The University Art Museum has expanded its collection with a donation of over 80 traditional Indian patachitra scrolls. This significant addition comes from Geraldine Forbes, a Distinguished Teaching Professor Emerita at the State University of New York at Oswego. Her work as a historian of India and teaching professor has influenced many in the fields of gender, visual culture, and oral traditions in South Asia.
The donated scrolls include works like “Satya Narayan Pir” by Jharna Chitrakar, circa 2004. Patachitra scrolls are hand-painted and crafted by patuas in West Bengal, India. They are traditionally used alongside narrative songs, combining visual art with oral history and performance.
Forbes started collecting these scrolls out of her love for folk art during her trips to Calcutta. She expressed concern that this dynamic art form is disappearing as patuas adapt to India’s changing media landscape. Many have shifted from traditional painting to creating painted souvenirs for local markets.
“Although India has a thriving art market, this folk art has not ‘caught’ on with galleries and buyers,” Forbes notes. “Unless things change, it is doubtful that [patachitra scrolls] will be continued to be painted.”
The collection includes scrolls created from the 1960s to present day, depicting both mythological scenes and contemporary issues such as climate change and global political events like the 9/11 attacks.
Forbes believes her collection will complement the museum’s existing South Asian art collection, which includes calendar art and Mithila paintings previously donated by Professor H. Daniel Smith and Professor Emerita Susan Wadley.
“The fact that [the SU Art Museum] has the Ruth Reeves collection of folk art objects, as well as Susan Wadley’s collection…made it an ideal location for my collection of Bengali scrolls,” Forbes says.
Emily Dittman, director of the Syracuse University Art Museum states: “We are honored to receive this gift from Geraldine…By preserving them, we not only safeguard a vital art form but also create meaningful opportunities for cross-cultural learning.”
The museum plans to process and catalog these scrolls for future scholarly use. The addition supports exhibitions and interdisciplinary research while providing students access to this unique storytelling tradition.
