Conversation with a Curator and a Conservator
The Dragon’s Gift: The Sacred Arts of Bhutan
Saturday, March 14, 2009; 9:00 AM–12:30 PM
$5, pre-registration required

Explore the sacred arts that have been an integral part of daily life in Bhutan for centuries. Located along the Himalayan range, the sovereign nation of Bhutan (“Land of the Thunder Dragon”) is the only Vajrayana Buddhist kingdom in the world. After a long period of isolationism, Bhutan conducted democratic elections in 2008, making its transition from an absolute to constitutional monarchy. While all nations are challenged by the pressures of globalization; Bhutan has been distinguishing itself—embracing modernization while keeping central its Buddhist world view.

Dedicated to preserving its cultural treasures, The Dragon’s Gift is an ambitious project, organized by the Honolulu Academy of Arts in collaboration with Bhutan’s Department of Culture along with the country’s Central Monastic Body, to conserve and document this nation’s sacred visual arts and ritual dance. Terese Tse Bartholomew, the Asian Art Museum’s curator emeritus of Himalayan art and Chinese decorative arts, will introduce the benevolent deities and fierce protectors of Bhutan revealed in this collection of devotional images on cloth (thangkas) and other ritual objects. Mark Fenn, the museum’s associate head of conservation, will then discuss his fieldwork in Bhutan: training monks on state-of-the-art conservation methods. This event includes lectures, a docent-led tour of the special exhibition, and light refreshments.

This exhibition is organized by the Honolulu Academy of Arts and the Department of Culture, Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs of the Royal Government of Bhutan. The art conservation, dance preservation, and educational programs of The Dragon’s Gift: The Sacred Arts of Bhutan are made possible through the lead support of The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation.

Major support for The Dragon’s Gift: The Sacred Arts of Bhutan is provided by the E. Rhodes & Leona B. Carpenter Foundation, the Michael and Patricia O’Neill Charitable Fund, Susan Pillsbury, and Lawrence and Joyce Stupski. Additional support is provided by Le Burta G. Atherton, the Freeman Foundation, Hotels & Resorts of Halekulani, Japan Airlines, Drukair, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the W.L.S. Spencer Foundation.

Terese Tse Bartholomew, curator emeritus of Himalayan art at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, served as guest curator of the exhibition.

Presentation at the Asian Art Museum is made possible by support from the Columbia Foundation, American Express, the Shau-Wai & Marie Lam Family Foundation, Carmen M. Christensen, Frances Bushell, Richard C. Blum and The Honorable Dianne Feinstein, John and Heather Little, and Doris Shoong Lee and Theodore Bo Lee.