Equinox Celebration – around March 16th-18th 2007
Art that Awakens
The Shambhala Arts Festival is about manifesting and displaying art that wakes up its maker and its viewer to genuineness and truthfulness. “Genuine art reveals the truth.” Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche
REPORTS:
Representatives & Shambhala Centers
Albany, NY, USA
In Albany, NY we are holding the festival Sunday, April 1, 9-2. It will include sitting with Shambhala Arts exercise from 9-noon, potluck lunch at noon with discussion on creating and perceiving art, and ending with showing of Discovering Elegance.
Ellen Rook
Amsterdam, Netherlands, Europe
In the Amsterdam Shambhala Center we will have a show on Sunday with about 12-15 artists, a mix of practioner artists and pur sang artists, all inspired by or curious for the Shambhala-Dharma Art principles.
So far the following people will participate with photos, paintings, objects and Kado: Dana Marshall – Diana Blok – Dana Marshall – Marc Morel – Sielin Witte
Annetta Willlemse – Petra Hunsche – Ans Swart – Molly Ackerman – Helen Vink – Frans Schuring – Yvo Manuel
Vas Dias Postma – Jordis Jakubzick
The show will last for a month.
On Saturday people will be walking in and out, bringing their art objects, having a cup of tea, talk and share, and getting the show together…
On Sunday the opening will take place at 16.00 hours, and a dvd will be shown about landscape artist Andy Golfsworthy, ‘Rivers and Tides’.The show opening will be a platform to meet and share, enjoy and celebrate and also a show!
Helen A Vink
Shambhala Kunsten Festival coordinator
Amsterdam
Asheville, NC
Hello, SMGA is in. We are doing a art exhibit/open house followed by a group sangha Theater trip.
Thank you for this opportunity to celebrate the arts.
SHINAY MAPHET
Atlanta, USA
Here in Atlanta we’ve begun having “Dharma Art Brew Ah Ah’s” once a month or so. These are basically gatherings at the Shambhala Center on a weekend night, where we spontaneously create, share art, and socialize. We’re also using these as a brainstorming opportunity for the festival in March.
Shambhala Arts Festival – Year of the Fire Pig March 16th – 18th
“Genuine art is a perpetually growing process in which we begin to appreciate our surroundings in life, whatever they may be – it doesn’t necessarily have to be good, beautiful, and pleasurable at all. The definition of art from this point of view, is to be able to see the uniqueness of everyday experience.” – Chogyam Trungpa
Friday, March 16
- 7pm: Exhibit Opening
- 9pm: Concert by contemplative improv masters Democracy of Chaos
Saturday, March 17
- 1pm – 7pm: Exhibit Open
- 7pm: Contemplative Arts Performances & Demonstrations
Sunday, March 18
- 1pm – 7pm: Exhibit Open
- 2pm – 5pm: Kyudo Workshop with Edwin C. Symmes,
Sensei
- 7pm: Contemplative Arts Video Screenings
see the festival flyer 2007 !
Report :
The 2007 Shambhala Arts Festival included a fine art exhibit, a musicial improvisation concert, a contemplative arts demonstration/performance night, a Kyudo workshop, and film screening. An environment of precision, beauty, and geniuneness unfolded over the weekend that gave us a small glimpse of how we might eventually contribute to society at large through our creative endeavors. Many minds were stopped and many hearts were touched, reminding us of why the word Drala is translated as “above aggression”.
Kreg Thornley
Baltimore, USA
We are combining the two on one weekend since the Parinrivana Day is April 4 which next year will be a Wednesday. Usually we celebrate on the closest Sunday.
So we are doing both the weekend of March 30, 31 and April 1.
Thus so we will have a workshop like they did in New York on Friday-Saturday and then the musical we are starting to write will be performed on the Sunday along with other tributes to the Vidyadhara. So we will be a little late celebrating the Equinox and Shambhala Arts Day. BUt the Vidyadhara loved jokes so April 1 (a day of practical jokes in the US) will be an appropriate time.
The Baltimore Arts and Parinirvana Celebration is coming along as planned, for March 30-April 1; there will be a weekend workshop about the creative process as taught by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche and then the premiere of our musical “Taking Your Seat” on Sunday afternoon along with other tributes to the Vidyadhara.
Inspired by the form developed in New York last year by sangha artist Jack Niland, we have sangha artists collaborating on the musical now written and in rehearsal; they will be joined by the workshop participants in staging the premiere on Sunday April 1, April Fool’s Day (one of the Vidyadhara’s favorite holidays). Such collaborations were a favorite way of creating art for Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche.
Cheers, Judy
Report :
Our workshop and musical was a great success!
In Baltimore we combined our Arts Festival offering with the 20th anniversary celebration of the Parinirvana of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche on April 1, 2007, one of his favorite holidays. We used sangha artist Jack Niland’s form of inviting sangha members to collaborate in the writing, and then production of a musical in the context of a dharma art weekend. He developed this form last spring and produced the musical Becoming Tara on the weekend of March 17-19,
2006 during a workshop on Shambhala Buddhism taught by himself and senior teacher and scholar Robin Kornman.
