Ariana Maki | University of Virginia (original) (raw)

Books by Ariana Maki

Seeds of Faith: A Comprehensive Guide to the Sacred Places of Bhutan, 2019

One of a series of pilgrimage guides authored in Dzongkha by esteemed scholar Lopen Kunzang Thinl... more One of a series of pilgrimage guides authored in Dzongkha by esteemed scholar Lopen Kunzang Thinley, who, along with a team of researchers, undertook months of travel throughout the Bhutanese districts of Trongsa, Tsirang, Dagana, and Sarpang. Translated into English by Dr. Yonten Dargye and edited by Dr. Ariana Maki.

Seeds of Faith: A Comprehensive Guide to the Sacred Places of Bhutan, 2016

One of a series of pilgrimage guides authored in Dzongkha by esteemed scholar Lopen Kunzang Thinl... more One of a series of pilgrimage guides authored in Dzongkha by esteemed scholar Lopen Kunzang Thinley, who, along with a team of researchers, undertook months of travel throughout the Bhutanese district of Bumthang. Translated into English by Dr. Yonten Dargye and edited by Dr. Ariana Maki.

Published by KMT Press, Thimphu

Edited Volumes by Ariana Maki

Journal of Bhutan Studies, Jun 14, 2011

The Centre for Bhutan Studies is pleased to dedicate the 24th volume of the Journal of Bhutan Stu... more The Centre for Bhutan Studies is pleased to dedicate the 24th volume of the Journal of Bhutan Studies to papers presented at the joint Association for Asian Studies (AAS)—International Convention of Asia Scholars (ICAS) conference held in Honolulu, Hawaii, US, from 31 March to 3 April 2011.

The Bhutanese Panel titled, ‘Tradition and Evolution in Bhutanese Intangible Culture’ examines several intangible cultural traditions and how they have not only established and maintained themselves over the last four centuries, but also documents how they are currently engaging modernity. The panel acknowledges the contributions of Ariana Maki, a PhD candidate, working for the National Museum of Bhutan, Paro. She also chaired the session.

Lastly, the panel would like to thank Shelley and Donald Rubin Foundation for supporting the Bhutanese participation in the conference.

Kindly note that this contains only the English language submissions from the colloquium; Dzongkh... more Kindly note that this contains only the English language submissions from the colloquium; Dzongkha language submissions were edited by native Dzongkha speakers.

Articles and Catalog Entries by Ariana Maki

Across Shared Waters, 2023

Bilingual English-Tibetan booklet for the exhibition "Across Shared Waters: Contemporary Artists ... more Bilingual English-Tibetan booklet for the exhibition "Across Shared Waters: Contemporary Artists in Dialogue with Tibetan Art from the Jack Shear Collection" on view at the Williams College Museum of Art (WCMA) February 17-July 16, 2023. Tibetan translation provided thanks to the incredible skill and care of Rongwo Lugyal Dondrup.

Exhibition website, including press and programming: https://artmuseum.williams.edu/across-shared-waters/

Project Himalayan Art (online), 2023

Pema Lingpa was a Bhutanese master and “treasure-revealer,” a visionary who traveled the Himalaya... more Pema Lingpa was a Bhutanese master and “treasure-revealer,” a visionary who traveled the Himalayan landscape discovering concealed holy texts, sites, and objects in Bhutan and southern Tibet. In 1501, he began work on a shrine to contain these treasures and left a detailed record of the craftsmen and images. Art historian Ariana Maki explores the empowered images in this Bhutanese tantric master’s personal treasure hall, which map the qualities that must be realized in order to experience enlightenment. To this day, the influence of Pema Lingpa’s teachings is felt across Bhutan.

