7bX5UIEkgoyPC4F54xZkf1Jh4QVx2_vaTTjSdAXRmz-xDJ22evLgc8g1vQgEPCLIkd5GcnFwMaEzoZ1Lxa1ikbg2qWvfyy3GHGEkGlzxPEqE-BCDsN99MnUAkcL7xOFzTkCOjAi5Xm-gs/s200/Vishwakarma+Building+Works+Water+Truck.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A private water tanker</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIctQdG5ZS8dDRGg8YF4I9YYmA0PxdE9mjzWVt2z3OzDqTv13yAsUyFpk1-8CHwm_HB2qnBzTYvn0tElYtAgzO3nCLxNUXp529CUd0UMnR3FDMPf-4VHu3duhthUhol3GjVO8e2IC_J55R/s1600/Vishwakarma+Building+Works.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIctQdG5ZS8dDRGg8YF4I9YYmA0PxdE9mjzWVt2z3OzDqTv13yAsUyFpk1-8CHwm_HB2qnBzTYvn0tElYtAgzO3nCLxNUXp529CUd0UMnR3FDMPf-4VHu3duhthUhol3GjVO8e2IC_J55R/s200/Vishwakarma+Building+Works.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">signage on water tanker<br />
"Water is life"</td></tr>
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</div>Sri Phagun Baya, a young Udaipur computer wizard helped with the technical aspects of the Powerpoint presentation and Udaipur artists Sri Sayed Irshad Ali, Sri Chiman Dange and Sri Gopal Nagda shared some of their water and ecology related art with the fourth graders. Dr. Satya Prakash Mehra, Conservation Biologist & founder director of the Rajputana Society of Natural History, concluded our five-day program at MMVM with an excellent presentation on Udaipur's watershed and biodiversity that delighted the student audience.</div>Rita Dixit-Kubiakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12022281730905528406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176771053823460111.post-36147070280145218502011-12-31T15:50:00.000-08:002012-01-01T06:56:52.157-08:00Naming Place - A New BMCT Eco-Art Project Collaboration in Udaipur<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Water in the World & the Neighborhood</span><br />
9-year-olds Exchange & Explore Ideas</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<b>Project Summary</b><br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Naming Place extends the <a href="http://www.childrensmuseumofme.org/">Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine’s</a> mission of learning through play to schools across the world to facilitate cross-cultural educational collaboration. The project will give two fourth grade classrooms – one in Portland, Maine, USA and the other in Udaipur, Rajasthan, India – the opportunity to learn about themselves and another classroom across the world. After completing investigative studies of their own schools and lives, students will have the opportunity to share their findings with their partner classroom across the world. At the completion of the project, students will have a new awareness both of their own communities and how they relate to the rest of the world as fellow human beings.<br />
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<b>Meeting Community Needs</b><br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>While advances in technology and transportation have globalized communication and culture, often children’s and adults’ only lenses of foreign cultures are through global media. A commonly distorted and oversimplified perspective – for example, Bollywood and Hollywood – provide little substantial insight into the meaning of a people and a place. A healthy sense of identity and origin is essential to facilitating positive socio-cultural interaction; when we learn to understand ourselves, we can begin to understand others. Naming Place seeks to instill a curiosity about world cultures and a sense of place in fourth graders on two continents, giving them a stronger sense of their own cultural identity and how they relate to unfamiliar cultures around the world.<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Water is, inarguably, one thing that connects every living being on the planet. Water shapes the way we build our cities, how our bodies function, and how we interact with the natural world. Our water is a metaphor for the interconnectedness of the global ecosystem and can illustrate to children the ways we – both positively and negatively – interact with our environment. For these reasons, we have chosen water as the theme for our classroom activities.<br />
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<b>Partners</b><br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The Naming Place concept is the result collaboration between Jamie Andrew, Educator and Community Engagement Coordinator at the Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine, and Rita Dixit-Kubiak, founding trustee of <a href="http://greeningindia.net/">Big Medicine Charitable Trust</a> (BMCT). Jamie’s position at the Museum & Theatre brings the experience with hands-on learning to the partnership, along with the institution’s connections to hundreds of area schools and over 100,000 visitors per year. Her current pursuit of an MA in Cultural Sustainability from Goucher College will inform best culturally sensitive practices and inquiry throughout the project. Rita is the primary conduit of information to and action in Udaipur and is connected to numerous schools, artists and NGOs who will all contribute to the success of the project. BMCT has undergone many projects since its inception, including Greening India, devoted to supporting sustainability efforts in Udaipur and its schools. These two individuals are the driving force behind Naming Place.<br />
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In Portland, Jamie will work with a fourth grade classroom at Presumpscot Elementary School. In Udaipur, Rita (who travels back and forth between homes in Maine and Udaipur) will work with Maharana Mewar School. Both schools have teachers who are enthusiastic about the project, making them ideal settings for a pilot program that can serve as a model for future participants.<br />
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<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=53682aed-baa7-4e4d-bd86-77ace227de21" style="border: none; float: right;" /></a></div></div>Rita Dixit-Kubiakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12022281730905528406noreply@blogger.com1