UNB, Dhaka :
A government programme, titled ‘Countrywide Mobile Fine Art Exhibition’, aimed at attracting children and young people towards art and culture has gone in vain for the last decade for lack of fund.
Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy initiated the unique programme in 2000, using a decorated
bus to carry artworks and books for exhibitions in all the districts. Then Planning Minister Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir formally inaugurated the exhibition at Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin Sangrahashala on February 25 in 2000. The programme ran for a few years and covered all the districts till 2004 when the exhibitions were suspended for lack of funds.
Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy planned to hold mobile art exhibitions at some 464 upazilas of the country under the programme, but he plan has fallen flat due to the suspension.
“We cannot run the mobile fine art exhibition programme over the 10 years for lack of funds. Each year, we seek allocation from the Cultural Affairs Ministry, but the ministry doesn’t give it,” M Anwarul Hossain, director of the Department of Fine Arts of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, told UNB.
A decorated bus was used to exhibit artworks and books across the country. Eminent artists also travelled in the bus to encourage children and youths to practice arts and culture.
But, the bus remained abandoned on the Shilpakala Academy premises since 2004.
Khandakar Rejaul Hashem Rashed, an instructor at the Department of Fine Arts (training), said the bus has become dysfunctional as it has not been used for a long time.
He repented the bus was brought spending a huge amount of money to run the mobile exhibition programme.
