Williamstown, MA—Two monks from the Namgyal Monastery will be in residency at the Williams College Museum of Art (WCMA) for Sacred Art of Tibet: Making a Mandala, from April 15 through May 3, 2003. These two monks will create a mandala by painstakingly laying millions of grains of colored sand into place on a raised platform over a period of three weeks in WCMA's rotunda. Formed from traditional iconography, including geometric shapes and ancient spiritual symbols, the exquisite sand mandala is used as a tool for re-consecrating the earth and its inhabitants.

"We are delighted to be hosting the return of monks from the Namgyal Monastery who will be in residence to create a sand mandala," says Director Linda Shearer. "I know our many students and visitors are looking forward to this visit with anticipation. It is a unique opportunity to observe the making of a work of art, especially one with such cultural significance."

Painting with Colored Sand

Of all the artistic traditions of Tantric Buddhism, painting with colored sand ranks as one of the most unique, and the Namgyal monks are particularly well known for their expertise in sand mandala painting. Mandala, a Sanskrit word that means "circle," is a sacred diagram created in sand or paint. It symbolizes the pure, perfected universe, and provides a visual framework for establishing feelings of peace, well being, and wholeness. Composed of millions of grains of dyed sand, the mandala is believed to have a positive effect on all who see it, since each particle represents goodness. WCMA hosted monks from the Namgyal Monastery in 1994 when they first created a mandala at the museum. This spring the monks will create a Medicine Buddha Mandala, which, using symbols from traditional Tibetan medicine, helps generate powers of healing.

The monks begin the work by drawing an outline of the mandala on the wooden platform. The following days they will lay down the colored sands, using traditional metal funnels called chak-pur. Each monk holds a chak-pur in one hand while tapping or running a metal rod on its grated surface; the vibration causes the sands to flow like liquid.

Sand Dispersal Ceremony May 3

Traditionally sand mandalas are destroyed shortly after their completion as a metaphor of the impermanence of life. WCMA will host a sand dispersal ceremony on Saturday, May 3 at 2 p.m. During this ceremony, the sands will be swept up and placed in an urn; to fulfill the function of healing, a portion of the sand will be distributed to the audience, while a small amount will be carried by the monks in a ritual procession to the Green River in Williamstown, where it will be deposited as an offering. The waters then carry the healing blessing to the ocean, and from there it spreads throughout the world for planetary healing.

Related Lecture May 2

WCMA will host a lecture on traditional Tibetan medicine by Dr. Phuntsog Wangmo, an expert in the field. Her talk will highlight WCMA's Medicine Buddha Mandala. This event will take place on Friday, May 2 at 5 p.m. at the museum..

Press Images Available

High quality, ready-for-print images for this exhibition are available for download on WCMA’s website: http://www.wcma.org/press.

The Williams College Museum of Art is open Tuesday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, from 1 to 5 p.m. Admission is free and the museum is wheelchair accessible.

Contact: Jonathan Cannon, Public Relations Coordinator
413.597.3178; WCMA@williams.edu