An MP3 file of their weekend talks can be ordered from the New York Shambhala Center.
As in New York, the writing and planning of the musical began months before the weekend workshop (March 30 and 31) and performance on Sunday, April 1.
Early in the spring we gathered interested sangha members together, had a Mudra Space Awareness workshop with Elaine Yuen, and began the collarborative process. Nalanda Gate person Judy Bond wrote the script for Taking Your Seat, a musical based mainly on the Sakyong’s book Ruling Your World, with the help of son Arthur (a writer of screenplays), and various senior teachers who critiqued the script. Veteran NPR announcer Tom Olson was the narrator of the musical.The main role of the young warrior/coward (W/C), spun from the ‘cosmic mirror’, was deftly played by school musical veteran, Chris Magorian.
Senior Shambhala teacher Mark Beckstrom helped with the directing, musician Dave Cipriani took charge of the music, and yoga teacher Melanie Perfinis choreographed the dance that started and ended the play. 5 sangha members in white paper coveralls, colored tee-shirts and LED wish-fulfilling jewels, were the Element dancers who transformed into Rigdens.
Linda Francis wrote a poem on the 5 Elements that was read at the beginning of the dance and a lament given by the young W/C when the Dark Age becomes too much.
Quilter Alice Magorian sewed white kimonos and hoods that were decorated by tissue paper scales, feathers, and fur during the workshop the day before the performance. Olivia Fite made Garuda and Dragon masks.
These costumes were worn by the Tiger, Lion, Garuda, and Dragon Dignities who visit the W/C as he discovers his basic goodness and gains confidence in it. Thus he was able to eventaully give up his cocoon (a voile jacket covered with tissue paper thoughts) and his addiction to Me Plan beer (white, red and blue cans of Ignorance, Passion and Aggression that he drank from during the performance) .
The action took place on and off a well-lit square of white felt in a corner of the shrineroom at the Baltimore Shambhala Center. The Shambhala banner and 4 Dignity banners of Jack Niland formed the stage backdrop. Gomdens were used to make set ‘furniture’ and Rigden thrones as needed during the action. In addition to helping finish the costumes, workshop participants were recruited to fill the bit parts that fleshed out the cast.
On Friday night, March 30 the workshop began with exercises about the creative process as taught by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. Judy Bond and Mark Beckstrom gave short talks and led discussion. This format continued on Saturday morning. Thus participants were introduced to clear perception, sign and symbol, and true expression; they had the opportunity to spontaneously create together in the moment, have fun, and prepare for becoming part of the musical production later that afternoon. In the afternoon the costumes were finshed, the stage laid out, bit parts learned, and sound effects practiced. The day before the performance finished with a dress rehearsal in the shrineroom.
Another rehearsal took place Sunday morning, and then the cast was invited to join the rest of the sangha for a Sadhana of Mahamudra feast and slide show about the life of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. The celebration of Chogyam Trungpa’s life ended with the performace of Taking Your Seat: a Shambhala musical at 4:00pm. Collarborating to create art and have fun was one of the Vidyadhara’s favorite activities. Despite a number of glitches, fears, and doubt, everyone had a wonderful time in preparing for and performing the musical. Basic goodness held forth. The audience was enthralled and laughed in the right places. Theatre, without a doubt, is a superior way to cultivate and propagate the dharma. We suspect the Vidyadhara approved!
Details of the process, script, and possbly a DVD can be obtained from arthurbond@aol.com.
Cheers, Judy Bond
Berkeley, California, USA
John Osajima & Lory Poulson
Boulder, Colorado, USA
We are on the process to organize an International Shambhala Arts Week as next developments of the Festival, and it can be eventually an Annual Shambhala Arts Week that can move of places every year (that would happen at the end of the cycle of the International Shambhala Arts Day Festival events).
More to come.
Violaine Morinville & the festival comity In collaboration with Corinne Nakamura and others
Colors :
A LITTLE DHARMA ART FROM THE DESK OF PHYLLIS SEGURA
HERE IS A LIST OF SOME OF THE BASIC COLORS THAT WERE SUGGESTED BY CHOGYAM TRUNGPA, RINPOCHE, DURING DHARMA ART WORKSHOPS GIVEN IN BOULDER, COLORADO, BACK IN THE DAY (19??): THE NUMBERS ARE ALL PMS NUMBERS AND CAN BE FOUND INTERNATIONALLY ON INKS, PAPERS, AND PAINTS. FOR INSTANCE, YOU COULD SAY LIME GREEN™ TO SOMEONE, BUT THE LIME GREEN IN THEIR MIND AND YOURS IS NOT THE SAME, SO WE USE THESE NUMBERS WHICH CREATE AN INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGE OF COLOR.