Essay available open access online: https://projecthimalayanart.rubinmuseum.org/essays/tamshing-temple/

Print edition available at: https://projecthimalayanart.rubinmuseum.org/the-book/

Project Himalayan Art (online), 2023

Scholar of Tibetan religion Karma Phuntsho and art historians Ariana Maki and Elena Pakhoutova in... more Scholar of Tibetan religion Karma Phuntsho and art historians Ariana Maki and Elena Pakhoutova introduce the Bhutanese tradition of clay sculpture, which parallels the history of Bhutan itself. The oldest clay statue in Bhutan may be in the Jampa Temple in Bumthang, said to have been founded by an ancient Tibetan emperor in the seventh century. The tradition blossomed from the sixteenth century onward, with many well-known sculptors. Today, art academies teach traditional sculpting to a new generation.

Open access online: https://projecthimalayanart.rubinmuseum.org/essays/maitreya-statue-at-jampa-lhakhang-bhutan/

Print edition available at: https://projecthimalayanart.rubinmuseum.org/the-book/

A Mandala of 21st Century Perspectives: Proceedings of the International Conference on Tradition and Innovation in Vajrayana Buddhism, 2017

For initiated viewers, the murals, thangkas and sculptures visible in Vajrayana Buddhist temples ... more For initiated viewers, the murals, thangkas and sculptures visible in Vajrayana Buddhist temples and shrines illustrate key rituals, deities, and lineage masters that provide important supports to practice. Yet often these objects carry additional, deeper meanings that can only be understood when we take into account the artists and patrons who contributed to their creation. Drawing on new research, this paper focuses on particular artists who created works for display and use in Bhutanese ritual environments, with special attention paid to objects created in the early post-Zhabdrung era.

The study takes as its point of departure one of the foremost artists in Bhutanese history: Tsang Khenchen Palden Gyatso (gtsang mkhan chen dpal ldan rgya mtsho; 1610-1684), who arrived in Bhutan in the second half of the 17th century. Tsang Khenchen—and the Bhutanese students he trained—constitute a major foundation of what can be termed ‘Bhutanese art’ on a national scale, and this paper analyses the impacts of Tsang Khenchen and his atelier in highlighting important Vajrayana Buddhist rituals, practices, and lineage masters through their artistic output.

Due to the comparative political and social stability of Bhutan over the centuries, works attributable to Tsang Khenchen and other important artists survive intact to the present. These works constitute the core of this paper, which hopes to offer evidence of the ways Bhutanese art evolved to fit a new nation in 17th century Bhutan, and how resulting works employed Vajrayana Buddhist imagery to reflect a distinctly ‘Bhutanese’ identity and artistic style. This paper is one facet of a larger, longer term research project undertaken in collaboration with the National Library and Archives of Bhutan that seeks to identify, examine and analyze those individual artists whose creations provide key touchstones to Bhutanese art history.

**A version of this paper appeared in Orientations 48/3 (May/June 2017)

Orientations 48/3 (May/June 2017), p. 108-117, May 2017

This paper presents recent research on one thangka from the National Museum of Bhutan collection,... more This paper presents recent research on one thangka from the National Museum of Bhutan collection, depicting the theme of Zhabdrung Phunsum Tshogpa (zhabs drung phun sum tshogs pa), or ‘submitting [oneself] to the one with perfect qualities’. The composition converges around the 17th century religious and political master, Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal (zhabs drung ngag dbang rnam rgyal, 1594-1651).

Charles A. Csuri: Beyond Boundaries, 1963-Present. (Exhibition Catalog), 2006

The Circle of Bliss: Buddhist Meditational Art, 2003

Seeds of Faith: A Comprehensive Guide to the Sacred Places of Bhutan, 2019

Seeds of Faith: A Comprehensive Guide to the Sacred Places of Bhutan, 2016

One of a series of pilgrimage guides authored in Dzongkha by esteemed scholar Lopen Kunzang Thinl... more One of a series of pilgrimage guides authored in Dzongkha by esteemed scholar Lopen Kunzang Thinley, who, along with a team of researchers, undertook months of travel throughout the Bhutanese district of Bumthang. Translated into English by Dr. Yonten Dargye and edited by Dr. Ariana Maki.

Published by KMT Press, Thimphu

Journal of Bhutan Studies, Jun 14, 2011

Lastly, the panel would like to thank Shelley and Donald Rubin Foundation for supporting the Bhutanese participation in the conference.

