Florida Museum To Display Tibetan Treasures

Between India, central Asia and China, there lies a civilization set on a high plateau surrounded by the largest mountains in the world. This "Land of Snows" is commonly referred to as Tibet, a land filled with historic wonder and present day struggles.

Florida Museum of Natural History visitors will have an opportunity to view an exhibit of extraordinary historical and archival treasures of Tibetan culture when "Tibet: Mountains and Valleys, Castles and Tents" is displayed at the museum Feb 3 through May 28, 2007.

This traveling exhibition from The Newark Museum's renowned collection, considered the finest in the Western Hemisphere, includes rare photographs along with authentic objects including examples of official regalia, noble jewelry, castle furnishings, horse gear and weapons.

"Tibet, that mountainous land so physically inaccessible and for so long closed to western visitors, is nearly mythical in the Western imagination," said Florida Museum associate director for exhibits Darcie MacMahon. "As the invented 'Shangri-La,' it embodied everything exotic, from landscapes to fascinating cultures to a utopia of perfect happiness. The Tibet exhibit grounds our imaginations in the real stuff of Tibet, revealing the fundamental character of its stark landscapes and the real people who live there."

During the run of the Tibet exhibit, the Florida Museum also will feature photographs from the Dolpa region of northern Nepal by museum lepidopterist Andrei Sourakov. Sourakov trekked through this remote and rugged terrain in search of the many endemic butterfly species that inhabit Dolpa's isolated Himalayan valleys. The photographs document his two-month journey, including both the butterflies and the ethnic Tibetan peoples who live there.

The Florida Museum also will host several public programs and classes exploring Tibet, from movie nights and discussions exploring the nature of spiritual leadership and Buddhism, to children's day classes and home school programs that focus on nomadic people and the Himalaya Mountains.

"Tibet: Mountains and Valleys, Castles and Tents" explores two traditional ways of life and their profound impact upon Tibetan society prior to 1950. The first addresses the lifestyle of the aristocracy, utilizing lavishly decorated objects and ceremonial ornaments to illustrate the political power and social standing of the noble families of Tibet. The second part of the exhibition examines the personal belongings and tools of nomadic traders, farmers and herders of eastern and northeastern Tibet.

Highlights of the exhibition include items that belonged to long-ago rulers, such as a 19th century silver prayer wheel inset with jade, rubies and shells; items used by Tibetan nomads, farmers and herders; and photographs that powerfully depict the traditional lifestyles of the Tibetan people.

The oldest object in the exhibit is a 13th-14th century Tsampa (grain) container inlaid with gold and silver. The object reflects pre-1950 aristocratic and government customs and is exceedingly rare, as these aspects of traditional Tibetan life were forbidden under Communist rule.

Beginning with a historical exploration of Tibetan geography and history, the exhibit shows the influence of extreme altitudes and barren terrain upon Tibetan economics, religion and artistic expression. Though physically isolated from much of the world by high deserts and mountains, Tibet has always been a commercially active area, crisscrossed by trade routes. The Tibetan people also have a spiritual connection to the high and rugged land, and early creation myths consider the plateau a sacred, spiritually potent area.

Dr. Albert Shelton, a missionary doctor in western China and eastern Tibet during the early 1900s, is credited with the start of this outstanding collection. In 1911, his collection of 150 or so Tibetan objects came to The Newark Museum. This initial collection was soon enlarged by other important gifts and purchases from missionaries and early explorers to Tibet.

Admission is $4 for adults, $2 for children ages 3-12 and free to Florida Museum members.
"Tibet: Mountains and Valleys, Castles and Tents" was organized by The Newark Museum, Newark, N.J. The exhibition was initially made possible in part with the support of UBS AG.

By www.flmnh.ufl.edu