109 YELLOW
266 PURPLE
375 LIME GREEN
WR – WARM RED
165 ORANGE
REFLEX BLUE
279 SKY BLUE
554 BLUE GREEN
574 OLIVE
357 JADE GREEN
312 TURQUOISE
116 GES YELLOW
382 MOSS GREEN
141 CAMEL
466 SAND BEIGE
479 MAUVE
195 BURGUNDY
423 GREY
464 LIGHT BROWN
462 DARK BROWN
471 RED BROWN
SOME INTERESTING HEAVEN, EARTH AND MAN COMBINATIONS
ARE:
466, WR, 462
466, 464, 266
554, 375, 141
REFLEX BLUE, 179
165, 479, 109
554, 423, WR
479, 423, 266
554, WR, 109
574, 375, 471
MAKE YOUR OWN. PLAY AROUND. HAVE FUN.
Phyllis Segura
Brunswick, Maine, USA
We plan an art exhibit of contemplative art of sangha members and opening Friday night soiree with poetry readings and introduction to Shambhala Art.
Saturday from noon to 5hpm we are having a « Coming to your senses day » which will include calligraphy brush with heaven-earth & man, foods tasting, Ikebana demonstration, sound exercices and movement exercices. The exibit will be open all weekend long with some meditation instructions too.
On the weekend of March 24th 2007. I am excited that we can bring this dharma to our sangha and the community at large.
Rebekah
Dear members and friends of Shambhala,
I’m writing today to invite you to “Coming to Your
Senses,” Maine’s first-ever Shambhala Arts Weekend of
contemplative arts. It will be held from Friday, March
23, through Sunday, March 25, at the Shambhala Center
at 19 Mason Street in Brunswick, Maine.
This is not an event just “for artists” or even “to
look at art.” It will include exhibitions and
demonstrations—but also participatory events—all
designed to help us awaken the five senses:
FRIDAY “GALA”
• 7 p.m.—Refreshments, introduction to Shambhala art principles, and more
• 7:45 p.m.—Guided sound meditation with poetry and spontaneous verse and improvised music
• 7-9 p.m.—Tasting table
• 7-9 p.m.—Exhibition of contemplative art, including paintings, prints and photography
SATURDAY
• 12:30 p.m.—Demonstration of Ikebana, the art of Japanese flower-arranging
• 1:30 p.m.—Guided listening meditation with
music sampling
• 2:30 p.m.—Guided Asian brushstroke practice
• 3:30 p.m.—Group space-awareness exercises
• 12 noon to 5 p.m.— Exhibition of contemplative art, including paintings, prints and photography
SUNDAY
• 12 noon to 3 p.m.—Exhibition of contemplative art, including paintings, prints and photography
The Tibetan Buddhist meditation master Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche was a noted artist and poet who taught that the vivid beauty of artistic awareness
isn’t just for artists. He wrote: “Awareness practice is not just sitting meditation. It is a unique training practice in how to
behave as an inspired human being. That is what is meant by being an artist.” Friday and Sunday are free. The suggested donation
for Saturday is $3 for individuals, $5 for families.
All are welcome, including children ages 8 and above. For more information, please contact me anytime at
rebekah@suscom-maine.net or 443-8649.
Please come—and “Come to Your Senses”! We look forward to seeing you there.
Cheerfully,
Rebekah Younger
Buffalo, USA
Buffalo is on – I’ll start talking to people about our plans.
Trudy Stern
Burlington, Vermont, USA
Good morning! Burlington VT Shambhala Center will join
all of you for the Shambhala Arts Festival.
This will be the first time. Thanks for your efforts
and suggestions.
Dear V
Burlington Vermont presented a Shambhala Weekend April
6-8 at the Shambhala Center.
I was amazed and so very touched by the participation
and help of all our members. We all, even the
coordinators,
had a great fun
experience of Shambhala Art and discovered each other
with a new view.
We began with a Friday evening Opening party; we
danced to live music and walked around to see our
members’ art.
Everyone was excited to see what others have done and
were often surprised to see who did it.
The next two days included an Ikebana flower arranging
demonstration, violin and guitar music, readings from
authors new works and a a dancer offering a
beautiful dharma dance. and then a improve performer
who captured our minds.
Many people thanked me for my inspiration and creation
of the weekend. I quickly told them that it is
Violaine Morinville whose inspiration is responsible
for our newest and most pleasurable experience of
Shambhala dharma art and each other.
The success of the Shambhala Art Festival was most
evident when I overheard lots of plans for next years
Festival!
Thank you again, and again.
Sharon Hopwood, Nalanda Gate
Burlington Shambhala Center
Cologne, Germany
This spring Cologne hosts the Shambhala Congress.
Since this is a large, international event, one that
will require lots of space to be carefully thought
out, we have planned to shift our Shambhala Art
festival activities to this time (about a month and
some later, in May.)
It’s not completely clear what all will happen at the
Congress, but it seems that time will be set aside for
Dharma/Shambhala Art presentations and performances to
be given, and that we will have an exhibition spaces
as well. We will of course be working on one of the
ultimate goals of Shambhala. Art, which is the
creation of sacred, uplifted environment.
Warmest best wishes,
David Schneider
Cuernavaca, Mexico
We have decided to do an exhibition/performances of
sangha art as part of our Shambhala Day celebration.
Shambhala Arts will be hitting Mexico soon!
Geo Legorreta, Cuernavaca, Mexico
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
Dartmouth, NS will celebrate with Barbara Bash
presenting Brush Spirit, a calligraphy workshop,
assisted by Margaret Jones Callahan, on Mar23-25.