Across Shared Waters, 2023

Exhibition website, including press and programming: https://artmuseum.williams.edu/across-shared-waters/

Project Himalayan Art (online), 2023

Essay available open access online: https://projecthimalayanart.rubinmuseum.org/essays/tamshing-temple/

Print edition available at: https://projecthimalayanart.rubinmuseum.org/the-book/

Project Himalayan Art (online), 2023

Open access online: https://projecthimalayanart.rubinmuseum.org/essays/maitreya-statue-at-jampa-lhakhang-bhutan/

Print edition available at: https://projecthimalayanart.rubinmuseum.org/the-book/

A Mandala of 21st Century Perspectives: Proceedings of the International Conference on Tradition and Innovation in Vajrayana Buddhism, 2017

**A version of this paper appeared in Orientations 48/3 (May/June 2017)

Orientations 48/3 (May/June 2017), p. 108-117, May 2017

Charles A. Csuri: Beyond Boundaries, 1963-Present. (Exhibition Catalog), 2006

The Circle of Bliss: Buddhist Meditational Art, 2003

In the mid-17th century, the region that constitutes modern Bhutan was engaged in conflict with f... more In the mid-17th century, the region that constitutes modern Bhutan was engaged in conflict with forces foreign and domestic. As the Fifth Dalai Lama (1617-1682) continued to send troops southward from Tibet, limited numbers of local forces in the east were resisting consolidation efforts led by the Drukpa Kagyu Buddhist tradition in the west. As Drukpa power grew under the leadership of Zhapdrung Ngakwang Namgyel (1594-1651), a building program was implemented that included the conversion (and renovation) of non-Drukpa temples and monasteries alongside the construction of new administrative fortresses (dzong) in those territories under its control. This paper focuses on the murals, portable paintings (thangka) and sculptures that were commissioned by religious and political authorities for these various structures, and how that imagery aimed to establish and support claims to legitimacy.

In particular, this research traces how leaders emphasized links to especially prominent ancestral and Buddhist lineages--and fostered specific patterns of patronage and exchange--to cultivate authority through visual means. For example, masters commissioned works that highlighted connections to the regionally prestigious Nyö lineage while also visually conflating teachers with bodhisattvas, a combination that asserted claims to power on both the religious and secular spheres. This paper argues that by asserting ancestry alongside specific, state-supported Buddhist teachings, authorities in the early nation-building phase were intentionally deploying comparatively fixed sets of imagery to bolster their claims to legitimacy, a message that informed audiences would presumably recognize as reflective of a matrix of relationships within key regional networks.

Presented at the College Art Association (CAA) annual conference, New York

It is well-known that over the course of recorded history in the Himalayas, artists from the Tibe... more It is well-known that over the course of recorded history in the Himalayas, artists from the Tibetan Plateau were active participants in various exchanges of methods, materials and imagery that constitute much of the corpus of Tibetan Buddhist art. As the discipline of art history continues to elaborate its understanding of the roles Tibetan art and artists played in regional visual culture writ large, this paper focuses on those individuals with connections to Tibetan art who contributed to specific phases of Bhutanese art history and how Bhutan-born artists then innovated what could be termed as distinctly Bhutanese in style. The current research also seeks to complicate our understanding of some of the common iconographic themes that reflect a likely Bhutanese origin.

Presented at the Seventh International Conference on Tibetan Archaeology and Art, Chengdu, China

Having been neither conquered nor colonized, Bhutan’s material record is remarkably intact, with ... more Having been neither conquered nor colonized, Bhutan’s material record is remarkably intact, with significant numbers of murals, paintings and sculptures that date from the nation’s consolidation under Drukpa Kagyu Buddhist authority in the early 17th century. As a less commonly studied Asian nation, access to Bhutan-related resources has historically been scarce. However, there is a rapidly growing body of Bhutan-related resources available through previous visits by scholars and ongoing digital humanities documentation efforts.

