Jatin Das is the Founder Chairman of JD Centre of Art (JDCA), whose vision is to create an art centre that preserves and promotes traditional and contemporary art, without boundaries. Jatin Das has been collecting beautifully crafted objects for over 50 years and has built a personal collection of contemporary work, traditional art, antiquity and crafts that includes the enormous Pankha collection. 

 

 

The vision is taking shape across the historic 2nd century BC Khandagiri caves in Bhubaneswar, Odisha where the construction of the Centre is ongoing. The Centre is envisioned to become an iconic part of Odisha’s cultural landscape. It is designed by the eminent architect B V Doshi, who was the recent recipient of the prestigious Pritzker Prize, the Nobel Prize of Architecture.

 

The Centre will host a very diverse collection and aims to create a space and place for not only Odisha, but a nationwide-wide conversation about the power of art to transform, sustain, educate and empower. The Centre aims to blur the lines between arts and crafts, between artists and craftsperson, between creators and audiences and between adults and children. It will bring traditional and contemporary art, all under one roof. As a living space, it will bring the art and craft communities closer to the general public.

 

Its current activities include a monthly Meet the Artist Program and a biennial Film Festival on Art and Artists. They have continued to educate, inspire, and sensitise artists, art lovers and the public at large. 245 Illustrated lectures and 13 Film Festivals have taken place along with various workshops and seminars. JDCA has held exhibitions, seminars and workshops on art, architecture and conservation and community arts for children. Once the Museum opens, a vibrant programme calender will be in place.

 

All JDCA programmes have been till now free and open to all. JDCA is a member of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) network.