Barbara will do a perfprmance art reading from her
Book, TRUE NATURE at the Nova Scotia School of Art and
Design on Mar.22. 7pm.
Thanks,
Margaret Jones
Davis, California
The 2007 (3rd annual) Davis Shambhala Arts Festival
will take place on Sunday, March 18th. The Arts
Festival Day is celebrated internationally throughout
the Shambhala community in conjunction with the Spring
Equinox. It’s an opportunity to gather artists and
observers in an effort to help establish the roots of
an enlightened society. All sangha members, friends,
and family of any age are welcome to attend. If you
are interested in creating or bringing a food item for
our potluck lunch and/or tea times, please contact
Elisabeth Polivka at 530-756-7510 or
elpolivka@yahoo.com. If you are interested in having
your artwork displayed at the Davis Shambhala Center
during the festival, please contact Rachel Kline at
530-668-9405 or artinklined@inbox.com and make
arrangements to have your piece(s) there on the
morning of Saturday, March 17th. Otherwise, see the
schedule below for details, plan on attending an
enriching event, and contact Lou Lasprugato if you have any other
questions.
Warmly,
Lou Lasprugato
Sunday, March 18th, 2007
Shambhala Arts Festival Schedule (* note times with
simultaneous activities)
9 -10am: Sitting Meditation
10 – 1030am: Tea Time, community room, featuring
Throat Singing & Shakumachi
Flute performance by Bobby
Elbers, shrine room
* 10 – 1pm: Visionary Craniosacral Work with Marie
Endres, 30-minute individual
sessions, annex room (sign-up
sheet in community room)
*1030 – 1130am: Origami, led by Sherrell Richmond,
library (7 participants max.)
*1030 – 1130am: Yoga for Body, Breath, & Mind, led by
Terri Wegener, shrine room
*1130 – 1230pm: Drawing without Prejudice, led by
Rachel Kline, shrine room
(12 participants max.)
*1130 – 1230pm: Mala Bracelet Stringing, led by Henry
McHenry & Dawn
Lasprugato, library (8
participants max.)
1230 – 130pm: Potluck Lunch, patio or community room,
featuring Open Expression
(anyone is welcome to offer
music, poetry, etc…), shrine room
*130 – 230pm: Poetry as Practice, led by Sally
Sobottka, shrine room
*130 – 230pm: The Art of Wine Tasting, led by Eric
Henn, library
230 – 3pm: Tea Time, community room, featuring
Dulcimer performance by Richard
Darsie, shrine room
3 – 4pm: Celebratory Drum Circle, led by Lou
Lasprugato, shrine room
Lou Lasprugato
Dechen Chöling, France
Herb Elsky,
Françoise Mourmant (assistant)
We will definitely celebrate with local artists and
community members- haven’t set a date yet but working
with Herb Elsky. We would like to encourage and invite
the surrounding community as well as living and
working community of Dechen Chöling.
Lisa Steckler
Report :
Our Shambhala Arts open house happened Sunday, March
25th. It was bright, cheerful, and well attended with
about 120 local people coming to see what is happening
at Dechen Choling.
This is an important way that DCL can open it’s doors
and invite people who otherwise would hesitate to find
out who we are.
There was an exhibition of japanese and tibetan art
and ritual instruments including beautiful and
colorful .wedding and geisha kimonos, large
calligraphy scrolls, rupas and tangkas. There were
demonstrations of kado, kyudo, aand calligraphy and
then people were invited to my studio to see the work
and experience my “installation sonore”.
The DCL community really came together to help set up,
host our visitors, serve a wonderful desert, and take
down all in the same day!
Cheerful Arts Days to everyone,
Herb Helsky
« Les arts,
comme chemin d’éveil»
Découvrez l’Art Shambhala
le dimanche 25 mars 2007 de 14h à 18h.
Enseignement
et Démonstration
de Calligraphie
par Herb Elsky.
Démonstration
de Kado (arrangement floral),
de Kyudo (tir à l’arc zen).
Exposition
de Thangkas tibétaines
(peintures),
de Rupas
(statues),
et d’objets rituels,
de calligraphies japonaises
et kimonos anciens.Exposition sonore.
Dechen Chöling (15mn de Limoges)
Le Mas Marvent 87700 Saint Yrieix sous Aixe
Renseignements : 05 55 03 55 52
Halifax, Canada
I am doing this years festival a bit differently then
last years, offering experiences in visual thinking,
and dharma art exercizes like object arranging,
playing with clay, calligraphy and more.
Katie Hanczaryk
Hamburg, Germany
Klaas Goerges and Barbara Klimisch
Karmê Chöling, VT, USA
Just a note that we had an auspicious gathering at
Karmê Chöling when « we turn out the spring clock on
March 10th ». Lance Brunner and myself led a special «
optional movement workshop » based on Authentic
Movement in the Pavillion for the birth of the Warrior
program. We also made a duet dance offering at the end
of the Shambhala Level 1-2-3 Retreat. (It is
auspicious as we worked together on the festival
comity since 2 years and just made some arts at this
spring turn out).