This paper presents recent findings in the nascent field of Bhutanese art history, drawing from a number of these newly available archival resources and augmented by substantial first hand study. Among these resources are otherwise unavailable images from a range of key sites in Bhutanese history and art history; for example, Ronald Bernier’s early photos of murals and temples in the famed cliffside Taktsang Monastery, which was later gutted by fire in 1998. Similarly, Felicity and Brian Shaw’s images from the 1980s of tashi gomang filled with sculpted images provide crucial data for iconographic study of these portable shrines. Drawing on these and other examples, this paper contextualizes the usefulness of newly available archival and documentary resources by demonstrating how they directly contribute to new research in Himalayan art history, specifically, the distinctive aesthetic and compositional qualities of Bhutanese art. Further, this paper will provide scholars of all disciplines whose work touches on the Himalayas awareness of new, open-access, Bhutan-specific resources now available for comparative or topical studies.

Drawing on examples from across the Himalaya, this paper demonstrates some of the ways in which a... more Drawing on examples from across the Himalaya, this paper demonstrates some of the ways in which artists deliberately incorporate puns, playfulness, and wit into Buddhist works of art. Just as the Buddha’s teachings offer multivalent readings, merriment in Buddhist visual arts can be read as carrying multiple concurrent messages. By dividing these often antinomian and occasionally incendiary representations into four broad categories, I will offer insight into the mechanisms and rationales that fuel the inclusion of humor in the visual arts. The first category focuses on amusing depictions of the foibles of the human condition, and how the human body and mind, with all its fallibilities, absurdities, and limitations therein, provide a shared point of reference that can support Buddhists in their individual practices. Second, how do humorous images create and sustain human communities? Complementing Amy Holmes-Tagchungdarpa’s examples drawn from texts, I’ll highlight how illustrations reinforce community identity and contribute to the bonds of social cohesion by employing exaggerated portrayals of the Other. Third, what can we glean from representations of super-human masters and their often-subversive behavior? From the tawdry tales of Drukpa Kunley to the actions of Siddhartha Gautama himself, I’ll share representations of antinomian behavior that function concurrently to instill social mores, Buddhist moralities, and indicate advanced states of accomplishment. Finally, I’ll offer works of art wherein the artists seemed to have exercised creative freedom in order to provide the viewer--and perhaps themselves--sources of amusement and entertainment through double entendre and social commentary.

When the exhibit The Dragon’s Gift: The Sacred Arts of Bhutan began its multi-year run through mu... more When the exhibit The Dragon’s Gift: The Sacred Arts of Bhutan began its multi-year run through museums across the United States, Europe, and Asia in 2008, it offered one of the most systematic and comprehensive presentations of traditional Bhutanese art to date. As part of the lending agreement, host institutions were informed that they would be receiving more than the expected paintings, sculptures and embroideries; in fact, in addition to works of art, every venue would be hosting two Bhutanese Buddhist monks.

Because most objects originated not from museums or private collections but rather from temples and monasteries, the monks were deemed necessary to ensure that the sacred, consecrated objects would retain their potency while on their world tour. For the duration of the exhibits, twice-daily purification rituals were conducted, rituals that were then often incorporated into museum programming.

This paper examines the role of broadly held "Bhutanese beliefs" in The Dragon’s Gift exhibition from its conception to its execution, and how its organizers sought to maintain and present Bhutan’s religious values to a world audience. This study further examines whether and how different institutions incorporated the monastic presence into their public programming, and how those presentations may have impacted visitor experience. Based on experiences both as a curatorial fellow at one of The Dragon’s Gift host institutions and two years as a staff member of the National Museum of Bhutan (2009-11), this paper considers Bhutanese religio-political perspectives as well as the institutional approach of museums.

Located in central Bhutan, Thangbi Lhakhang was originally built to serve as the seat of Fourth S... more Located in central Bhutan, Thangbi Lhakhang was originally built to serve as the seat of Fourth Shamar Chokyi Drakpa (1453–1524), a Tibetan master of the Karma Kagyu Buddhist tradition. This in itself is unusual, as the Karma Kagyu school was--and continues to be--a comparatively uncommon lineage in Bhutan, a country largely dominated by the Nyingma and Drukpa Kagyu sects since the 8th and 17th centuries respectively. Yet over the centuries the Karma Kagyu maintained connections to Thangbi Temple, including 20th century visits to the site by the 16th Karmapa. This paper examines how Thangbi Lhakhang provides a snapshot of how the Karma Kagyu was tradition was integrated into the Bhutanese context, and how contemporary viewers understand Thangbi’s visual program.

