Historical Tibetan Shrine Room at Mia
Saturday, October 26, 2024 at 9:34AMArticle by Becky Fillinger, photos provided
Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room
A Discussion with Matthew Welch, Mary Ingebrand Pohlad Deputy Director and Chief Curator at Mia
Matthew WelchMia unveiled a new fully installed historical Tibetan Shrine Room in September. The Shrine Room is a multi-sensory experience featuring more than 200 new pieces of Tibetan Buddhist art, generously donated by Alice Kandell, a New York collector. We talked to Chief Curator, Matthew Welch, about the significance of the donation, Mia’s extensive Asian collections, and partnership with Twin Cities Tibetan organizations. I recommend visiting the Shrine Room on every visit to Mia; it will center you and prepare you to leave your cares behind and enjoy the many wonders of Mia.
Q: Can you provide us with timeline on Mia’s Asian collections?
A: Mia has long been celebrated for its exceptional collections of Asian art. We were the recipient of Asian objects even before our opening in 1915. John Bradstreet (1914), Alfred Pillsbury (150 bronzes; 194 jades) in 1950, Richard P. Gale (over 300 prints in 1974), Louis W. Hill, Jr. some 1500 works of Japanese art in the 1970s, Mary Griggs Burke, over 670 works of art in 2012, Willard Clark some 1700 works of art in 2013, and over 2000 objects from Bruce B. Dayton over the course of his 70-year involvement with the museum.
Q: Please give us a historical perspective on the Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room - why is the donation by Alice Kandell significant?
A: Of course, with this gift, Mia becomes one of the country's great repositories of Tibetan art. Besides the importance, beauty, and workmanship of each object, the extraordinary thing that Alice has done is to bring it all together to evoke a traditional Tibetan sacred space in all of its richness and complexity as it would have existed in a historic Tibetan home.
Kandell says that the objects were not considered ‘art’ by the original owners, who would have included them in the family’s shrine room. The objects were necessary for daily rituals and offerings.
The Twin Cities is home to approximately 5,000 people of Tibetan descent, the second largest population in the United States - following Queens, NY - so it is especially meaningful to have them here at Mia.
Q: What time period do the art objects represent?
A: The objects range from the 14th century to the 20th century.
Q: What type of items are included in her donation to Mia?
A: Her gift of some 240 objects, which constitute the Shrine, includes all types of devotional objects, including sculptures, paintings (thangkas), ritual objects, carpets, and textiles.
Q: What do you hope Mia visitors will take away from experiencing the Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room?
A: This permanent collection of Tibetan art will help strengthen knowledge of Tibetan culture and history, not just for those of Tibetan descent but also for the general population. This shrine offers a space for reflection, where visitors can experience the richness of Tibetan art and spirituality. It showcases intricate details that reflect centuries of cultural expression.
Q: Will the museum partner with local Tibetan organizations on events?
A: Mia’s approach to community partnership is constantly evolving. We are thrilled to work with our community partners to ensure our programming and exhibitions more closely reflect those in our community.
We are very grateful for our partnership with the Tibetan American Foundation of Minnesota (TAFM). Founded in 1992, TAFM has become a key cultural and social hub, offering a space to preserve Tibetan identity, culture, and traditions through its Tibetan Community Cultural Center in St. Paul. For more than a year, we’ve been partnering with the Tibetan American Foundation of Minnesota on how to honor the rich Tibetan heritage in the Twin Cities.
From left to right - Virajita Singh, Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer; Katie Luber, Nivin and Duncan MacMillan Director & President; Alice S. Kandell, Collector and donor of the Tibetan Buddhist objects in the shrine; Matthew Welch, Mary Ingebrand-Pohlad Deputy Director and Chief Curator; Gelek Namgyal, Vice President of the Tibetan American Foundation of Minnesota Photo credit Beckly Fillinger
TAFM also helped connect us to the Jangchub Choeling Nunnery from South India. Nuns from the nunnery are visiting the United States to share the Tibetan culture and traditions and to raise funds for healthcare for nuns back at the nunnery. Over five days in September, the visiting nuns meticulously created the breathtaking Green Tara sand mandala in our Star Tribune Atrium in the Target Wing.
The Goddess Tara, is a revered bodhisattva, in Tibetan Buddhism. She represents compassion, love and swift removal of obstacles to our well-being and the Green Tara Mandala itself fosters compassion, healing and the cultivation of enlightened qualities for the benefit of all beings.
On September 21, a ritual dismantling of the Green Tārā Sand Mandala took place.
The events of late September were just the start of a year-long series of events ahead. Because the Tibetan Shrine room is a permanent shrine room, we are planning events related to the Tibetan art and culture themes throughout the coming year, including family programming, Meet @ Mia, with more programming and activities next spring and summer. We want to ensure these events and activities invite the Tibetan community and all Minnesota communities to visit and experience them at Mia.
Q: How may we follow news of events associated with the Buddhist Shrine Room?
A: Anyone can follow along on the website/exhibition page, including upcoming events and activities related to the Tibetan Shrine.
Refuge Tree, 19th Century