Violaine Morinville
Kootenay, Canada
We definately will be hosting Shambhala Arts day this
year at The Kootenay Shambhala Center. We have been
holding regular arts events as well.
We’ll fill you in as we develope our plans.
Lynn Frederick
Lafayette, Louisiana
SHAMBHALA ARTS DAY LAFAYETTE, LOUISIANA
Sponsored by the Acadiana Shambhala Meditation Group,
SHAMBHALA ARTS DAY will be held on April 14, 2007 from
5 to 8 pm. The Acadiana group will invite members of
its sangha to participate and we anticipate entries by
visual artists, performance artists, ikebana
demonstrations, poetry and fiction readings, and
musical performance. Among the people who have already
agreed to show or perform their work are Sharon Arms
Doucet (writer), Sidney Creaghan (poet and visual
artist), Karen Bourque (mandala glass artist), Darrell
Bourque (poet), Suzanne Cotten (visual artist), and
Michael Doucet (musician). We are presently hoping to
have participation by David Alpha (visual artist) and
Cheryl Taylor-Bowie (ikebana artist), as well as other
members of the sangha. We also would like to include
some simple meditation instruction for interested
parties.
While the initial exhibition/performance will be on
April 14, we hope to extend the exhibition of the
physical artworks–duration at the discretion of the
Sophia’s Circle Board.
This commemoration of Arts Day is part of an
international festival which Violaine Morinville, the
International Director of Festival Day, describes as
one in which the entire Shambhala community is invited
to celebrate arts and artistic expression based on
Shambhala-Dharma art principals. The intention of the
international Shambhala community is to gather artists
and to help establish roots of an enlightened society.
The Shambhala philosophy is based on the idea of basic
goodness as the bedrock of every human’s existence. It
also believes that the path of the warrior is the path
toward realization and practice of open-heartedness
grounded in practice of goodness and non-violent ways
of living in the world.
We of the Acadiana Shambhala Meditation Group are
dedicated to the idea that individuals, and indeed the
world, can be changed by mindful living. We think
Sophia’s Circle with its intent to educate and
enlighten to the possibilities of the power of the
sacred feminine is a good partner for this celebration
of the arts rooted in mindful expression of the sacred
space. We hope that people seeing the
performances/exhibit will see that individual sacred
space from which art emerges is linked to the sacred
spaces that are created in the community by groups
like Sophia’s Circle and the Acadiana Shambhala
Meditation Group, as well as the international
Shambhala affiliates working for peace, nonviolence,
and egalitarianism for all peoples and for the earth
itself.
We will have a donation basket in the exhibit area to
support on-going projects of Sophia’s Circle.
Coordinator : Sharon Doucet
Darrell Bourque
Co-Director of Acadiana Mediation Group’s Shambhala
Arts Day
Los Angeles, USA
Our center director and everyone were very thrilled by the last one so we plan to extend it to the entire weekend and to raise funds for the center by the sales of artwork. Lynda Golan had a great idea – to have a different organizer coordinate each room of the center. So, a photo person could organize one room as the photo exhibition, someone else could organize the outdoor activities where Kyudo and Kado demonstrations would happen, and the large shrine room would be organized by another one or two people for sculpture, installation and painting. We want to use the whole center this year whereas last year we focused it all into our large, main shrine room.
http://la.shambhala.org/program_detail.php?id=219
This page has a link to the specific guidelines or “Invitation for Entry” and your vision letter.
We don’t yet have a title for the festival but I’d like that to emerge from our first meeting – hopefully early February.
Yesterday was our final Shambhala Art Field Trip led by me, that people signed up for at our 2006 festival. 23 people showed up (!) for a train trip to downtown
Los Angeles to then walk and bus around town to see art and architecture. The day was fabulous – everyone enjoyed it. I led a contemplative viewing exercise at the contemporary art museum.
I was thinking that we could raise funds for the festival with field trips that have a suggested donation of around $8. Maybe not this year but its an idea for the future.
Anne Saitzyk
Report :
We just had an amazing festival – the whole weekend this time. Here’s the postcard. We had about 250 people come through to see the gallery of photos, paintings and sculpture, participate in the silent auction, hear live music, spoken word, poetry, video and outdoor installation sculpture and to share refreshments during the Saturday night reception.
Sunday was nyinthun in the large shrine room/gallery, contemplative viewing exercise led by Shambhala Art teacher, children’s art activities and kyudo demonstration and a sake toast to end the program. The arrow even went through the target and “kissed” our new wall in the shrine room which we’ll keep as a sign of the contemplative arts practices given to us by VCTR.
Dear Arts Festival Friends,
The Shambhala Arts Festival may be Shambhala’s most public celebration of the year and the community of artists and Shambhalians (sometimes one in the same) helped each other on the Spring Equinox to create a beautiful and on-the-dot weekend, arising from a ground of meditation. It was especially joyful to know that similar Arts Festivals were happening concurrently at Shambhala Centers all over the world.
