http://www.vimeo.com/30211292

Sydney Norton, curatorial assistant at the Pulitzer, gives an overview of Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara (Karunamaya) in the Cube Gallery. (What is the difference between a Bodhisattva and a Buddha?)

Tomorrow is the second in our series of curatorial gallery tours related to Reflections of the Buddha. If you’re looking for an in-depth understanding of this rich exhibition, an hour-long tour won’t do it, but it might help. Tomorrow, from 2 to 3 p.m., senior curator Francesca Herndon-Consagra will share some of what inspired her in developing the exhibition as well as the significance of the some of the works within cultural history and Buddhism. For a list of all the regular talks and tours for Reflections of the Buddha, visit our main website.

by Carianne Noga, Programs and Gallery Assistant

Numerous distinct conversations bubble up all around. They rise and fall, in and out of audibility, and they fade through one another interconnected. A woman talks excitedly about the kind of power she wields on a new contract her firm acquired, while a man nearby describes ways to create inexpensive, handmade Christmas gifts. The front door slams behind a girl storming off, spitting into her phone, “You can’t text me things like that!” At a table by the door, an older couple turns back to discussing their evening plans, while their immediate neighbor continues describing to a colleague her convoluted career path from social work to epidemiology.

I’m sitting in a cafe listening back to an interview recorded with the Venerable Sungak Sunim last week, but I’m also listening to the eclectic noise of my neighbors. I am mostly able to focus on the recording, but occasionally I get carried away by the curious chatter all around me. I don’t know these people, and I don’t really know anything about them except the tiny, little bits that float in through my ears. However, as I hear Sungak’s digitized voice, louder than the rest, it’s almost like her voice is giving subtitles to the mostly indiscernible din behind it. “100 Bhikkunis in the same room. We eat the food. You cannot hear any sound..,” then she fades to a whisper, “only quiet.” I can’t help but notice the great contrast between her description and the scene before me presently.

A Bhikkuni is a fully ordained female Buddhist monastic. Sungak is specifically of the  Chogye Order of Korean Buddhism. This past Saturday, October 1st we held the first of a series of seven workshops in our Meditation Series, and we were led by Sungak through a sitting meditation and then a walking meditation that wove around the Pulitzer’s courtyard. She also gave a very thoughtful and informative talk to introduce the group to several key concepts of Buddhist practices. Back in that interview she elaborated as to why the dining hall would be so silent, an idea inconceivable to me. “Eating is also another practice, walking is another practice, speaking is another practice.” Well, if all of these things are practice, when’s the big event?

Read the rest of this entry »

This Thursday will be the first in the Pulitzer’s series of 88.1 KDHX collaborations for Reflections of the Buddha. For Dreamscapes, these events were called “Dream Sounds” and for stylus, they were “sound waves”. Since they have become a habit, we’ve decided to just brand them “Sound Waves” indefinitely.

During Sound Waves, 88.1 KDHX DJs and live performers create soundtracks to the Pulitzer’s current exhibition. DJs curate playlists to fit a certain theme–such as “Brazil” or “dreams”–and complement the artworks on view within the Pulitzer space. Each show brings a new combination of sounds and changes the ambiance the exhibition and building.

This Thursday, from 6 to 9 p.m., Tim Rakel, 88.1 KDHX DJ, will play music from cultures represented in Reflections of the Buddha.

From Tim Rakel, 88.1 KDHX DJ, on choosing songs:

I have hosted a radio program on KDHX called “Mystery Train” over the last several years. The show features a variety of musical styles and regularly ventures to foreign parts of the globe. The countries inhabited by Buddhist populations and featured in Reflections of the Buddha are not among the most frequently visited ones on my usual program, however, so I’ve enjoyed digging a bit deeper into these musical traditions. Most of the relevant material in my own record collection comes from compilations of older recordings, so I’ve borrowed some additional music from the KDHX library as well. I hope to sample a decent variety of this music in the three hours on Thursday evening. From field recordings of acoustic instruments to more modern takes on the traditional pieces, the music will represent several of the countries from which the visual art has also arrived. 
 
I walked through the exhibition once last week and was impressed by the collection assembled in the galleries. I’m certainly tempted to play a couple longer pieces so that I might have some time to walk through the exhibition again while some music is playing. How the individual responds to each musical piece is as varied as how one might respond to the art itself. My own reactions varied from piece to piece, from a sense of awe to something more haunting. Some pieces I thought could help induce a trance-like state while others may inspire a more conscious state of wonder. I hope to match these sensations and thoughts with my musical accompaniment.

