National academy of art has its headquarters in Rabindra Bhavan, Delhi and it does not entertain other nationalities other than Indians. The funding of the National Academy of Art is done by the Union Ministry of Culture. President Ram Nath Kovind appointed Uttam Pacharne as the Chairman of the Lalit Kala Akademi as he was a great artist and a sculptor.
National Academy of Art is located in many places like Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Bangalore, Delhi, Kolkata, Lucknow and Shimla. The members or the students who are there in this academy need to possess a valuable understanding of Indian art. On the occasion of their 60th anniversary, on 16th September 2014 they held an event known as Spirit of Delhi and in that event many artists and poets were called to show their work or the arts they have made.
Activities in Lalit Kala Akademi
Many exhibitions relating to art takes place in the Lalit Kala Akademi and activities are:
- National Exhibition of Art – National exhibition of art is referred to as an important event that happens in the National Academy of art. It is inaugurated by the president and the vice president of India. This exhibition takes place every year and artists are rewarded for their work. During the time of the exhibition, the Lalit Kala Akademi also buys some of the artwork presented in the exhibition for their personal collection they are brought for the encouragement of the artists as well as hoarding collection. After the National Academy of Art was taken over by the government in 1997, the practice of purchasing art from the exhibition was completely abolished.
- Rashtriya Kala Melas – Rashtriya Kala Mela happens every 3 years and they have a great collection of arts and they show their understanding of Indian art through their masterpieces they make and they present in the mela. It is now also known as a cultural festival as it gives recognition to the arts that are presented and are unique.
- Garhi Studios – the Lalit Kala Akademi built 8 studios in New Delhi for Seminars, workshops of the artists, for giving lectures and for holding exhibitions. But it was later decided to expand it and it was made into 36 studios. Garhi Studio which was basically used for holding seminars, attending workshops, listening lectures and for exhibitions. Garhi was the centre of all studios and in 1978 it was used for hosting meetings, for making camps, for doing workshops and for display.
National Art Award
The Lalit Kala Akademi or the National Academy of Art do the honour of giving or presenting the National Art Award which is regarded as the one of the greatest awards and respect in the arena of art one can get. The award is given to the person who has a great understanding of Indian Art and to the deserving one and along with the award, the person also gets a plaque, and is felicitated with a shawl and cash price worth of 1 lakh rupees. As this happens every year so many deserving people have won the national art award but the youngest one to receive this award is Karan Gera who won the Lalit Kala Akademi award.
Conclusion
As Lalit Kala Akademi is an autonomous organisation which means it has the power to make its own rules and can follow those rules without any objection. Before 1997, they had a habit of purchasing the arts from the National Exhibition of Art but after the government took over the Lalit Kala Akademi of art in 1997, this thing was completely abolished. The National Academy of Art is a great place for showcasing talents of the people who have great understanding of Indian art. They can put their art into exhibitions, they can attend many seminars or workshops that help every artist in expanding their knowledge in art.