Updates from these will be posted soon on www.shambhalaart.org We presented an eclectic mix of genuine expressions – from photography, painting and poetry, to sculpture, glass, punk/folk songs, outdoor installation, collage, spoken word, video, and harp / bass jazz collaboration. In fact, the whole festival is one big collaboration. Many thanks to you all for your generous participation – from taking on specific tasks in order to produce the show, to showing or performing your art, writing artist’s statements, giving out postcards, inviting your friends and families to our opening as well as offering your work for auction or sale.
We estimate that about 250 people came in to see art, mingle with friends, experience the performances and get a taste of Shambhala hospitality, dignity and brilliance. Here’s to us!
Stay tuned for an email going out to the larger sangha which will detail a bit of Sunday’s happenings as well. I hope to have some photos of the weekend posted to the SMCLA website soon. By the way, if you’d like to receive email announcements from the Shambhala Center, go to the website www.la.shambhala.org to sign up. To be on the Shambhala Art email list for occasional (very few) email announcements, please email firstthought@shambhalaart.org
Cheers!
Anne Saitzyk
Minneapolis, USA
Here’s what we have planned in Minneapolis for the
week:
Sat. March 31st – ikebana exhibit by all Center
arrangers for the week.
Sun. April 1st – Lisa Stanley to give a community
Dharma Art talk. Followed by a Flower Offering
Ceremony by all the ikebana practitioners. Karen
Sontag-Sartell will then perform Tea Ceremony in a
tokonoma with ikebana designed and installed by Karen
and Lisa.
Wed. April 4th – Musical performance offered at the
Parinirvana/Sadhana of Mahamudra Feast by Kimberley
Lueck.
Friday April 6th Open House to the public.
Introductory talk and viewing of “Discovering
Elegance” video, followed by a reception to end the
week.
Thanks for organizing this!
best,
Lisa Stanley
New York, Ny, USA
See the NY Shambhala website for our Spring Dharma Art
program. Jack Niland will be teaching “From Thangkas
to Tattoos: The Path of Visual Dharma” March 23-25th.
Dave Perrin
“Being Tara: A Dharma Art Festival”
Shambhala Meditation Center of New York
March 2007
The Goddess Tara is a bodhisattva who attained
enlightenment as an eternally youthful teenage girl.
Joyful and full of energy Tara vows to respond to all
sentient beings as soon as they invoke her spirit. She
does not discriminate between novice and advanced,
young or old. Her enthusiasm depends on us calling on
her for help and inspiration. As soon as we speak her
mantra “om tare tuttare ture svaha,” she’s on her way!
The weekend of March 23rd at the Shambhala Meditation
Center of New York a group of cheerful Dharma artists
not only invoked Tara, we built her three-dimensional
palace amidst a complete mandala of gardens, shrines,
and more.
Longtime Dharma art practioner Jack Niland framed the
weekend’s activities with a Friday evening talk on
Visual Dharma and perception. The references for
Jack’s talk were a number of Chogyam Trungpa
Rinpoche’s unpublished doodles and sketches, through
which Trungpa Rinpoche explained theories of
perception including: how the eye functions; how
traditional thangkas are designed to match the eye;
how shapes and colors evoke qualities; and more. (Keep
your eyes out for a web-published version of this
talk).
On Saturday morning our group of 20 students began
with grounding in shamatha meditation practice. From
this foundation we jumped headfirst into the world of
Tara. In order to create Tara’s universe each one of
us needs to experience her essence. In fact Tara is
not separate from us but part of our own true nature.
So Tara is truly democratic – she belongs to all of
us. Tara has many emanations. Our group focused on
White Tara traditionally known for her healing and
protection powers. We received teachings on, and
initiation to Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche’s White Tara
practice. White Tara is also a perfect patroness of
Dharma art since white is not actually a color but a
manifestation of all the colors put together.
After this period of quiet meditation, visualization
and contemplation we got busy. There was little time
to waste creating Tara’s palace and mandala. First,
the group designed banners for the four directions
representing the outer level of Tara’s environment
(gardens). Utilizing a triangle motif the group
initially created backdrops and then appliquéd various
animals and creatures to each banner.
The next level to be built, representing the inner
offerings to Tara, was a five-story ziggurat. This
multi-colored shrine-palace was bejeweled with dozens
of geometric forms representing manmade objects such
as teacups and rocket ships. Each offering was
hand-adorned with multiple layers of clay, beads,
glitter, yarn, etc.
Surrounding Tara’s stupa were the 8 guardian Buddhas
representing the 8 kinds of consciousness. These were
original renderings according to the secret
formulations of 8 individual artists; thus, the secret
aspect of our personal relationship to Tara.
Altogether this court of Tara filled the Main Shrine
room of the Shambhala Center with color and
celebration. Our final White Tara practice occurred
inside of this world. Over the course of the whole
weekend we made a revolutionary leap from the
two-dimensions of Jack’s Friday night slide show, to
imagining and constructing a three-dimensional
Buddha-field. Tara’s compassion and vibrancy came to
life before our eyes!
