A Glimpse of Bengal: Henna, Face Painting, and More

Enjoy henna and face painting while learning about West Bengal, India.

This event is intended for ages 8 and up. Registration is encouraged, but walk-ins are allowed. Children under 10 must be accompanied by a caregiver.

Join us to celebrate the arts and crafts of West Bengal, India. Sushmita Poddar—Culture Bearer for Henna, Indian Folk Dance, and South Asian Fashion in Oregon—will share a glimpse of the culture of Bengal through henna (instead of red hibiscus alta), face painting (Kolka), and a display of cultural handcrafted products and textiles. Participants will use Henna to create Bengal Folk Art patterns that they can take home with them, while Sushmita will paint faces with Kolka art.

Located in Portland Metro, Sushmita Poddar is a multidisciplinary cultural artist, a civic leader, and owns 3 small businesses: Shop Amrapali, Salon Amrapali, and Bollywood Movez. She also runs a non profit called WashCo Rising. She has designed over 10000 cultural outfits in 19 years, has taught dance classes to over 3000 students and painted more than 49000 henna hands. Sushmita loves sharing a glimpse of her cultural heritage through diverse art forms and through engaging workshops across ages. Her passion and purpose is to reweave the lost stories of global diverse communities through sharing of arts, culture, talks, workshops and training.