GALA DINNER OF THE AMERICAN BATIK DESIGN COMPETITION 2013 AWARDS
CEREMONY AND KICK OF EVENT OF THE INDONESIAN CELEBRATION WEEK
In expanding the success of the First American Batik Design Competition in 2011,
the Embassy of Indonesia in Washington D.C., in cooperation with the Indonesian Consulate
Generals in Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco, launched a second
American Batik Design Competition in March 2013.
The competition aims to creatively introduce and internationalize Indonesian batik
to the world, and to encourage the acculturation of Indonesia’s batik into America’s cultural
diversity. The American Batik Design Competition in 2011 was the first time a batik design
competition was organized in a foreign country, and has now been replicated in other
countries such as in Italy. It has effectively helped strengthen people to people relations
between the United States and Indonesia, and has brought Indonesia’s creative culture
closer to America’s innovative popular culture. Appreciation towards Indonesian culture
amplified when American designers learned more about batik, while Indonesians grasped a
greater understanding of American values. This competition is a challenge to U.S. based
designers to craft batik designs with a distinct American style – hence the theme, “
The spirit
of America in the heritage of batik
”. Three winning designers will have the opportunity to
travel to cities in Indonesia on a two‐week batik tour, exhibitions in Indonesia and in the
U.S., and in addition, each winner will receive a cash prize of $7,000.
Since the 2011, the competition has brought together nine themes of the amazing
American Batik designs: Cowboy, Totem, Divine Unity, Wheat, Beach, Stars and Stripes,
Buffalo and QR Code. In 2013, there will be five additional pieces of American batiks, which
had been transformed in Yogyakarta from their digital blueprints into real batik cloths.
Batik is an art of painting and coloring textile using the traditional practice of dying
cloth through a wax resist method. This art of designing textile is greatly celebrated and
widespread across the Indonesian Archipelago. It has become an integral part of
Indonesia’s cultural identity.
To celebrate the final stage of the competition, Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony
will be held on October 30th 2013 at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Washington DC.
Indonesian Batik Exhibition precedes the Gala Dinner. The Exhibition begins at 5.00 PM
showcasing a rich collection of Indonesian batiks and textiles. Following the Exhibition,
general reception starts at 5.30 PM and then follows by opening speeches and dinner. The
Gala Dinner will highlight speeches by the Indonesian Ambassador to the United States, Dr.
Dino Patti Djalal; and Yogyakarta Governor, Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono the 10th and a performance
of Musician Daniel Sahuleka from Europe.
The Official Website of Daniel Sahuleka