Sunday evening as we sang Tara songs, feasted, and
danced around the palace-shrine blowing bubbles and
uttering her praises, we had a glimpse into the total
path of our Vajrayana Buddhist tradition. From the
basis of the Hinayana grounding, including the
Mahayana spirit of co-creation where each artist
supported and appreciated each other’s contribution to
the whole project, all the way up to the sparkling
world of a Vajrayana Buddhist deity. This was the
whole show.
Best,
Dave Perrin
————-
New York, Ny
A possible new development eventually :
Expressive & Healing Arts Day Festival
We would gather artists and healing art teachers in a
whole day of events, as sample workshops in the field
with a connection to Shambhala principles.
Violaine Morinville, Jan Slotkin & others
in collaboration with Dave Perrin
Paris, France
A Festival « will be on » in the next years, with
great interest.
Myriam Racineux
Providence, USA
More soon !
Jason McGill
San Antonio, Texas, USA
Hello all,
In San Antonio, Texas, this is now the plan: The neighborhood where the Shambhala Center is located is a vibrant arts community. Every first Friday of the month all the galleries and small shops are open in the evening and July is Contemporary Arts month.
We have decided to offer contemplative arts classes once a month leading up to July – when we will end with a weekend offering of classes and exhibitions at the Center.
We decided to celebrate the Arts Festival this way, since we have such a great opportunity to take part in what’s already there, both when it comes to audience and PR machinery. We are also putting out a web site and we are going to send out postcards and other materials to the target group (sangha, artists and the likes.) I will keep you posted on our progress.
In San Antonio we have now 3 Art workshops planned for the spring: Calligraphy, Ikebana, and Tea Ceremony. We have contacted teachers to teach Shambhala Art 1&2 in June as well. We have a logo and we will have an Art Festival web page within a couple of weeks.
We have made fridge magnets and buttons that was part of the Shambhala Day gift for our members this year.
We’re moving right along here!
More to come for sure!
Nina Jones
Santa Rosa, North California, USA
I hope to develop something here in Northern
California
for that day. I am a member of the Santa Rosa
Shambhala Meditation Group in Santa Rosa California.
Thanks!
Shambhala Art Festival
March 16, 17, and 18
The Santa Rosa Shambhala Meditation Center is hosting
a celebration of contemplative art showcasing local
sangha artists. In the Shambhala- Buddhist worldview,
the arts are a way of awakening the human mind to the
variety, energy, and the vastness of the sense
perceptions.
Weekend Schedule
• Friday: 6-10pm
• Gallery opening, music, poetry & hors
d’oeuvres
• Saturday: 9:30-1pm
• Tai Chi movement
• Hands on Shambhala Art workshop: “Exploring
your
senses through Shambhala Art” with Kerry Schwartz.
Kerry is a Masters degree candidate in Transformative
Art at John F. Kennedy University. She is an artist
and a mother of two children. Kerry has studied the
Shambhala Art teachings for many years and been a
student of Shambhala Buddhism for 30 years. She owned
a graphic art business, and currently facilitates art
workshops that merge contemplative discipline with
visual art. Cost: $5 material fee.
• Gallery hours 2 – 4pm
• Sunday: 9:30- 1pm
• Sitting meditation
• Chogyam Trungpa videotape,” Discovering
Elegance,”
tea & discussion
• Gallery hours 2 – 4pm
Best,
Susan Keeley
San Diego, USA
We are planning some festivities for the March
festival
in San Diego…
I am moving along with the organization for San Diego
sangha…sent out a call for art for the exhibition
and
will have a film screening, poetry reading and
hopefully a native american flute concert as well, and
close off with an ikebana afternoon… all will be
open to the public and hopefully we will have as good
or better turnout than last year.
Pasquale Verdicchio
Here is the San Diego program…best to you…PASQUALE
San Diego Shambhala Arts Festival
2007 Program
All events take place at 3139 University Avenue.
Friday, March 16th – 7:30 pm
FilmScreening
Recalling a Buddha:
Memories of HH Karmapa XVI
a film by Greg Eller
Saturday, March 17th
6:00 pm
Opening Dharma Arts Exhibit
Art Produce Gallery
3139 University
7:30 pm
Poetry Reading
by Steve Garber
8:00 pm
Native American Flute Artist
Evren Ozan
“Best Instrumental” in the 2007 Inland Empire Music
Awards
Report :
We had a fantastic weekend here…great turn
out…wonderful performances by Steve Garber (poet)
and David Curtis (music) and then by Evren Ozan a
thirteen year old Native American Flute player who was
introduced by his mother Faith…the audience really
warmed up to both performances…earlier that evening
we opened the art show with work by Gail and Larry
Stein, Catherine Davis, Ruth Wallen, Paul Wagner,
Mayela Padilla and Pasquale VERdicchio the gallery was
adorned with flower arrangements by sangha members as
well and the GES banner and a long thangka of the
buddha and protector deities.
Pasquale Verdicchio
Seattle, USA
A monthly Art Salon happens usually and evolve toward
the Arts Festival.
