University and Community Partner Events

For University and Community Partner Events Flyer, click here.

Art Exhibit
“The Dream of the Turquoise Bee”

Exhibit Dates April 7 - May 17, 2011
Location: Boynton Health Service
(Gailon Roen Gallery, W120 and and 3rd Floor Galleries)

Opening Reception & Presentation: Cultural Diplomacy In Tibet 
4:30 p.m., May 4, 2011
Gailon Roen Gallery, W120

Dianne Aigaki’s botanical illustrations document the traditional medicinal flora found growing at 11,000-18,000 feet in mountainous Tibet. Her illustrations are the product of an eco-tourism partnership with Tibetan villagers and nomads and aim towards encouraging the preservation of local flora and the passing on of the oral tradition of medicinal healing.

Travel into Eastern Tibet at the opening reception with a presentation by the artist. Aigaki’s, photos and stories provide a window into the incredible beauty of traditional Tibetan life as well as the challenges of a society that has experienced cultural marginalization for more than 60 years. Yak herding, village ceremonies, and wildflower meadows filled with rare, endangered and medicinal plants, contrast with debating nuns, imprisoned monks and the Chinese government’s plan to relocate 100,000 nomads into modern cities.

Both Aigaki’s botanical prints and eco-tourism projects generate income for poor, families, support for 100 nuns at an ancient nunnery, the Every Child Goes to School Fund, and health care for frail, elderly Tibetans.

The Art of Tibetan Survival: Artist's Vison of Tibet and the Tibetan Diaspora - An Intermedia Art Exhibit

Opens Sunday, April 24 - June 18, 2011
Opening Reception, Sunday May 1, 2011
4-5:30 PM Reception: Featuring a Showing of"Tibet"by Larry Long and produced by David McDonald
6:00 PM Dance performance by Tibetan elder group Tibetan Dance from the Roof of the World / GyaShey Committee, Sunday, May 1st;

The Art of Tibetan Survival: Artists' Vision of Tibet and the Tibetan Diaspora For more than half a century, the world has embraced Tibet as an artistically rich yet profoundly threatened culture struggling against occupation and genocide; this has created a movement of inspired creative work by artists who carry Tibet's mythic and beautiful heritage forward in exile as a means of cultural survival. Contemporary and traditional artists share their vision of Tibet and the Tibetan diaspora in a mixed media show featuring traditional Tibetan arts and artifacts as well as contemporary paintings and photography. This exhibit will also include photographs from Keri's Pickett's 17 year-long project documenting the Tibetan community in Minnesota.

Part of Intermedia Arts Catalyst Series and curated by Thupten Dadak
 
Artists: photographer Keri Pickett, contemporary painter Tenzin Tamding, drawings by the children of Tibetan American Foundation Saturday Tibetan cultural school, plus traditional arts and artifacts from Tibet.
For more information visit Intermedia Arts
 

Screening of "Tibet In Song" w/ Director Nqawang Choephel

Tuesday, May 3, 2011
7:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m.
One show time only
The Heights Theater
3951 Central Avenue NE, Minneapolis, MN

Award winning documentary screening with director's talk afterward by Tibetan filmmaker and former political prisoner Ngawang Choephel

Film Synopsis: TIBET IN SONG examines what happens when one man, Ngawang Choephel, a Tibetan native who fled his country of origin for India at the age of two, joining thousands (including the Dalai Lama) seeking refuge from the Chinese occupation. In 1995, Choephel returned to Tibet to make a documentary film on Tibetan music rescuing his culture from extinction. It was then that TIBET IN SONG began. However, soon afterwards Choephel was arrested on charges of espionage by Chinese authorities. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison, serving nearly seven years before his highly publicized release in 2002 with the help of then- Vice President Al Gore, Paul McCartney, and Annie Lennox, among many others. Undeterred by his seven years of imprisonment, Choephel was ever determined to finish his film and production resumed immediately after his release. For the first time since his release from prison Ngawang Choephel can tell his story.

