Press Releases October 21, 2008

The Creation of A Sand Mandala of Enlightenment. Begins on Election Day, November 4, at Uconn’s William Benton Museum Of Art

TIBETAN-THEMED EXHIBITIONS AND EVENTS
MID-OCTOBER through DECEMBER 2008

Storrs, CT, October 14, 2008 — The William Benton Museum of Art at the University of Connecticut has announced that the Tibetan theme that began in late August with the exhibition Sera: The Way of the Tibetan Monk, The Photographs of Sheila Rock is being expanded with the October 21 opening of Bound by Tradition and Religion: Tibetan Tangkas and the creation of a Sand Mandala of Enlightenment beginning on Election Day, November 4, and continuing through November 9. The public is invited to attend the monks' morning prayers and meditation at 9 am Tuesday through Friday.

Once completed, the intricate work of the Venerable Thupten Woser and Lobsand Tashi will remain on view through December 7. The two monks from Namgyal Monastery will return to the Benton that afternoon for a 2 pm dismantling ceremony, during which time they will ceremonially sweep the colored sands into an urn and lead a procession to Mirror Lake where they will disperse the sand into the waters as a symbol of the impermanence of all things and as a blessing to the greater community.

OCTOBER 21 – DECEMBER 19
Bound by Tradition and Religion: Tibetan Tangkas
This exhibition features fabric art pieces from the collections of Peter Polomski and Richard Allen. Historically, the majority of Tibet's greatest art has been bound up with religion, and the most prominent traditions include tangkas, or scroll paintings of Buddhist and Bon divinities. Since very few Tibetans learned to read and write, tangkas have served as a pictorial lesson that the observer could remember through painted icons rather than printed script. Tangkas further provide an opportunity for meditation; by seeing and concentrating on the figures painted on the tangka, the practitioner strives for liberation or enlightenment through the act of beholding.

To complement and create a context for the tangkas and the sand mandala, several dramatic photographs of the Himalayan Mountains by Kenneth Hanson will hang in the East Gallery. They are images from his acclaimed book, Himalayan Portfolios: Journeys of the Imagination. On Sunday, October 26 at 3 pm he will talk about his work. (For more information, see SPECIAL EVENTS below.)

SHOWING CONTINUOUSLY NOVEMBER 10 – DECEMBER 19
Mandala: The Sacred Circle of Vajrabhairava
A fascinating look at the creation and profound inner meaning of the Buddhist mandala, an intricate and vividly colored pattern that represents an enlightened universe. 60 minutes

ON EXHIBITION THROUGH DECEMBER 19
Sera: The Way of the Tibetan Monk
This exhibition of the work of Sheila Rock is both a photographic document of the daily life of the Tibetan monks of the Sera Monastery of southern India and an extended visual essay on a state of mind. Ms. Rock, an established photographer in the fields of fashion and rock music, photographed the Sera monks individually and in groups -- in their rooms, at work, at prayer, at play, and gathered at ceremonies. Her portrait studies, for their utter simplicity, capture the individual’s inner personality; all of her images reveal the mutual joy the monks for one another’s company and for the life that has been chosen for them. Artistically, Ms. Rock has created a body of works that is inspired and inspiring.
SPECIAL EVENTS

LUNCHTIME GALLERY TALKS / 12:15–12:45 pm / Free admission
OCTOBER 15: Sera: The Way of the Tibetan Monk, a talk by Benton Director Dr. Thomas Bruhn
NOVEMBER 5: The Making of a Mandala, a talk by Salvatore Scalora, former Benton Director
NOVEMBER 19: Sera: The Way of the Tibetan Monk, a talk by Tracy Lawlor, Education Coordinator
DECEMBER 3: Tangkas, a talk by Tracy Lawlor, Education Coordinator

SUNDAY AFTERNOON TALK
OCTOBER 26, 3 pm / Free admission
"Landscape and Belief: A View Camera in the Himalayas" with Kenneth Hanson / Free admission
Kenneth Hanson will talk about his two-decade-long fascination with the Himalayas and his photographs that reflect the mountains’ beauty, joy, terror, and awe, and capture the people of the region and their beliefs.

WEEKEND TIBET FILM SERIES @ THE BENTON
2 pm, Free admission
OCTOBER 18 & 19: Life of Buddha
The story of Prince Siddhartha and his spiritual transformation into the Buddha, the great teacher who changed the entire world. 90 minutes

OCTOBER 25 & 26: Mystic Vision, Sacred Art
This introduction to the art of creating tangkas, which are devotional Tibetan Buddhist paintings, offers insight into their symbolic and religious meaning in Tibetan Buddhist life. 28 minutes

NOVEMBER 1 & 2: Tibet, Cry of the Snow Lion
This award-winning film reveals the dark secrets of Tibet's recent past -- from rarely-seen rituals in remote monasteries to horse races with Khamba warriors; from brothels and slums in the holy city of Lhasa to magnificent Himalayan peaks. 104 minutes

NOVEMBER 15 & 16: Kundun
This film chronicles the life of the 14th Dalai Lama, from the moment he is recognized as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama in 1937 to his exile from Tibet in the wake of China's invasion. Directed by Martin Scorsese. Written by Melissa Matheson. Music by Philip Glass. 134 minutes

NOVEMBER 22 & 23: Vajra Sky Over Tibet
This cinematic pilgrimage to central Tibet, with its breathtaking Himalayan terrain, temples, monasteries, and festivals, bears witness to the indomitable faith of its endangered Buddhist community and explores the universal ideals of wisdom, compassion, and inner peace at the very heart of this ancient culture. 89 minutes