Rianne Reichner
Sky Lake Lodge, Rosendale, New York
We decided to have occasional ongoing dharma art
events, rather than everything on one day. We
incorporated aspects of working with perception into
our regular Tuesday evening dharma talks: Barbara Bash
led an evening
of big brush calligraphy; Acharya Arawana Hayashi
spoke about the principles of dharma art; Steve Gorn
played bansuri flute and shakuhachi to illustrate his
talk on music’s connection to dharma. By looking at
the core through different windows, we hoped
participants would attain a better idea of
what dharma art is.
Before the new year celebration, some Fire Pig art was
created by the sangha and displayed. On Sunday
afternoon we presented a Shambhala Art bookmaking
event, incorporating aimless wandering, brushwork, and
some group spontaneous poetry based on the principles
of heaven, earth, and man.
Violaine, many thanks for organizing the international
observances of Shambhala Art Day!
best,
Leslie English
Tucson, Arizona
The Shambhala Arts Festival will take place Thursday
through
Saturday, March 29-31, 2007, with set-up on Thursday
March 29,
Opening Events on Friday afternoon and evening and
disassembly/redo the shrines Saturday afternoon, March
31.
Aurore Chabot
Shambhala Arts Festival 2007 Update:
IMPORTANT DATES AND TIMES
Monday, March 26, 2007: Respond to our forthcoming
email, confirming the information about you and your
work(s): spelling of your name, and work’s title,
medium and year.
Tuesday, March 27, 6 – 8 PM: Artists may drop off
works at the Center.
Dismantle and store shrine objects, banners, etc.
after photographing it for re-installation as it was
found (Aurore
will bring digital camera).
Thursday, March 29, 12 – 2 P.M. Artists may drop off
works at the center
2 – 5 P.M. Install exhibition
6 – 9 P.M. Exhibition open and DVD showing of
Shambhala teachings by the Sakyong
Friday, March 30, 5 PM: Set up reception foods and
drinks (Aurore and
Mike Keller, who has also volunteered to pick up the
refreshments);
6 – 9 PM: Reception for artists and guests. (Everyone
come and help make the Opening Reception fun and
meaningful, especially for the discussion, below
7 P.M. Discussion facilitated by Aurore Chabot and
Margaret Burwell,
who will read from Buddha Mind in Contemporary Art and
Dharma Art by Chogyam Trungpa
9-9:30 PM: clean-up from the reception
Saturday, March 31, 2 – 5 P.M.: Exhibition open
3 P.M. One-hour clay meditation lead by Aurore
Chabot.
5 – 8 PM: Dismantle exhibition, reinstall shrine and
tidy up.
Artists may pick up works.
Information regarding works of art to be exhibited:
Please reply via email, phone or snail mail by Monday,
March 26, 2007
with list of works you would like to offer for
exhibition to:
Aurore Chabot
Aurore Chabot
Artist:
Ceramic/Mixed Media Sculpture,
Tile Murals, Works on Paper
NCECA Fellow, 2005
Dear Violaine,
We installed and opened the exhibition today and the
installation looks beautiful. Tomorrow is our opening
reception with readings and discussion about Shambhala
arts. Saturday I will lead a special meditation in
action clay exercise with some of the Sangha members
and community
folks. There is a very positive feeling in the air.
Warm regards,
Aurore
Victoria – British Columbia, Canada
WE ARE IN. LAST YEAR IN VICTORIA UPLIFTED OUR
CENTER WITH FRESH PAINT AND SOME RENOVATIONS, JOINING
HEAVEN AND EARTH AND HUMAN. THIS YEAR WE PLAN TO USE
THIS SPACE TO EXPRESS THE CREATIVE ENERGY IN SANGHA.
THANKS FOR THE INSPIRATION AND THE IDEAS FROM
EVERYONE. I THINK WE WILL TRY AN ARTS OUTING LIKE
ANNE
HAS DONE IN LA.
We will be hosting an Arts Festival this year –
though we are going to have it in May. We need to get
the space ready with lighting and covering windows to
make more
wall space, so we went for the more relaxed time
frame.
We will start the week long show off with an Opening
Night, then have workshops and talks during the
following week. I will fill you in when we get the
details sorted out, but we are thinking big.
I am in the process of Making a “call for entries” –
I keep seeing this phrase « All art forms based on,
or inspired by Shambhala Art/Dharma Art principles are
welcome ».
BLESSINGS FROM THE S.W. OF Canada.
CHARLES BLACKHALL & Hamish Tucker, VICTORIA, B.C.
Washington DC, USA
We are planning to hold Shambhala Arts Day as soon as
the new space is safe enough for occupancy. It will be
an opportunity to bring the community, both new and
old, together to celebrate and inaugurate our new
location.
Tom Semmes
Shambhala Center of Washington, DC
Yellowknife, Canada
In collaboration with the snow castle !
Yes it happened once again in the greatest Snowcastle
north of 60!
Our Snowking was kind enough to invite us to display
our art on the walls and it was a great success. Lots
of people came by to enjoy the venue and to play in
the snowslide! We had a great variety of pictures on
the snowwalls, sculptings and even a beautyful
painting done by a 5 year old kid.
“Awareness practice is not just sitting meditation or
meditation in action alone. It is a unique training practice in how
to behave as an inspired human being. That is what is meant by being an artist.”
Chogyam Trungpa
Alexandre Beaudin
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