Shambhala Art Day has been designated by Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche to occur on the spring equinox. It is a day when the entire Shambhala International community and friends are invited to celebrate art forms and disciplines that embody the Dharma Art teachings of the Vidyadhara Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. These teachings encourage the creation and manifestation of art that wakes up the viewer as well as its maker to a sense of unconditional sacredness within the phenomenal world.
“A work of art is created because there is basic sacredness, independent of the artist’s particular religious faith or trust. Sacredness from that point of view is the discovery of goodness, which is independent of personal, social, or physical restrictions.” Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. Dharma Art pg. 112
Shambhala International’s principle vehicle for sharing these teachings has been Shambhala Art a non-profit arts education program. Each year’s celebrations would ideally be held on or near Saturday March 21st, 2009. They may be as short or as long as desired. One of the main manifestations has been the International Shambhala Arts Festival, which is going into its 6th year. Shambhala Arts, as distinguished from Shambhala Art, is the moniker that many in our community give to specific art forms and disciplines that appear to share and manifest Dharma Art principles. It has been a great joy over the years for us to see the development of the various celebrations, as well as how each location has found their own way to bring them about. Each center’s contribution has served to magnetize the energy of its community as well as realize the authenticity of art-in-everyday-life.
We encourage Shambhala Art teachers to take a leadership role wherever possible, but celebrations may be organized by any community member who has a connection to these teachings. As centers organize these events and provide a welcoming space for everyone’s voice, the offerings and events should have a connection to the Dharma Art teachings. It is this singular commitment that distinguishes our celebrations. The format is still open to the interest of each center. However, if offerings are made such as performances, art exhibitions, installations, readings, poetry, videos presentations, workshops, talks, and lectures, we strongly encourage those making offerings to connect them to these teachings by writing a short paragraph, an artist’s statement that illuminates such a connection. At some past celebrations, when these statements have been made available, they have had as powerful an effect as the offering itself. Some centers have offered themes, and if this interests you, we would like to again offer a couple of suggestions: Art that Wakes Us Up, or Awakening the Sacred. In some locations where presentations are not practical, we suggest outings to art shows or performances as a means to appreciate the arts and their role in our society. Examples of previous festival celebrations can be found under Festival Reports
In the vision of the Great Eastern Sun, thank you.
Violaine Morinville and Steven Saitzyk
