Asian Arts &
Culture Center
Towson University
Towson, Maryland
21252-0001 U.S.A.
Suewhei Shieh, Director
Tel.: 410.704.2807
Gallery Hours:
M-F, 11 am - 4 pm
Sat, 1 pm - 4 pm
During Exhibitions
Calendar of Events
Fall 2009
Furniture for the Divine:
Selections from the Foo Collection
Gallery hours: Monday-Friday, 11 a.m.- 4 p.m.; Saturday, 1- 4 p.m.
Spiritual Rhythms of Asia Concert Series:
Tickets: $16 General, $13 Students & Seniors; $10 AA&CC members and TU student
with I.D.
For tickets: Center for the Arts Box Office,
(410) 704-2787;
www.tuboxoffice.com
Spiritual Rhythms of Asia Concert Series:
Asian Arts Gallery, Center for the Arts
Curator's Talk: Saturday, September 12, 2-3 p.m.; Reception: 3-5 p.m.
Drawn from the Foo Collection,
the exhibition features Chinese furniture and accessories dating from the Ming
and Qing dynasties (1368-1912), which were used in the worship of deities and ancestors
related to Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. The main categories include
altar tables, incense tables, shrines, and spiritual tablets, offering
accessories and ornaments, and tributary carvings for the divine.
Guest Curator:
Pei-Hwa Foo.
Admission is free
Closed on Thanksgiving weekend.
The Sound of Ecstasy: Buddhist Ritual Song and Dance from
Korea
Friday, October 16, 8 p.m.
Stephens Hall Theatre
Derived
from ancient Buddhist ceremonies that were nearly lost in history, the Young San
Ceremony was preserved and revived by the Young San
Preservation Group. Originally, the ceremony was an elaborate three day
event performed for the well-being of the nation both on joyful occasions and in
times of disaster, with sacred chanting and dance in honor of Buddha and his message. The Young
San rituals, accompanied by drums, cymbals, gongs, and chimes,
are unique to Korea and were nominated for preservation in 1973 as an
Intangible Cultural Asset. Organized by the Korea Society, NY.
Agangamasor
and His Magic Power by Cambodian Buddhist
Society
Saturday, November 7, 8 p.m.
Stephens Hall Theatre
This classical dance-drama was specially choreographed
and composed by the eminent master dancers and musicians who fled Cambodia
during the war and have been teaching at the Cambodian Buddhist Society for two
decades. The legendary story of The Magic Diamond Finger tells an
episode from the Reamker (Cambodian version of the Ramayana story) never before
seen on stage--the mythological world as it was prior to the birth of Prince
Rama.
Click here to see a video clip of the performance!
Tickets: $16 General, $13 Students & Seniors; $10 AA&CC members and TU student with I.D. For tickets: Center for the Arts Box Office, (410) 704-2787; www.tuboxoffice.com
Spring 2010
Sacred Arts of Asia
February 13 - May 15, 2010
Asian Arts Gallery, Center for the Arts
Curator's Talk and Opening Reception: Saturday, February 13, 2-3 p.m.
This
exhibition showcases selected artwork from private collections of Indian,
Nepalese, Tibetan and Southeast Asian paintings and sculptures. Viewers will see
the depth and range of Buddhist art, the forms of its multi-level functioning,
and the transformation of the profound into the modern world.
Guest Curator: John Gilmore Ford.
Admission is free.
Gallery hours: Monday-Friday, 11 a.m.- 4 p.m.; Saturday, 1- 4 p.m.
Closed on Easter weekend.
Spiritual Rhythms of Asia Concert Series:
Sound of the Ocean:
U Theatre Residency and Performance (Maryland Premiere!)
Lecture/Demo: Wednesday, March 24, 7 p.m.
Performance: Thursday, March 25, 8 p.m.
Stephens Hall Theatre
Beating out magic rhythms
from Taiwan, the U-Theatre's performance conveys a mystical experience of
existence. The New York Times describes: "There is a great and complex
beauty to the drumming, sounds and silence and simple beats and intricate meshes
of precisely articulated rhythms." Founded in 1988, the U-Theatre, traveled and
performed worldwide, dedicates to pursuing inner peace through exploration of
the body and mind, fusing Chinese martial arts, drumming and meditation together
with theatrical expressions.
www.utheatre.org.tw
Lecture/Demo $10; AA&CC
members $5
Performance: $20 before 12/31/09; $30 before 2/24/09; $40 at the door; AA&CC
Members and TU Students: $20
(free admission to Lecture/Demo with purchase of ticket)
For tickets: Center for the Arts Box Office,
(410) 704-2787;
www.tuboxoffice.com
Mystical Arts of Tibet
Series:
Sand
Mandala Painting Demonstration
(Sponsored by TU Center for Student Diversity)
April 26 - 29, University Union 2nd Floor Lobby
Admission is free
In
Conjunction with the Sacred Arts exhibition, a Sand Mandala Painting
Demonstration by Tibetan monks will be presented over the course of four days.
Of all the artistic traditions of Tantric Buddhism, painting with colored sand
ranks as one of the most unique and exquisite. The monks open the rituals by
consecrating the site of the mandala with chants, music, and mantra recitation.
At closing ceremony, the completed mandala will be swept up and the color sands
poured into water, thus dispersing the healing energies of the mandala
throughout the world. Co-sponsored by the Center for Student Diversity.
www.mysticalartsoftibet.org
Lecture Series:
(Sponsored by TU Center for Student Diversity)
Speaker: Mystic Art of Tibet Director, Geshe Lobsang
Tenzin, Ph.D.
All lectures begin at 7 p.m. in the University Union
Admission is free
The Symbolism of the Sand Mandala - Tuesday, April 27
The Mandala is a sacred cosmogram used as an object of
contemplation to depict the pure nature of the world in which we live.
Death and Dying: The Tibetan Tradition - Wednesday, April 28
Buddhism teaches that an understanding of the death process is
important life knowledge; it enhances and enriches our life, and brings about a
dramatic inner transformation.
Opening the Heart: Arousing the Mind of Universal Kindness - Thursday,
April 29
Love and Kindness are mental archetypes that all beings possess.
Buddhism presents numerous contemplative techniques for intensifying and
enhancing these archetypes until they achieve full maturity and universality.
Spiritual Rhythms of Asia Concert Series:
Sacred Music Sacred Dance
for World Healing
Saturday, May 1, 8 p.m.
Stephens Hall Theatre
As
part of Mystical Arts of Tibet, the presentation offers a rare opportunity to
witness one of the world's most ancient sacred traditions by a group of monk
artists for whom these traditions are a way of life. Back by popular demand, the Drepung Loseling monks are particularly renowned for their multiphonic chanting
-- Each of the main chant masters simultaneously intone three notes, thus each
creating a complete chord.
$20; $15 Seniors and Students; $10 AA&CC Members and TU students with ID.
For tickets: Center for the Arts Box
Office, (410) 704-2787;
www.tuboxoffice.com
Spiritual Rhythms of Asia Concert Series is co-sponsored by Towson University
Multicultural Institute