With stunning cinematography of Tibet and rare access to voices of the region, TIBET IN SONG is the story of one man and one nation struggling to save the culture of their people. The film weaves a mesmerizing story of beauty, pain, and resilience, introducing Tibet to the world in a way never before seen on film.

Cost: $10.00 general admission ticket price/ tickets sold at the door
See web site for film trailer and a description of its many international film awards and critical acclaim. http://www.tibetinsong.com/
To see the event flyer click here.

Sponsored by Heart of Tibet, RTYC, Sharon Franquemont, Lily Spring Farms

"Impermanence and the Tibetan Community in Exile" - A Policy Panel Discussion at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs

Wednesday, May 4, 2011
3:00 - 4:00pm
Location: Humphrey School of Public Affairs, in the Freeman Commons, room 208

Topics the panel will cover include (time allowing):
1. Democratization of the Tibetan Government in Exile,
2. Retirement of His Holiness the Dalai Lama from political leadership,
3. Status of the Tibetans in India - now and when HHDL passes on,
4. Conducting a functioning government amongst a scattered population,
5. What it means to be stateless,
6.The next Dalai Lama -- His Holiness has indicated that he may forgo the traditional process and appointment,
7. The Tibet-China issue

For questions, please contact the event organizer Michelle Lamere at mlamere.mpa@gmail.com.

Event sponsors: Humphrey International Fellows Program and Humphrey Students of Color Association (HSOCA)

A.T. Steele Photo Exhibit: The Young Dalai Lama and Life in Early Tibet

Wednesday, May 4 - Sunday, May 22
Rarig Center
330 21st Avenue S
Minneapolis, MN 55455

A.T. Steele traveled to Tibet in the 1930s and '40s where he photographed the Dalai Lama as a young boy, along with the surrounding community and landscape. The exhibit will be on display in the Rarig Center lobby during performances of KIPO!, and at other events during the visit of His Holiness.

Open daily & free!

Courtesy of Tiger Lion Arts and artist A.T. Steele's niece Nikki Strong

For more information, please click here.

Meeting the Medicine Buddha Lecture

with Joel & Michelle Levey, Faculty, University of Minnesota Center for Spirituality & Healing
Friday, May 6, 2011
12:00-1:30 pm (Doors open at 11:30, bring your lunch)
Mayo Meditation Space, 3rd Floor Mayo Memorial Building
Space is limited, please RSVP here.

This session will provide an introductory context to better understand and prepare for the Medicine Buddha Empowerment ceremony with the Dalai Lama. Participants will gain an appreciation for the depth and breadth of Tibetan meditation teachings relevant to the practice of medicine, with a special focus on how the actual practice of the Medicine Buddha that His Holiness the Dalai Lama will be offering can be integrated into people’s lives and work. The Leveys draw insights from a combined 70 years of study in this tradition, and have actively interfused this understanding into their work in medical and nursing education, clinical practice, and the healing arts.

Bio:

Dr. Joel & Michelle Levey are faculty at the University of Minnesota's, Center for Spirituality and Healing; Bastyr University’s Center for Science, Spirituality and Medicine, and Mahidol University’s Contemplative Education and Transformational Learning (Thailand). Founders of WisdomAtWork.com and the International Institute for Mindfulness, Meditation, and MindBody Medicine, their published works include: Living in Balance; Wisdom at Work, and Luminous Mind. The Dalai Lama praised their work saying, "You are presently engaged in work that has great prospects for bringing the Dharma (the inner sciences and technologies of human development and transformation) to a very wide section of people who may not under ordinary circumstances come into contact with these teachings."

KIPO! World Premier

Friday, May 6, 2011
7:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m.
Rarig Center
330 21st Avenue S
Minneapolis, MN 55455

TigerLion Arts presents KIPO!, a Circus of Spirit, Song and Dance from Tibet, the Land of Snow. Featuring the world-renowned Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA) and starring local talent Tenzin Ngawang. KIPO!, meaning "happy", celebrates the essential spirit of Tibet; the basic goodness that is deeply rooted in us all.

The Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA) is the premier institute, founded by the 14th Dalai Lama, entrusted with the responsibility of preserving and promoting the ancient, high-spirited song and dance of Tibet. Over the years, TIPA has toured to 20 different countries, bringing Tibet's unique tradition of performing arts to millions of people around the world.

TigerLion Arts, a Minneapolis based production company, celebrates human wisdom and the spirit of nature through creative works that awaken, inform and delight. It intends for KIPO! to tour the world celebrating basic goodness, showcasing the unique Tibetan culture and fostering harmony within communities of all backgrounds. The production will offer Traditional Tibetan Music and Dance Workshops taught by visiting TIPA artists, along with Post-Show Dialogues.

Tickets are $25. For more info check out http://www.dalailama.umn.edu/tickets/home.html For more information about TigerLion Arts and KIPO!, visit www.tigerlion.org. For more information about TIPA, visit www.tibetanarts.org.
Sponsored by: Tiger Lion Arts TAFM, CSH, Shambala Sun Foundation, TIPA

Screening of Tibet in Song

Sunday, May 8, 2011
4:00 p.m.-6:30 p.m.
Room 225, Ferguson Hall

Award winning documentary screening with director's talk afterward by Tibetan filmmaker and former political prisoner Ngawang Choephel
Film Synopsis: TIBET IN SONG examines what happens when one man, Ngawang Choephel, a Tibetan native who fled his country of origin for India at the age of two, joining thousands (including the Dalai Lama) seeking refuge from the Chinese occupation. In 1995, Choephel returned to Tibet to make a documentary film on Tibetan music rescuing his culture from extinction. It was then that TIBET IN SONG began. However, soon afterwards Choephel was arrested on charges of espionage by Chinese authorities. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison, serving nearly seven years before his highly publicized release in 2002 with the help of then- Vice President Al Gore, Paul McCartney, and Annie Lennox, among many others. Undeterred by his seven years of imprisonment, Choephel was ever determined to finish his film and production resumed immediately after his release. For the first time since his release from prison Ngawang Choephel can tell his story.
With stunning cinematography of Tibet and rare access to voices of the region, TIBET IN SONG is the story of one man and one nation struggling to save the culture of their people. The film weaves a mesmerizing story of beauty, pain, and resilience, introducing Tibet to the world in a way never before seen on film.

For University of Minnesota Students only. Free with valid U of M ID.
See web site for film trailer and a description of its many international film awards and critical acclaim. http://www.tibetinsong.com/
Co-hosted by the Center for Spirituality & Healing and the Tibetan American Foundation of Minnesota.
 

Buddha Prince Backstage

Sunday, May 8, 2011
8:00 p.m. on Twin Cities Public Television 

TigerLion Arts and Twin Cities Public Television (TPT) have joined together to create a video documentary about the making of The Buddha Prince, a free outdoor walking play that celebrates the life and teachings of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. The Buddha Prince has touched thousands of people nationwide with performances in Minneapolis, Los Angeles and New York City's Central Park from 2001 - 2009. The film features the inspired creative process with the Minnesota Tibetan Community. For more information on The Buddha Prince, please visit www.buddhaprince.org.

For local listings: www.tpt.org

Tibetan Music & Dance Workshops

with KIPO! Performers
Saturday, May 14 or May 21, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
Rarig Center
330 21st Avenue S
Minneapolis, MN 55455
For more information, click here.

KIPO! Performance Interfaith Arts Post-Show Discussions

Sunday, May 15 and 22, 2011
Following 2 p.m. Performances
Lead by CSH's Arts and Healing Director, Annie Heiderscheit,
and featuring TIPA Director, Sonam Choepehel Shosur.
For more information, click here.