by Courtney Henson, Visitor Services Manager

Coordinating the Frame of Reference talks has become a way to meet new and interesting people.  As a staff, we brainstorm a lengthy list of names of individuals who we think would have a diverse set of perspectives on the works in our current exhibition.  For Reflections of the Buddha, the list includes various sects of Buddhist practitioners, artists, philosophers, yoga instructors, and art historians just to name a few.  The experience of viewing Buddhist works at the Pulitzer will have different meanings for different people.  The Frame of Reference talks share in 15-minute increments one perspective. Typically we have a minimum of four speakers and move from each work with the speakers and any guests interested in hearing.  Sometimes the talks share ideas and sometimes they do not, but these short talks are a great way to get new insights on the work.  I look forward to hearing the talks this weekend and being enlightened through a whole new set of eyes.  Works discussed this Saturday, beginning at 2 p.m., include “The  Universal Gateway of Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara,” Chapter Twenty Five of the Lotus Sūtra (Miaofa lianhua jing Guanshiyin pusa pumenpin), with an Appended Heart Sūtra (Xin jing), Standing Buddha Śākyamuni (Shijiamouni), Standing Prince Shōtoku at Age Two (Shōtoku Taishi Nisaizō) and The Monk Ananda (Anantuo). 

See the schedule of speakers here.

Tomorrow the Pulitzer’s neighborhood, Grand Center, will present one of St. Louis’s most beloved festivals, Dancing in the Streets. “Over 700 dancers and 75 performances on four outdoor stages.” Tap, jazz, ballet, hip-hop– Quixotic Fusion will even perform acrobatic-style on the side of the Grandel Theater up to 50 feet high. You too can perform tomorrow evening by learning the steps above with COCA dancers (this is how I will be spending my Friday night).

We hope you will also visit  Reflections of the Buddha, which is in walking distance from the stages. We will be open our regular hours, 10 to 5 p.m. Our current Exploring Art series, Exploring Buddhism and Art, will run from 1 to 3 p.m. A Buddhist practitioner and a Pulitzer docent will be available on the Mezzanine to answer questions about the artwork and how it relates to Buddhism and cultural history.

If you would like to learn a little about the exhibition and its artworks on your own, you may enjoy reading some of our recent press Read the rest of this entry »

Monks from the Mid-American Buddhist Association chant on Vesak Day. Listen to them and members of other Buddhist temples at the Reflections of the Buddha opening reception.

As you readers may have noticed, there hasn’t been much to read here recently, but I assure you the Pulitzer staff and its partners have been busy the past three weeks. Much has happened since Dreamscapes concluded with KDHX DJs emitting dreamy sounds throughout the galleries. Everyone has been developing programs, events, catalogues, docent trainings, and community connections as part of our next exhibition, Reflections of the Buddha.

As I write this, senior curator Francesca Herndon-Consagra is working with art handlers and registrars to configure awe-inspiring statues and thangkas in relation to the Ando building (quite a humbling experience, they might say). These works date from the second to the twentieth century and were created in Afghanistan, China, India, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, and Tibet. If you would like a sneak peek, visit the Reflections of the Buddha web catalogue holding page and download the gallery guide. Witness the works in person by attending our opening reception next Friday, September 9, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. 

Since Reflections of the Buddha showcases  works born from the culture and philosophy of Buddhism, the Pulitzer decided to partner with Buddhism specialists in the St. Louis community and beyond for several programs and events. As a complement to the opening festivities, at 6 p.m., members of the Buddhist Council of Greater St. Louis will share an opening chant, featuring examples of Buddhist traditions living in the St. Louis area. Read the rest of this entry »

Well it is that time again; one exhibition comes to a close and I get a moment to convert my knowledge of dream-related information into background on Buddha. Much like taking a new art history class, each semester PFA docents, gallery assistants and I learn new information to aid our guests’ experience in the galleries at the Pulitzer.  None of the gallery assistants or docents will be experts, but we aim to find ways to engage our visitors as they look  and think about the Buddhist works coming to Reflections of the Buddha.

The galleries are currently closed for installation, but the minds of the Pulitzer docents and gallery staffs are being opened.  Sydney Norton, Curatorial Assistant, is leading a four-part series of PowerPoint presentations introduce us to the works in Reflections of the Buddha.  We have come to two sessions so far, and while it seems like an immense amount of information (my note-writing hand feels like it used to when ending a class with my art history professors), we are slowly absorbing the bulk of it.  This exhibition will contain amazing objects. 

For instance, my interest has been piqued by“The Universal Gateway of Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara,” Chapter Twenty Five of the Lotus Sūtra (Miaofa lianhua jing Guanshiyin pusa pumenpin), with an Appended Heart Sūtra (Xin jing).  This piece was made through a unique process and really intrigued me for this reason. The piece is a very lengthy scroll that will be opened to different sections throughout the duration of our exhibition.  It is indigo dyed paper and it has been burnished with small particles of gold in order to depict its drawings and stories.  The process of indigo dying can be a particularly time intensive one.  Each time the paper scroll is dipped into the vat it gains a slightly darker shade of blue.  This particular scroll is almost navy from the images I have seen which means  it has been through the dye vat many times.  I can’t wait to look at this piece up close, the piece being displayed under glass should allow this, and get a sense of the artists who created it.

There are a lot of stories and historical perspectives being shared with our gallery staff that I will look forward to sharing with our guests once we open in September.