The walls of Thangbi Lhakhang are adorned with modern murals illustrating an admixture of masters and meditation practices from Nyingma, Drukpa Kagyu, and Karma Kagyu Buddhist traditions, providing a snapshot into what the paintings’ patrons feel are the most essential and efficacious images for this specific community. Though Tibetan masters are major compositional components, Buddhist teachers born in and strongly associated with Bhutan play important roles in the paintings, presented as sources of authority and legitimacy on a transregional level. This paper provides an iconographic analysis of the Thangbi murals, seeking to position them not only as an example of syncretism between traditions, but also an assertion of Bhutanese agency and an expression of historical relationships and political authority.

What makes Bhutanese art distinctive? Who were some of the artists who innovated, adopted and ada... more What makes Bhutanese art distinctive? Who were some of the artists who innovated, adopted and adapted regional and local impulses to create it? This paper examines and analyzes one of the most important names in artistic accomplishment in Bhutan: Tsang Khenchen Palden Gyatso (gtsang mkhan chen dpal ldan rgya mtsho, 1610-1684).

After following the Tenth Karmapa Choying Dorje (chos dbying rdo rje, 1604-1674) into exile in Bhutan ca. 1645, Tsang Khenchen stayed on with the encouragement of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal (zhabs drung ngag dbang rnam rgyal, 1594-1651), who was in the midst of consolidating the nascent nation. Tsang Khenchen settled in Paro, with his main center at Menchuna (sman chu nang).

Due to the comparative political and social stability of Bhutan over the centuries, works attributable to Tsang Khenchen and his atelier survive intact to the present. Collectively, their extant sculptures and paintings provide a substantive body of material with which to describe, analyze and compare contemporary arts from other countries, and also between works within the kingdom. This paper presents new research on the development and impact of these works, conducted over the last year in collaboration with Dr. Yonten Dargye of the National Library and Archives of Bhutan.

When Tenzin Rabgye (1638-1696) became the Druk Desi, or administrative head of Bhutan, in 1680, h... more When Tenzin Rabgye (1638-1696) became the Druk Desi, or administrative head of Bhutan, in 1680, he had already established himself as a reliable ‘right hand man’ to the “unifier of Bhutan”, Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal. However, most of the country was unaware that Zhabdrung had died in 1651; his death was being kept a strict secret. As Bhutan’s nation-building process had not always been smooth, the country was still in a nascent phase and needed to ensure stability.

Under pressure to identify a successor to the Zhabdrung and also to maintain control over regions only recently brought under the purview of the central government, Tenzin Rabgye was installed as the country’s highest authority. Whereas his predecessor had been a military powerhouse, Tenzin Rabgye had different strengths. Trained as a Buddhist monk in the Drukpa Kagyu tradition of Himalayan Buddhism, Tenzin Rabgye understood the roles that ritual and religion should continue to play at this crucial point in Bhutan’s history. Further, he understood that in order to help solidify the Drukpa Kagyu hold on Bhutan, new policies and ‘propaganda arts’ would be key components in the process.

Of the many projects he implemented along these lines—inviting prestigious artists from Tibet to paint the regional dzongs, or fortresses, that Zhabdrung had built, of reforming monastic laws and curriculum, and establishing a system of large scale public religious festivals—this paper is dedicated to the works commissioned by Tenzin Rabgye to cover the walls of his private quarters ca. 1688-1690. Iconographic and historical analysis will shed light on which individuals he thought were the most important in Drukpa Kagyu history, which ritual practices deserved the most attention and promulgation, and which Buddhist lineage masters provided their budding nation with the most authority and pedigree. In short, this paper uses Tenzin Rabgye’s painted creations to better understand how he envisioned power, authority, and the role of art as contributing to the formation of the Bhutanese state.

