Mithila Museum Initiative
Building a permanent cultural institution to preserve, present, and extend one of the world's most distinctive and living painting traditions.
A future museum dedicated to preserving, presenting, and extending the living tradition of Mithila painting — rooted in cultural heritage, built for future generations.
The Initiative
The Mithila Museum Initiative is an effort to establish the first museum in the United States dedicated entirely to Mithila painting — one of South Asia's most powerful and enduring art traditions.
The initiative is currently in a foundational phase of planning, partnership development, and community engagement. Work is underway to shape the museum's curatorial framework, identify collection priorities, build institutional relationships, and develop the public programs that will introduce the initiative to broader audiences.
Rooted in Mithila's centuries-old visual tradition and designed to resonate with AAPI communities and global art audiences alike, the museum aims to become a lasting cultural institution — one that honors the past while remaining intellectually alive to the present.
Read Our Story →
What the Museum Will Stand On
A tradition stretching back centuries — rooted in ritual, symbol, and the hands of women artists who carried an entire visual world forward.
Explore the Tradition →A future museum collection grounded in artistic integrity, archival depth, and meaningful engagement with artists, communities, and cultural knowledge.
Collections in Progress →Public talks, workshops, exhibitions, and educational programs designed to make Mithila painting accessible, meaningful, and relevant to new audiences.
Events & Announcements →Built with and for artists, educators, scholars, diaspora communities, and anyone who believes that cultural heritage deserves a permanent, serious home.
Get Involved →Public Programs
A public conversation introducing the Mithila Museum Initiative — its cultural rationale, institutional goals, and the urgency of preserving and presenting Mithila painting for future generations....
This panel will place Mithila painting in conversation with traditions such as Korean minhwa, Vietnamese Đông Hồ painting, and Chinese nianhua, exploring how image traditions across...
This participatory program will offer an early introduction to the visual language of Mithila painting, focusing on motif, meaning, and storytelling. The event will also serve...
Join the Initiative
Help fund the foundational work of building a museum dedicated to Mithila painting.
Learn More → 02Cultural institutions, educators, and organizations are invited to explore partnership opportunities.
Learn More → 03Contribute your time and energy to one of ten areas of volunteer work across the initiative.
Learn More → 04Share artworks, archives, photographs, and oral histories that contribute to a richer collection.
Learn More →The Painting Tradition
Mithila painting is one of the world's most distinctive and enduring visual traditions. Rooted in the Mithila region of India and Nepal, it was historically practiced by women on the walls of homes — an art form tied to ritual, cosmology, and intergenerational transmission.
Over centuries, it evolved from domestic ritual into a public art form recognized worldwide for its visual complexity, symbolic depth, and cultural integrity. Today it remains a living tradition — practiced, adapted, and carried forward by artists who understand both its roots and its future.
Learn About the Painting →The Team
The initiative is guided by a leadership team working across strategy, curatorial planning, community engagement, partnerships, and innovation — united by a commitment to building this museum with seriousness and purpose.
Meet the Leadership TeamLatest from the Initiative
The initiative is developing its early museum framework including mission alignment, interpretive priorities, and public positioning.
Initial conversations have begun with artists, curators, educators, and cultural leaders to strengthen long-term development.
A first cycle of talks and pilot programs is being shaped to introduce the initiative and build early public engagement.
Be Part of What We Are Building
The initiative is in its earliest and most formative phase. Your engagement — as a supporter, partner, volunteer, or advocate — matters now more than ever.
