Inauguration Kolam 2021

A kolam (pronounced kohl·uhm) is an Indian art form of geometric patterns, used as a sign of welcome. Drawn outside homes, the beautiful designs made of dots and lines provide a sense of joy and calm to all who enter. Traditionally hand-drawn with rice flour, kolams are inclusive and eco-friendly. Redrawn daily, kolams share the ephemeral and meditative qualities of Native American sand paintings and Buddhist mandalas.

The dots on a kolam depict hardships in life, and the lines drawn around the dots represent the way we navigate around our struggles and turn our lives into a beautiful mosaic work of art. Your kolam submissions are beams of good energy to solve problems and to help foster the beautiful patterns of diversity and inclusivity in America.

The 2021 Kolam project has two parts:

1. Kondattam ("celebration") Kolam is a physical kolam of 1800 handcrafted-cardboard tiles that will come together to become a 2500 square foot groundcover in front of the US Capitol. The installation scheduled for January 16th has been postponed to April due to security concerns. Follow us on social media for updates.

2. Vanakkam ("welcome") Kolam - a digital kolam made of individual kolam selfies (people could draw, color, or simply print a kolam and click a photo alongside) unveiled here on January 20th. This digital kolam is interactive and enables you to see the individual submissions.

Both Kondattam Kolam and Vanakkam Kolam are part of a collaborative art and spirit offering to welcome President Joe Robinette Biden, Vice-President Kamala Devi Harris, and all of our stories.