Iconography and Visual Literacy in Bhutanese Art Although more than seventy percent of Bhutan... more Iconography and Visual Literacy in Bhutanese Art

Although more than seventy percent of Bhutan’s populace self-identifies as Buddhist, many do not recognize Buddhist imagery of any but the most basic historical figures and deities. This phenomenon is especially noted among modern Bhutanese youth, who tend to look outside the country for much of their information. Given that iconography communicates key ritual practices, teaching lineages, and local and national history that Bhutan considers crucial to its cultural identity, the relative disinterest in Buddhist art and iconography is a key concern moving forward: how will this imagery and its meaning be communicated to future generations?

Drawing on the visual programs of three temples dating between the 15th-19th centuries, this paper elucidates the ways in which iconographic study provides necessary keys to understanding Bhutanese history. Using iconography, rather than style, provides a system of visual literacy that can communicate across communities and regions. By cultivating an ability to recognize—and understand the significance of—the iconography of historical figures, teaching lineages, ritual practices, and the various classifications of Buddhist deities, viewers will have an enhanced understanding of Bhutanese culture and religious practice. Further, a better-informed populace will increase the likelihood that sacred sites will be better protected and maintained in the long term. This paper will further address current efforts to document sacred sites, and the ways in which particular Bhutanese and Buddhist masters have contributed to the visual programs within them.

"For centuries, tertons, or treasure revealers, have been magnets for controversy, including the ... more "For centuries, tertons, or treasure revealers, have been magnets for controversy, including the Bhutanese master Pema Lingpa (1450-1521). While texts recount his feats extracting images, ritual implements and scrolls through an oft-complicated process of prophecy, portent and revelation, his autobiography, as those of other tertons, also describes the actions and arguments of skeptics, many of whom called into question the legitimacy of Pema Lingpa’s visions and activities. So how did Pema Lingpa seek to silence his critics and support his claims? Can we possibly know how he envisioned his place in the Nyingma, or Ancient, Buddhist tradition as a whole?

This paper argues we can, through a careful analysis of the visual program and textual accounts regarding his main seat, the temple of Tamzhing, founded in 1502. By drawing upon Pema Lingpa’s autobiography and employing iconographic analysis of the murals he selected, this research provides insight as to how those specific choices reveal how Pema Lingpa situated himself in local and regional contexts as well as in the larger Nyingma tradition. In addition, this paper highlights how Pema Lingpa chose to display paintings that provided an efficacious and ritually complete site where his devotees—early and modern—could worship, surrounded by imagery and relics that divulged the esoteric and meditative practices unique to his tradition. In summary, this research shows one way in which Pema Lingpa himself chose to illustrate his legacy and claims to legitimacy at Tamzhing, offered to devotees and skeptics alike for centuries to come."

"The Nyingma Buddhist master Pema Lingpa (1450-1521) is one of the foremost religious figures of ... more "The Nyingma Buddhist master Pema Lingpa (1450-1521) is one of the foremost religious figures of Bhutan, and one of its most prominent historical figures. In 1501, Pema Lingpa recruited local labor to build what would become his main seat, Tamzhing Lhakhang, located in the region of Bumthang. Six years later the site was consecrated, and has since remained a key locus in Bhutanese Buddhist practice.

From its 16th century founding until modern times, Tamzhing remained a community temple without a resident monastic body. In the 1960s, however, this changed: many of the monks of Lhalung Monastery fled to Tamzhing ahead of the Chinese incursion into Lhodrak, just north of Bumthang. Shortly thereafter, Tamzhing was formally established as a monastery and through today, the monks continue to perform rites rituals according to the Lhalung calendar, even signing official documents as the “Lhalung Community.”

So in what ways has the monastic community’s presence changed Tamzhing as a whole? This research suggests one answer might be displayed on the walls of the Mani Dungkhor, a subsidiary shrine off the main courtyard. Through analysis of the iconography in the Mani Dungkhor, we can see the ways in which the Lhalung community adapted to its new surroundings. The images provide insight as to what sources of authority were being accepted and promulgated by the monastic authorities, and which practice lineages were considered the most important, sometimes with emphases that stand in stark contrast to what Pema Lingpa himself had instituted inside the temple proper. Further, this paper explores the key personalities—and by extension, practices—illustrated in the Mani Dungkhor; specifically, which messages are being sent not just to the monks receiving their formal training within Tamzhing, but also to the local residents who live nearby and participate in Tamzhing’s ritual life."

What makes a work of art 'Bhutanese'? Its subject, its location, its iconography, its style? For ... more What makes a work of art 'Bhutanese'? Its subject, its location, its iconography, its style? For most of recorded history, artists from the Himalayas have been active participants in various exchanges of methods, materials and imagery. As the discipline of art history continues to elaborate its understanding of regionality in Himalayan visual culture, this talk focuses specifically on Bhutanese art history and how Bhutan-born
artists innovated what could be termed as distinctly Bhutanese styles by highlighting key stylistic characteristics and iconographic representations, and foregrounding the roles of specific artists and lineages in its development.

A talk delivered at the invitation of the Loden Foundation, Thimphu, Bhutan, 15 November

Known for his engaging courses, and adventure-filled trips abroad, Dr. Ronald Bernier (1943-2012)... more Known for his engaging courses, and adventure-filled trips abroad, Dr. Ronald Bernier (1943-2012) was a specialist in Himalayan architecture both in the field and in the classroom. A Professor at CU Boulder, Dr. Bernier's estate donated his 35mm slide collection to the university's Visual Resources Center (VRC), a treasure trove of nearly 30,000 images spanning Dr. Bernier's work overseas between 1964 and 2008.

This talk shares some of the as-yet-unpublished gems of Dr. Bernier's collection that document--among other topics--Kagyu empowerment ceremonies, Newar Buddhist rituals, and now-lost wall murals of Bhutan. She also discusses current initiatives including crowd sourcing and open access, and the VRC's future plans for the Bernier Archive.

An invited talk to 3rd-7th year students of the Choki Traditional Art School in Kabesa, covering ... more An invited talk to 3rd-7th year students of the Choki Traditional Art School in Kabesa, covering iconography and iconology of various Buddhist figures, implements, and compositions.

Day long workshop for National Library and Archives of Bhutan research, archives, and library sta... more Day long workshop for National Library and Archives of Bhutan research, archives, and library staff on conducting field research, documentation techniques for material/tangible culture, and review of basic research methodologies. Afternoon field session was held at two temples in Thimphu and focused on analyzing architecture and iconography from a scholarly perspective.

In the world of Asian art history, the Himalayan nation of Bhutan is comparatively understudied a... more In the world of Asian art history, the Himalayan nation of Bhutan is comparatively understudied and often misrepresented as a minor offshoot of its better known neighbors, Tibet, Nepal and India. This talk draws upon my research and experiences studying Bhutanese art in situ since 2007, and seeks to demonstrate some of its unique stylistic characteristics as well as its uses in rituals and everyday life. In addition, we’ll explore how art objects are used to define and sustain identity in Bhutan at the local and national levels.

A K-12 Teacher Education Workshop focused on providing teachers materials and knowledge to incorp... more A K-12 Teacher Education Workshop focused on providing teachers materials and knowledge to incorporate Hindu and Buddhist visual culture in the classroom, and aimed toward facilitating the inclusion of Asian art and culture in order to meet Colorado state curriculum requirements.

A daylong workshop presented at the National Library and Archives of Bhutan, Thimphu, which inclu... more A daylong workshop presented at the National Library and Archives of Bhutan, Thimphu, which included overviews of primary considerations when researching tangible and intangible cultural heritage, types of interpretive frameworks, comparative analysis, ethics in research, and case studies of projects in Bhutan.

Review of Crispin Paine, "Religious Objects in Museums: Private Lives and Public Duties" Museum A... more Review of Crispin Paine, "Religious Objects in Museums: Private Lives and Public Duties"
Museum Anthropology, Vol 38, Issue 1, start page 51
Published 02 March 2015